Water Pan Question

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Finney said:
Greg Rempe said:
it's a heat sink...otherwise it would have been left out of the whole smoker scheme

How does this statement make any sense in your head? :?

It's put there to keep the temps down on purpose...if they didn't want the temps to stay low they wouldn't have put it in. Of course, I'm sure that doesn't make sense to you either Finney.

Again, I'm not saying that it isn't putting moisture in the chamber...but it is minimal at best! ;)
 
Greg Rempe said:
Finney said:
[quote="Greg Rempe":1ws1wz1s]it's a heat sink...otherwise it would have been left out of the whole smoker scheme

How does this statement make any sense in your head? :?

It's put there to keep the temps down on purpose...if they didn't want the temps to stay low they wouldn't have put it in. Of course, I'm sure that doesn't make sense to you either Finney.[/quote:1ws1wz1s]


So, it couldn't be in there because they thought it would provide a moister environment?
Or, it couldn't be in there because they thought that if you put a flavorfull liquid, or aromatics in the water it would help flavor the meat?

I will agree that it is a heat sink. But it is also a temperature stabilizer (because the hot liquid helps keep temps up as your coals are dying).
I disagree that it doesn't add moisture to the cooker or that it won't afford the opportunity to add more flavor to your cook.

I also agree with your earlier statment that a WSM full of butts doesn't really need more moisture. Once the meat gets hot enough there will be moisture in there.
Some things will benefit from having water in the pan more than other things will.

Cook how you want, sand, water, foil, emty pan, etc... I don't care.
I'm just saying that it's not "cut-and-dried" that it is only a heat sink.
 
I didn't say that it didn't add moisture...just that it was negligible at best. Difference being that it is talked about as if there is a steamy jungle in there and that just isn't the case.

Heat sink/stabilizer....semantics...I didn't say stabilizer because I figured that was a given but I guess not...so yes, it does act as a stabilizer as well. :roll:

I don't think Weber thought about that pan as a vehicle to provide additional flavor...that would be foolish!

I'm not deterring anyone from cooking how they want to...but the thread is about opinions on the water pan...that's all.
 
Finney said:
Cook how you want, sand, water, foil, emty pan, etc... I don't care.
I'm just saying that it's not "cut-and-dried" that it is only a heat sink.

Other things that make it less cut and dried for me are: -

1) They call it a Water pan, they don't call it a sand pan, or a foil pan or an empty pan! It only becomes a dried water pan if you don't put more water in!:LOL:

2) If they didn't think it was useful or needed by the average consumer, they wouldn't add it in to the build, as it costs them time and money to produce, if they thought they could get away without it they would remove it.:LOL:

Ergo (Latin word for therefore)!

3) They must think that it is needed, whether as a heat sink or for moisture, as they still do put them in the box, and then the ask you to refill it on long cooks after the 4 - 5 hour mark.:LOL:

Now don't get me wrong I am not defending it blindly, I have cooked with an empty pan and I have cooked with a foiled pan, as well as with water and sand and other liquids, (the other liquids verses water, didn't do as much for flavor as I would have liked so I dicontinued other flavors, and went back to plain water), but unless I am aiming for a higher temperature cook, the pan goes in and most of the time it is filled with water. ;)
 
A water pan is only a heat sink in the beginning of the cook "if you start with cold water". Once the water starts boiling it starts evaporating thus reducing the amount of so called "heat sink" you think you're getting. Which will gradually rasie your temperatures as the amount of water reduces. Water is only a temperature stabilizer and that's really only when it's full and boiling. Subsquently, unless you continue to add boiling water evertyime you refill you are slowing the progress of your cook down due to the raising and lowing of temperature due to the water replentishment process.

In my opinion no meat cooked in the WSM will benefit from using water. If you want a reliable heat stabilizer, use sand.
 
Again, we can all agree to disagree. Do what ever works for you. If you think it adds moisture to your meat, then it does. If you think aromatics add flavor to your meats, then it does. If you like sand over water, great!
 
Nick Prochilo said:
Again, we can all agree to disagree. Do what ever works for you. If you think it adds moisture to your meat, then it does. If you think aromatics add flavor to your meats, then it does. If you like sand over water, great!

Not directed at you Nick as we seem to be on the same page here but...No...that part is wrong. It is not adding moisture to the meat and putting onions, garlic and grape juice in the water pan isn't adding flavor either. If it did then the comp folks would be doing it ALL THE TIME instead of injecting!

Yes, moisture is in the air do to evaporation...no, it is not making your cut of meat juicer because the water is evaporating...it is a stabilizer and initially a sink....that's it!

I'm really not wrong on this and would be happy to prove that if I loaded a cooker full of butts and did one with sand, one with water and the other with wine, grapes, onions garlic and whatever else you want to stick in the water pan that you wouldn't be able to tell a difference between the three!

All that bring said...do it the way you like to do it! :LOL: 8)
 
Greg Rempe said:
[quote="Nick Prochilo":ybf5m05u]Again, we can all agree to disagree. Do what ever works for you. If you think it adds moisture to your meat, then it does. If you think aromatics add flavor to your meats, then it does. If you like sand over water, great!

Not directed at you Nick as we seem to be on the same page here but...No...that part is wrong. It is not adding moisture to the meat and putting onions, garlic and grape juice in the water pan isn't adding flavor either. If it did then the comp folks would be doing it ALL THE TIME instead of injecting!

Yes, moisture is in the air do to evaporation...no, it is not making your cut of meat juicer because the water is evaporating...it is a stabilizer and initially a sink....that's it!

I'm really not wrong on this and would be happy to prove that if I loaded a cooker full of butts and did one with sand, one with water and the other with wine, grapes, onions garlic and whatever else you want to stick in the water pan that you wouldn't be able to tell a difference between the three!

All that bring said...do it the way you like to do it! :LOL: 8)[/quote:ybf5m05u]

I think that was Nick's point!!!!
 
That was me being political...after making sure that my point was made. I have to keep people happy! 8)

However, that doesn't change the fact that I am right!
 
Bruce B said:
[quote="Greg Rempe":2qwufyfb][quote="Nick Prochilo":2qwufyfb]Again, we can all agree to disagree. Do what ever works for you. If you think it adds moisture to your meat, then it does. If you think aromatics add flavor to your meats, then it does. If you like sand over water, great!

Not directed at you Nick as we seem to be on the same page here but...No...that part is wrong. It is not adding moisture to the meat and putting onions, garlic and grape juice in the water pan isn't adding flavor either. If it did then the comp folks would be doing it ALL THE TIME instead of injecting!

Yes, moisture is in the air do to evaporation...no, it is not making your cut of meat juicer because the water is evaporating...it is a stabilizer and initially a sink....that's it!

I'm really not wrong on this and would be happy to prove that if I loaded a cooker full of butts and did one with sand, one with water and the other with wine, grapes, onions garlic and whatever else you want to stick in the water pan that you wouldn't be able to tell a difference between the three!

All that bring said...do it the way you like to do it! :LOL: 8)[/quote:2qwufyfb]

I think that was Nick's point!!!![/quote:2qwufyfb]

Thanks Bruce, that's exactly what I meant! Man, that Greg likes to hear himself talk! :LOL:
 
I have quartered about five pounds of huge onions and tossed them on live coals cooking butts direct. the smell is fantastic. Does it make the butts better? I think not, but it does drive customers to my pit when vending. Get them by the nose and they will buy every time. :LOL:
 
The waterpan serves two functions, stabilize pits temps at the lower pit temps and makes your cooker and indirect cooker.

Moisture a cooker does insure moist meat the meat does absorb moisture any more that meat absorbs smoke. If meat absorbs water from the air if it did then at some point the meat would weight more than the starting weight and you will find that it is not the case.

Jim
 
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