Pellet Fan

All Things Considered => General Discussion--Non food Related => Topic started by: pmillen on July 03, 2020, 10:34:24 PM

Title: Water Pan In Your Pit
Post by: pmillen on July 03, 2020, 10:34:24 PM
I'm just curious.
Title: Re: Water Pan In Your Pit
Post by: glitchy on July 03, 2020, 11:01:42 PM
SmokeFire. Though I have tried it on the CampChef too. For brisket there, butcher paper seems more effective.
Title: Re: Water Pan In Your Pit
Post by: Bentley on July 03, 2020, 11:48:53 PM
Nice thing about pellets is they are 10-12% moisture, so they tend to add a little moisture as they burn!  I always think that is why after 20 years of cooking with pellets.  It never fails to hear someone eat chicken off a pellet unit and say it is the moistest/best chicken they have ever had from a BBQ.
Title: Re: Water Pan In Your Pit
Post by: reubenray on July 04, 2020, 04:09:54 AM
I voted No on my pellet smokers.  I have used them when I had a stick burner.
Title: Re: Water Pan In Your Pit
Post by: Bar-B-Lew on July 04, 2020, 08:26:29 AM
Used it all of the time on propane smoker/grill, but not on pellet grill.  No need for it with a convection fan IMO.  Although, some pellet smokers (at least the vertical Pit Boss units) recommend using them.
Title: Re: Water Pan In Your Pit
Post by: yorkdude on July 04, 2020, 09:34:36 AM
We don’t ever use a water pan. I will say that when we got the pit boss vertical they told me to use it to control the swings. So we did but it made zero difference.
Title: Re: Water Pan In Your Pit
Post by: Canadian John on July 04, 2020, 10:11:44 AM

 Tried it years ago and found no benefit. Just something more to deal with and took up space. Then there was more to clean up. So NO.
Title: Re: Water Pan In Your Pit
Post by: okie smokie on July 04, 2020, 11:55:48 AM
Have used it with some slow lows, but with temp set above 212* seems like it would be a drag on keeping the temp set higher since the steam comes off at 212*.  Yes I know you can super heat steam, but it takes energy to do so. --i.e. more pellets.  Not sure that it prevented drying anyhow. I prefer basting when nec.  (briskets and butts etc).
Title: Re: Water Pan In Your Pit
Post by: Bentley on July 04, 2020, 12:11:10 PM
Super heated steam needs pressure does it not?
Title: Re: Water Pan In Your Pit
Post by: Brushpopper on July 04, 2020, 12:44:57 PM
The few times I've used one it seemed to keep things from drying out too much.  Probably just placebo though!

Same here.
Title: Re: Water Pan In Your Pit
Post by: okie smokie on July 04, 2020, 01:00:18 PM
Super heated steam needs pressure does it not?
Yes. Forgot about that. So with higher temp in a not sealed space, it would evaporate?  In any event, I think it would take more energy to maintain the set temp.
Title: Re: Water Pan In Your Pit
Post by: Bentley on July 04, 2020, 01:25:33 PM
I was under the impression that the water pan acted as a heatsink, as you say!
Title: Re: Water Pan In Your Pit
Post by: lil moose on July 06, 2020, 09:52:14 AM
I've only tried a few times, don't know if it added anything or not to the cook :bbq:
Title: Re: Water Pan In Your Pit
Post by: Clonesmoker on July 06, 2020, 03:02:54 PM
I will use a water bath on any cook longer than 6 hours. Mainly on pork shoulder and brisket.
Title: Re: Water Pan In Your Pit
Post by: hughver on July 06, 2020, 03:19:54 PM
I voted no, however, my Smokey Mountain vertical gas smoker has a built in water pan. I use it mainly for smoking salmon and I do use the water pan.
Title: Re: Water Pan In Your Pit
Post by: pmillen on July 08, 2020, 11:01:34 AM
That's interesting, Hugh.  Propane makes a lot of water vapor when it burns.  I think every propane molecule makes four water molecules.  So I wonder why the manufacturer recommends a water pan.
Title: Re: Water Pan In Your Pit
Post by: Bar-B-Lew on July 08, 2020, 11:30:17 AM
That's interesting, Hugh.  Propane makes a lot of water vapor when it burns.  I think every propane molecule makes four water molecules.  So I wonder why the manufacturer recommends a water pan.

That's even more interesting because before I started using a pellet cooker I used Weber propane grills with wood chips or pellets as my method for smoking for 10+ years.  If I didn't use water in the cooking process, I had a much higher chance of ending up with less moisture in my final meat products.
Title: Re: Water Pan In Your Pit
Post by: hughver on July 08, 2020, 11:37:04 AM
Being a boater, I have first hand experience with moisture and propane. We use to use propane in our boat for both heat and cooking and the moisture inside the cabin was a real problem. Our current boat is all electric which introduces a different problem, we now need to either be hooked to shore power or run the generator for heating or cooking (all other systems run off of a plethora of batteries).  :(
Title: Re: Water Pan In Your Pit
Post by: pmillen on July 08, 2020, 01:48:29 PM
That's even more interesting because before I started using a pellet cooker I used Weber propane grills with wood chips or pellets as my method for smoking for 10+ years.  If I didn't use water in the cooking process, I had a much higher chance of ending up with less moisture in my final meat products.

Did the fire exhaust go into the pit or up a separate chimney?  You didn't get any of the exhaust water vapor if it went up a chimney.
Title: Re: Water Pan In Your Pit
Post by: pmillen on July 08, 2020, 01:52:11 PM
Being a boater, I have first hand experience with moisture and propane. We use to use propane in our boat for both heat and cooking and the moisture inside the cabin was a real problem. Our current boat is all electric which introduces a different problem, we now need to either be hooked to shore power or run the generator for heating or cooking (all other systems run off of a plethora of batteries).  :(

Gosh, Hugh, if you had the water vapor from the burning propane in your boat, you must have also had the CO2.  CO2 isn't as dangerous as CO, but I would have expected the furnace to vent the exhaust to the atmosphere, like our home furnaces do.
Title: Re: Water Pan In Your Pit
Post by: Bar-B-Lew on July 08, 2020, 02:53:51 PM
That's even more interesting because before I started using a pellet cooker I used Weber propane grills with wood chips or pellets as my method for smoking for 10+ years.  If I didn't use water in the cooking process, I had a much higher chance of ending up with less moisture in my final meat products.

Did the fire exhaust go into the pit or up a separate chimney?  You didn't get any of the exhaust water vapor if it went up a chimney.

Weber propane grills back then had exhaust vents out the back of the grill.
Title: Re: Water Pan In Your Pit
Post by: hughver on July 08, 2020, 04:33:15 PM
Gosh, Hugh, if you had the water vapor from the burning propane in your boat, you must have also had the CO2.  CO2 isn't as dangerous as CO, but I would have expected the furnace to vent the exhaust to the atmosphere, like our home furnaces do.

You are right Paul, the furnace did vent overboard but there was ample moisture from the kitchen stove to cause lots of condensation on windows.
Title: Re: Water Pan In Your Pit
Post by: ofelles on July 08, 2020, 06:21:10 PM
Never in my Yoder.  Mostly in my LSG cabinet (charcoal)
Title: Re: Water Pan In Your Pit
Post by: pmillen on July 08, 2020, 09:10:24 PM
You are right Paul, the furnace did vent overboard but there was ample moisture from the kitchen stove to cause lots of condensation on windows.

Oh, got ya'.  Just like my kitchen with the gas range.