Water Pan or No..?

[Spodie Odie]

I bought a new Traeger pro 575 and have used it many times and get good results. I have a question that may not have an answer- just opinions. My MES keeps humidity so there is no need for a water pan.. Has anyone used a water pan in a pellet smoker? Has anyone gotten better results or longer cook times? Beef vs pork? Would it through off the temp? I am just curious. I would like to experiment with different cooks but it might get too expensive. Figured I can save time and money by asking here.

 

[6GRILLZNTN]

Never used one in my pellet smoker.

 

[sandyut]

second on never used one. I stopped using the one on my WSM shortly after I got it too. I read it really just caused you to use more fuel to keep the water warm and any actual difference in the cook because of humidity - is that makes sense.

Just burn the pellets and enjoy the product.

 

[bregent]

I've tried it a few times but not enough to draw any real conclusions. Because pellet grills have high air flow they can tend to dry out the surface of the meat more than other types of smokers. Increasing the humidity inside may help with that. Some say it helps to increase smoke flavor. The only way to know for sure is try it yourself. It should not adversely affect the temperature.

 

[Spodie Odie]

I might try it with a cheap pork shoulder. I sometimes spritz depending on what I want to cook and have gotten mixed results. I was thinking along the lines of maybe it could cause the thermometer to read incorrectly thus making it raise or lower the temp.

 

[ostrichsak]

I don't with a GMG. Unnecessary extra step IMO.

 

[yodelhawk]

I do... not sure why. Makes me feel like I'm doing some magic or sumthin!

 

[texomakid]

I used water pans YEARS ago but I prefer no water.

 

[JWFokker]

In a pellet cooker it's actually a good idea. Pellets have very low moisture content, around 10%. Additionally, the high volume of airflow in pellet cookers make them pretty effective dehydrators. Great for poultry, other meats not so much.