Water man with MES or no?

[husker3in4]

When I first got it, I used the pan. I put it away and havent used it for year and frankly lost it, but I found it again the other day and am wondering if I should be using it when I smoke a 10 lb brisket this weekend. Thoughts?

 

[SonnyE]

I use mine, but never with water.
I use it to disperse for the smoke and heat. And as a catch pan.

 

[hillbillyrkstr]

I always use mine. Always have probably always will. I believe it helps keep the meat moist. People can argue that point but at the very least it acts as a heat sink and helps get your temp back up in your smoker quicker after you open the door.

Good luck,
Scott

 

[oldsmokerdude]

There is probably enough humidity in your MES that you don't need the pan for moisture, but as Scott mentioned, it acts as a great thermal mass for maintaining temp and not a bad catch pan either. Either way, you can't go wrong.

 

[zwiller]

Smoked enough in the MES to know I don't need water in it and I am supremely confident the any moisture added from it will not magically penetrate the meat making it more moist. To me it's not even debatable. One of the strangest things I've found is that I have profoundly better results with the MES when meat is dry to the touch (pellicle) prior to smoking. I use the pan foiled over to catch drips off my AMNPS. Key to moist meat is proper pull and with brisket that means smooth probe. I think most guys pull too early.

 

[husker3in4]

when using the pan as a heat sink to keep the temps more constant, do you fill it with water?

 

[zwiller]

I was told since the MES is so small and insulated not to overthink it and worry about thermal mass etc. Back in the days of using my gasser I put a big paver in the pan to help with large temp swings but it never really helped much. Honestly, the MES + AMNPS is pretty set and forget to me.

 

[mike243]

Always have used mine and see 0 reasons to stop , haven’t seen any body post a reason negative to make me stop also

 

[jted]

Clearly there is a divide here. We have two Opinions and no definitive proof to either side.
So take your pick. I started with the water pan filled. That lasted a few smokes. I tried it with out water and found no differance in the moistness of my meat. For the last few years I foil it and have a heat sink and a extra drip pan. I always wanted to try filling it with sand or marbles but never have. The one thing for sure is my AMNPS stays lit better without water. Jted

 

[SonnyE]

when using the pan as a heat sink to keep the temps more constant, do you fill it with water?

What temperature does water boil at? :rolleyes:
I like steamed crab. But I don't like steamed beef.
Any questions? ;)

 

[husker3in4]

Well it seems that most feel the meat doesnt need water in the pan to stay moist.. so its mainly acting as a heat shield and drippings catcher. I usually have an aluminum pan under my meat to catch drippings so I wont need the pan anyway it seems. Thanks for your advice folks.

 

[johnmeyer]

You can do some research and find that meat does not get moist because of humidity in the air or from other external sources of moisture. Some of the driest meat I've ever had was boiled, and if submerging the meat completely into water doesn't make it moist, then nothing will.

https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/5841-minimizing-moisture-loss-in-meat

Salt content, added before cooking (e.g., brining) has much more to do with moisture loss.

 

[GATOR240]

I have mine filled with sand and covered with foil - for a heat sink- (and have had very good luck with that setup). I agree that in using a MES 30 that you do not need to use water. Try it both ways and see what you prefer. Your choice and have fun doing it!:D

 

[TomKnollRFV]

The MES needs no water. The Waterpan is at best, a catch pan. If you actually seek to fill it with water? You stall your own cook. My first brisket, I tried this whole 'Make proper Au Jus' by adding liquid in so the drippings didn't cook onto the water pan. I ended up with a brisket taking 30 hours.

Jerky took me over 14 hours because the water pan kept getting a build up of liquid from the rain storm. I just line mine with tinfoil and forget it.

 

[normanaj]

No water here,plenty 'O moisture in the box without adding water.The MES is not much different than a fridge in design,its designed to keep the desired temp inside.

Also I've found putting water in the pan turns the MES into a dripping mess.