Water Pan & Creosote

[slipaway]

I read in a post recently that using a water pan in my offset smoker will create some creosote in the cooking chamber.

Is this true? I have been using a water pan for several years and I clean the inside of my smoker fairly often because it gets an off-smell that could be partly creosote. After reading this comment I tried doing ribs without a water pan. What a difference (and not a good one).

My water pan also acts as a drip can so clean up is quick but the smell remains. That's why I don't want to switch to sand. Am I relegated to cleaning my smoker more often than normal just to keep the moisture in the smoker?

 

[chef jimmyj]

An inefficiently cool burning fire makes creosote, regardless if using a water pan or not. The better/hotter the fire is burning the less creosote there is generated. So, a small hot fire getting the smoke chamber to 225 is much better than a pile of charcoal and wood smothering and making lots of white smoke laden with creosote. Even though the Hot fire makes less creosote, there is some. A very moist chamber and meat, cools the smoke passing by and more of that creosote condenses on the meat and smoker, than that which would stick to a dry chamber and meat. It is not clear what was bad or worse about your Dry cooked ribs but many of us smoke without water or anything in the water pan but foil to catch drippings, and get great results. Added moisture is only needed for hot and fast smoking. Using a water pan at smoker temps below 300°, low and slow cooking, yes you will be cleaning the bitter creosote more often. I smoke at 225 to 275 in a MES no water and before that, in an offset with a small hot fire, no water, and after 5 years have yet to need to remove any creosote from any portion other than the Window of my MES because when cold the creosote condenses on the glass...JJ

 

[cksteele]

ive always cooked with a water pan  in my smoker because i work hard  to burn a clean fire on my stickburner.  never had a  issue with creosote fouling the meat or gunking up the chamber .

its only an issue if you have a smouldering wood thats not burning properly  if you burn a clean fire  the heat actually burns off a lot of the creosote.  and turns the cellulose of the wood  into sugar and breaks down the  lignin to flavour compounds  like vanilla etc   so if you smell the smoke  and its sweet with a nutty or buttery scent or neutral  you know you're burning  a good fire  but if you stick your nose in the smoke  and its acrid  or bitter  then your producing a lot of creosote 

 

[SmokinAl]

I use a water pan in all my smokers & never get a creosote build up.

I put a pan of water next to the firebox in my Lang & it evens out the heat across the bottom grate.

Al

 

[slipaway]

Thanx for all the feedback. 

I work to get a clean burning fire and it usually takes about 45 minutes for my firebox to settle down to a clean smoke so I can start loading the meats. Even with the firebox lid open during that time I will still get some smoke in the grilling chamber that may be contributing to some creosote. 

Chef - the difference with the ribs were that they had a very noticeably drier bark. My ribs usually have a bark that you can squeeze and see juices come out. A bite will have juices running down your chin. This time it was a lot drier.

Thanx again for the input guys.................