What to use in the water pan??

[bb chuck]

Have a master built propane smoker and doing the bacon butter/ rub smoked turkey. Does anyone have suggestions on what to use in the water pan; or use for grease trap dry?? Thoughts on using brine mix in it??

 

[jarjarchef]

Sounds like a good turkey you are planning.

I would go dry, but line the pan with foil for easy cleaning.

 

[chef jimmyj]

I agree with Jarjar. So many fill their water pans with Apple Juice, OJ and Fruit, Broth and Herbs, even Wine or Booze...All a huge waste. The only thing the evaporates is the Water and such a small amount of volatile flavor compounds as to make no difference in flavor of the bird or meat at all. Think of it this way...If you simmer a pot of Chicken Soup all day on the stove, do all the Apples in the bowl next to the stove taste like Chicken?...JJ

 

[ristau5741]

water in the water pan,  you can even throw some veggies,  i.e potatoes, in the water, so they'll cook at the same time.

 

[chef willie]

When I had a water pan in a ECB and then a propane gasser I filled it with sand after realizing it did nothing...Willie

 

[rabbithutch]

For The Chefs:

Please clarify. When i smoke a meat that will drop fluids - fat, blood, 'juice' - I try to make a mirepoix or some veggie mix and some water in my frip pan. With beef, especially, this yields a great dipping sauce (after having removed most of the fat and straining the veg out). Are you pros saying that this useless?

 

[jarjarchef]

No it is not a waste of time or effort, but it needs to be done in a way that benifits the cook.

If you take a look at how I do my brisket you can take advantage of smoking the mirepoix and catching juices.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/133524/brisket-aus-jus-w-pics-and-recipe

I don't put any liquid in the pan or cook chamber. But I put the vegetables and tomatoes in a pan directly under the brisket to catch smoke and drippings. Then I use the vegetables and drippings to make my sauce.

I do not add liquid to the cook chamber because I feel it does not benifit my cooks. With the CO I use it causes more temp and fuel consumption issues then I want to deal with. But that is how I do mine. Others are very successful with water or other liquids in the cook chamber.

As for what was said the adding stock, vegetables, beer, wine or other items to the water pan not having any benifits. I mostly agree with that. As for the vegetables, stocks and alcohols you will not get a whole lot if anything from them. For the herbs and spices you can get a little, but in my opinion not worth the cost when you have better ways to get the flavors into your products.

Jeramy

 

[chef jimmyj]

@ Rabbit...If you are using the Water pan to catch drippings, then putting veggies in it is a great idea and making a sauce with any recovered liquid is delicious. My point was pouring a bottle of red wine in the water pan and expecting the meat to taste like wine after smoking ain't going to happen...JJ

 

[rabbithutch]

Thank you, Chefs!

As usual, I was not understanding what was being said.

Last July I did a prime rib in my BIL's gas grill without smoke, but I did put a pan underneath it with a mirepoix that caught the juices. I strained the pan to get the juices and poured off the fat then blended a bit of the soft veg in a blender and poured the juice into it. This was my au jus dip. I got great reviews but I'm sure the people I served would have said nice things even if it had been a disaster.

I didn't feel like it was a waste of time, but I'm not a pro.

BTW: I also made a horseradish sauce for dipping.

Thank you, again, for the responses.

rh

 

[jarjarchef]

Rabbit wether you intended to or not. What you did was how "traditional" kitchen will do. By putting the mire poix under the meat and then using the dripping to make the Aus jus or sauce is how most classically trained Chefs do it. In my book I would not have changed it. BTW you will be an example I use to show my noobs that the right way is still the best way Thumbs Up

Jeramy