[beerocd]

No water pan. Try it you'll like it.

[Pawtucket Patriot]

I've tried going without when smoking poultry, since poultry is generally amenable to higher smoke temps (around 350-375 is what I usually do).  But I haven't tried low and slow smoking sans water pan.  Can you really get as low as 225 without a water pan in a Weber Smoky Mountain Cooker?

[beerocd]

I've tried going without when smoking poultry, since poultry is generally amenable to higher smoke temps (around 350-375 is what I usually do).  But I haven't tried low and slow smoking sans water pan.  Can you really get as low as 225 without a water pan in a Weber Smoky Mountain Cooker?

It's not exactly what I have, I built something very similar. In the winter you should be able to. I assume you're doing the Minion(sp?) method. Light fewer coals at the get go, allow less air through the vents, should work. I think my setup may be a little larger - It's a 22.5 weber kettle with a 30" tall stainless cylinder between the top and bottom.
The water pan just got to me. Soooo nasty - I just quit using it. I see no ill effects in my Q.

[bluesman]

I use a WSM with and without the water pan. I recently smoked a Bottom round roast and a fatty with the water pan using the minion method and got up to the upper two hundreds for a few hours with no problem. The vents were 50% and the water pan was boiling nicely for the duration.  The roast was pulled at 130F while the fatty at 175F all within a few hours of smoking.

However, I like to smoke turkeys and chickens high heat without the water pan.

[markaberrant]

Anyone made their own pastrami before?  I was thinking of trying it, and then possibly steam in beer to serve.  Our club has a potluck coming up in Feb, and you have to incorporate beer into the dish, so this was an idea that popped in my head.

If you're steaming it in beer it sounds more like corned beef to me.  I corn my own briskets every few months, and I've smoked one once to make pastrami.  It was excellent . . . well, it seems to turn out great no matter what I do, even just boiling it in water

I was planning to brine for a week or so, then add a dry rub and smoke.  Guess I was thinking of just steaming it with a bit of beer to warm it up when serving, maybe thow in some sauerkraut too?

[markaberrant]

For you BBQ'ers in the upper midwest (or places where it gets really cold in the winter), what do you do with the water in your water pan after smoking?  In the warmer months, I just dig a hole somewhere in the backyard (usually near the compost pile) and bury it.  With layers of snow and frozen ground, I'm not sure whether this will work in the winter (although I've never tried it).  At the very least, it seems a lot more labor intensive.  Any suggestions?

When I use my parents electric smoker, I'll use the water pan drippings for soup stock or a gravy base.

[tschmidlin]

I was planning to brine for a week or so, then add a dry rub and smoke.  Guess I was thinking of just steaming it with a bit of beer to warm it up when serving, maybe thow in some sauerkraut too?

Oh, I see . . . that sounds delicious   I'd have to keep the kraut separate though, or my wife won't love it

[beerocd]

For you BBQ'ers in the upper midwest (or places where it gets really cold in the winter), what do you do with the water in your water pan after smoking?  In the warmer months, I just dig a hole somewhere in the backyard (usually near the compost pile) and bury it.  With layers of snow and frozen ground, I'm not sure whether this will work in the winter (although I've never tried it).  At the very least, it seems a lot more labor intensive.  Any suggestions?

When I use my parents electric smoker, I'll use the water pan drippings for soup stock or a gravy base.

I wouldn't give my water pan to a dog to drink out of. You wash yours out after every use, or you just really brave?

[bluesman]

I've seen folks line their water pan with aluminum foil to catch the drippings for making gravy.

[nicneufeld]

I wouldn't give my water pan to a dog to drink out of. You wash yours out after every use, or you just really brave?

+1.  Mine would have to be scrubbed terribly clean and then maybe baked in an oven before I'd consider it food safe again! 

That's one thing that keeps me using my smokenator / weber kettle combo...my WSM is just a pain in the neck to clean.  The Weber cleans up much easier.

[deepsouth]

i cooked 40 lbs of boston butt this weekend.....








it was a 21 hour cook.

[bluesman]

 

Wow...that looks piglicious!

Nice color and bark.

[Pawtucket Patriot]

Fantastic looking butt!

Hey deepsouth, you're the guy who likes to use Dizzy rubs, right?  I'm about to order some. Do you have any favorites or recommendations?

[deepsouth]

Fantastic looking butt!

Hey deepsouth, you're the guy who likes to use Dizzy rubs, right?  I'm about to order some. Do you have any favorites or recommendations?

i am....

my favorites....

red eye express (everything but chicken)
dizzy dust (everything)
shakin' the tree (chicken and pork)
tsunami spin (chicken and pork)
raisin' the steaks (steaks and burgers)
pineapple head (pineapple and chicken kabobs)

all their stuff is top notch.  i actually keep one of everything from them!

let me know what you decide on.

cheers!

[markaberrant]

I wouldn't give my water pan to a dog to drink out of. You wash yours out after every use, or you just really brave?

Yeah, they keep the thing spotless.  So it contains hot water and fresh drippings... seems a shame to throw that out, no?