Water Pan

I was wondering if I should use a water pan for slow cooking? I didn't see it mentioned in Steves book.

Thanks!
Wayne

Anytime I cook something for three hours or more I use a water pan to create a moist environment, maybe it's psychological but it seems to work for me.

I agree with BBQ John, I always use one. There are numerous post on this site about that. In a nutshell, a waterpan also acts as a temperature stabalizer. I, of course, could be wrong(if you have read any of my post, you know I am sorta a bonehead) but I think a water pan serves multi-purposes. Like I said before, there are countless threads on this very subject. Look around and enjoy! Matthew

I use a water pan in the bullet smoker to diffuse the heat from the charcoal so i am slow cooking and not grilling it. In the offset horizontal I dont use a water pan. To keep moisture in the meat I spray the meat with 50/50 apple juice and bourbon once an hour during cook..

Wayne, welcome! Consider registering and joining our group.

What type pit do you have?

FWIW, I use sand in the water pan of my vertical smoker. The pan is lined with foil, then filled about 3/4 full of clean play sand. Then that's covered with foil to make a bowl to catch the drippings. In this case, the sand acts like a heat sink to help stabilize the temps. It'll run a little hotter than water, which is good for cold weather smoking. Just have to watch and not let the temps get too high, as it will take longer to bring the temp back down. Clean up is a breeze, BTW.

In the Chargriller, I use disposable aluminum pans under everything that takes a while to cook. These are started out with about an inch of water. The main purpose is to keep dripping from burning. A pan of water placed somewhere in the pit can also help better stabilize the temps. Although, this time of year, I'd use sand, instead.

It may just be me, but I've never noticed a difference in the meat done with/without a water filled pan.

Just my 2-cents.....

Longmill