WSM water pan

Is it the 22 or the 18? Congratulations either way on a Great Smoker!

I never put water in my pan, I just use the water pan foiled over to catch drippings and deflect the direct heat.

I've had my 22" WSM for a year now, I've always used the water pan. Clean-up can be a pain but you don't have to spotlessly clean it after every time you use it. Foiling it helps a bit and is my preferred way to use the bowl.

I do not use mine. A large clay flower pot saucer has taken its place.

I put three crushed soda cans in the pan and then cover it with foil, no water.

The cans help create an air gap and seems to prevent the accumulated grease from scorching. Sure, some grease invariably gets inside but it's minimal, and the foil catches most of it.

Don't be to concerned about clean-up. It's a water pan, and you don't cook in it.

I've been a water in the pan user for quite a while now, but in the last month, ive been foiling instead. Gotta say, foiling gave me some good results as well. Id say that since you have that big fatcap, foil that pan! Im planning on doing both depending on fat content and humidity. Check this out too http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/waterpanusage.html

I used water in the pan for a looong time. It only took me one time foiling to see that I had been doing it wrong for so long. I now place a clay pot saucer in the bottom of the water pan and foil over the whole water pan. My Pitmaster IQ now holds temps steadier now since ditching the water too.

Wait so you guys are saying to ditch the water? I am new WSM user myself but I have the 14.5" and I wonder if the temps would still be stable if I foiled. I guess I can always give it a try.

I put 2"of new unsented Dollar General cat litter 1.00 for a 7lb bag in mine and cover it with foil.

If you take the water pan out completely, you basicslly are cooking in the same style as an UDS. People cook on those all the time.

That being said, I simply foil wrap my pan and still use it.

cheez59 said:

Ok I bought my first WSM a couple weeks ago. It is a used unit in pretty good shape so I thought I would give it a try. The water pan does not look like it had been used much. The guy I bought it from said it was too much trouble to clean up even if he lined it with foil so he quit using it. He said he never had a problem smoking big pork butts and the dripping fat never flared up enough to harm the meat. This scares me a bit especially since I have a 10 pound butt with quite a large fat cap. What do you experienced WSM users think? Should I use the water pan and just deal with the cleanup or just take his word? He is a highly experienced WSM user. I am a fairly experienced smoker but only on offset stick burners and egg type grill/smokers. Thanks for your replies.

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Here is my take on your question, because you are asking if you should use the waterpan or take the previous owners advice and cook DIRECT over the coals and chuck the waterpan, and everyone else is giving you directions on how they USE their pans.

GO FOR IT! Cook that butt direct.

Start with a full ring of fuel, add a chimney of flaming coals to it, add your smoke wood and assemble the bullet without the pan and let it come to your desired temp and put the butt on the top grate. If you have a dome thermo that is accurate shoot for 275-300* and let it roll. You can check it in 90 minutes and flip it if you like. You are going to get white smoke not sweet blue, but that's normal from the fats dripping on the coals. Cook to an internal of 157-165 or the desired color you are looking for and foil it with "flavorful liquid and enhancers, and stick it back until that bone slips out effortlessly. I figure a 10 lb butt might go @ 6+ hours.

Figure most Drum smokers that roll direct the cook grate is at least 24" from the coals ( or bottom of the basket ). I'm pretty sure the 18" WSM is pretty close to that as well. This ain't low n slow, so be on top of it.

The last butt I cooked on my Hunsaker Smokers Vortex clone was a steady 275* and went 6 hours and I'm hearing of Hunsaker and Gateway can users cans cooking butts in 4 hours, so I'm ratcheting up the temp on my drums.

or you can follow the herd

How exactly do you wrap the waterpan?
Tent it like your saving a bowl of leftovers, or line it like your wrapping a gift?

I do mine just like this, but I don't foil the bottom. Just across the top and I foil the saucer just in case some grease makes it inside to keep the saucer from getting grease soaked.

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=136609

Hope that helps!

Hey Cheez. Sorry, I know this is a late reply as I already saw your cook thread (Good Job!). I wrap my water pan in foil, wrap my clay saucer in foil, and then for a little more ease of clean up, I throw one of those cheap aluminum turkey pans on top. Every cook, I rinse out the turkey pan, replace it and the foil when it gets grungy.

Take a look at the link in my signature for mods / additions I did to make my WSM mine...

I use a pan full of Lava rocks and Ceramic Briqs, in my UDS when I cook. It robs me of fuel efficiency a little, but I can still do a 15 hour cook at 250 instead of the normal 18-20. But the massive heat sink the briquettes and rocks create really helps stabalize my temps, especially when the lid comes off and then goes back on.

Just my $.02 YMMV

USMC said:

I do mine just like this, but I don't foil the bottom. Just across the top and I foil the saucer just in case some grease makes it inside to keep the saucer from getting grease soaked.

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=136609

Hope that helps!

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I see ! Thanks.

It will work with or without water, but use the pan at least as a diffuser