If you’re going to be searing a steak at a high temperature the water in the water pan will boil rapidly and eventually evaporate altogether. The worst part about using the smokey mountain has got to be clean up time. I don't bother with the foil. Whatever you do DO NOT hit it with a power washer! They also help support the weight of the drippings in the foil above, which may be important if cooking six pork butts that give off a lot of drippings. Evaporates too quickly. Alternative Water Pans & Diffusers For Weber Smokers, this charcoal pan is for sale once again at Amazon.com, If using the top pan empty, the fat that drips into the pan won’t burn. Here’s how the Piedmont Pan looks after assembly. If I want to clean some of the gunk off mine I just use the kitchen sink sprayer with hot water and it melts right off. I have a UDS that I built out of a 33 gal drum. Water pan cover. Some of you may remember that The Brinkmann Corporation stopped selling products after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on November 24, 2015, but this charcoal pan is for sale once again at Amazon.com. I put the second pan in the first with a wad of foil to lift it a little. And I use the Brinkman charcoal pan for the water pan, as the stock WSM water pan is a POS that doesn't hold enough water. The WSM comes in three sizes: 22.5, 18.5 and 14.5 inches. OTBS Member. I have heard of people also using sand or ceramic briquette's in the WSM's water pan also. I see it as something that make things easier for me. Deputy Dave “A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer. ** Other cooking techniques are welcomed for when your cookin' in the kitchen. I paid less than $3 for the parts shown here. If you foil the whole thing, water can get under the foil. Difficulty: 1/10 – Price: 2/10 – Impact: 5/10. Remove the clamps, separate the two bowls, and remove any sharp burrs around the holes. As shown in this photo, retailers sometimes sell the pan as part number 812-0002-0. Three is plenty strong, but four would be just fine, too. The Virtual Weber Bullet is an unofficial Weber product fan site and is not affiliated with Weber-Stephen Products LLC. Two hex nuts will work fine, too. Don't ask me how I know. That depends on the temp of the water in the pan, the ambient air temp outside, if it is sunny, or if it is windy. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Note: This modification was originally developed for 18.5″ WSMs manufactured prior to 2009 but can be used in any 18.5″ WSM. The juices from the meat drip into the water pan, building up a foul, fatty mess that is almost impossible to clean up. Important: Do not purchase Brinkmann water pans by mistake! Repeat these steps for the remaining two holes. The Weber Smokey Mountain Water Pan Cover will keep liquids like water or sauce from damaging the lower portion of the Weber grill. Brinkmann 812-0002-0 Smoker Charcoal Pan When I use water in the pan I don't bother foiling. Both have their uses. Putting together a Piedmont Pan is easy and inexpensive, but if you’re not ready to take the plunge just yet, or you’re not convinced it’s right for you, try doing one of the following with the stock WSM water pan: Notice: This page contains ads and links that earn commissions for TVWB. Post your hints, tips, tricks & techniques, success, failures, but stay on topic and watch for that hijacking. You can add way too much charcoal, screw up the air vents, and still have a hard time getting it over 250-275 with a full water pan. The air gap between the two pans prevents the top pan from getting too hot—essentially creating an insulated water pan. If you’ve got a pre-2009 WSM with the shallow, 1-gallon water pan, and you like cooking with water, and you want to increase your water pan capacity, either of the first two alternative metal pans described below will do the job for you…but I think the first one is best. Seasoning a new WSM . As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. To learn more about the purpose of the water pan and variations when using it, see Using A Water Pan In Weber Smokers. Location: Chicago Southwestern Burbs, but always south of Madison Ave. In some cases, the flexibility have allowed buyers to install the pan in tight spaces, bending it back into its original shape afterwards. Three hex nuts provides the maximum amount of air space between the two bowls without interfering with the position of the bottom cooking grate. Line it with foil then use sand instead of water. With the bowls still clamped together, use a 1/4″ metal bit to drill three holes in the center of the rim—one hole at the 12 o’clock position, one at the 4 o’clock position, and one at the 8 o’clock position. A quick rinse with water and dry it off. Sooo, I've reverted to no foil and letting it get nice and greasy. I just have an old pizza pan under the grates as a heat deflector and to keep the grease from dripping in the fire and giving me funky taste. I have a buddy that has a small offset that has a built in water reservoir but I don't think he ever uses it. Suspend a single sheet of wide, heavy-duty aluminum foil inside the pan without letting it touch the bottom. This photo shows how the bowls look after drilling the holes. it's not adapted tightly... just something to catch the dripping. When you refill the pan, the water will run under the foil and then wick around the bottom of the pan until gravity causes it to fall on your coals. If it is hot and sunny, that dome can absorb a lot of heat, and if you just added water, the bottom shelf can be a lot cooler. I use two pans. Others put balls of aluminum foil in the top pan followed by two layers of aluminum foil for easy cleanup. These holes act as witness marks to help you realign the bowls in the event you take them apart for cleaning. If you leave it set to long its not pleasant and some really nasty mold can grow in your smoker.