Water pans

[hollrusl]

Just curious, do any of you use a water pan in you rig? Have you tried it in the past? Notice a difference either way?

Purely curious. I don’t use one and never really have given in any thought, but I have seen people mention using or recommended using one to others in various FB groups, so it had me curious.

 

[Ol' Smokey]

Never have. Dont know if i ever will....

 

[Smokeyholler]

Never tried one although I use a pan under the meat to catch the drippings,which usually is boiled off by the time I'm done.

 

[Mike From R.I.]

Just curious, do any of you use a water pan in you rig? Have you tried it in the past? Notice a difference either way?

Purely curious. I don’t use one and never really have given in any thought, but I have seen people mention using or recommended using one to others in various FB groups, so it had me curious.

My smoker has the water pan built into it, so I use it all the time. I'll use a foil pan with water also under a Boston butt when smoking them to catch all of the grease.

 

[Jimsmokes]

Depends on what I'm cooking. Sometimes I want a humid/moist environment for ribs, loins. Sometimes I want it dry for chicken

 

[bobissmokin]

Always used one in the stick-burner, so I have always used one in the pellet cooker. Understand the "provides moisture" thought but really don't know if it makes any difference in the end result. Can't hurt. Just a pan of water.

 

[MikeInFla]

My vertical has one so I always use it in that one. My PB grill doesn’t have one and I rarely use one in that one.

 

[mixed up]

My PB 4 has one and I do see a difference with my ribs if I fill or dont fill it

 

[Steve In Pa]

My PB 4 has one and I do see a difference with my ribs if I fill or dont fill it

I’ve never tried ribs without. What’s the difference you’ve noticed?

Reason I always use water in the pan for smoking is I thought it helped steady inside temps and moisturize the meat.

 

[Freedbyjc]

Water pans are only required for vertical units per the manual to avoid grease fires because it’s also the drip tray.

Due to the nature of the mechanical design of this smoker, there’s no need for a water pan with the horizontals for all the reasons stated below. I have done both -with and without- at the beginning of this journey and my experience says No water pan is need to produce tender and juicy food in these smokers.

Also, Water pans are not needed in these horizontal smokers.... at low and slow Smoking temperatures <250°, the forced air combustion fan circulating air in the barrel and smoldering pellets do not strip the moisture from the air like stick burners do. And the controller algorithms monitor and regulate the barrel temperatures.

Stick burners who start using these smokers use water pans because they HAD to in their stick burners to stabilize the pits temperature and so it’s an ingrained habit. After smoking on these awhile they realize it’s not needed and it was a waste of valuable smoker space.

 

[OBsCorner]

I wrap mine with foil to catch drippings and for easy clean up. I do use water.

 

[hollrusl]

Water pans are only required for vertical units per the manual to avoid grease fires because it’s also the drip tray.

Due to the nature of the mechanical design of this smoker, there’s no need for a water pan with the horizontals for all the reasons stated below. I have done both -with and without- at the beginning of this journey and my experience says No water pan is need to produce tender and juicy food in these smokers.

Also, Water pans are not needed in these horizontal smokers.... at low and slow Smoking temperatures <250°, the forced air combustion fan circulating air in the barrel and smoldering pellets do not strip the moisture from the air like stick burners do. And the controller algorithms monitor and regulate the barrel temperatures.

Stick burners who start using these smokers use water pans because they HAD to in their stick burners to stabilize the pits temperature and so it’s an ingrained habit. After smoking on these awhile they realize it’s not needed and it was a waste of valuable smoker space.

This was my understanding as well. I was surprised to see the number of people recommending it. Bitch if one is happy with their results, that’s all that matters!

 

[talon52]

My smoker has the water pan built into it, so I use it all the time. I'll use a foil pan with water when I'm smoking to catch all of the grease.

 

[mixed up]

I’ve never tried ribs without. What’s the difference you’ve noticed?

Reason I always use water in the pan for smoking is I thought it helped steady inside temps and moisturize the meat.

ribs dont dry out as easy thats the big thing