Drip/water pan

KenfromMI

How many of you use your BGE without one? I have recently purchased a BGE and one of the things I thought I'd like over my WSM18 is the fact I wouldn't have a bowl full of greasy water to get rid of.  Now looking on here it seems everyone uses a disposable aluminum pan. I would think if BGE thought a water or drip pan was necessary they would have manufactured it into the system. 

Can anyone tell me a difference they noticed etc by not using one that made them switch over to using one etc?

Thanks in advance, Ken

fishlessman

some dont like the grease dropping into the coals so they use a pan, for me i use a roasting pan for turkey to collect the juices for gravey and i also use one for ham because i like to baste with the collected juices. most of my cooks are done direct though on a raised grid, even the greasy cooks

mimauler

I almost never use one.  I just scrape off the plate setter and rinse it before I use it the next time.  You'll hear that you have to do it because the drippings will burn and release bad smoke which will ruin your meat, hasn't happened to me yet.  I like to keep it as simple as I can. 

vchelf

You don't need a water pan. I have one, but don't use it any longer. If I am worried about grease, I line plate setters, etc. with foil.

xiphoid007

For like longer low and slow cooks some folks think waterpans help with moisture or bark formation, etc. Aaron Franklin says he always uses one with brisket. I'm pretty sure his is better than mine. . . so I'll listen to him.

I also don't like the drippings burning on the platesetter, so I get a two-fer. As long as you don't add cold water to a cook, it doesn't cause any problems, so I figured it can't hurt.

lousubcap

I use an aluminum drip pan elevated off the platesetter for low&slows to keep the drippings from burning during the cook. 

bodski

I also use an aluminum drip pan raised slightly off the plate setter. I often put some foil over it and just discard the foil when done..

Little Steven

xiphoid007 said:

For like longer low and slow cooks some folks think waterpans help with moisture or bark formation, etc. Aaron Franklin says he always uses one with brisket. I'm pretty sure his is better than mine. . . so I'll listen to him. I also don't like the drippings burning on the platesetter, so I get a two-fer. As long as you don't add cold water to a cook, it doesn't cause any problems, so I figured it can't hurt.

The egg provides a moist cooking environment. Franklin cooks with other cookers so I wouldn't take that advice verbatim.

Skiddymarker

vchelf said:

You don't need a water pan. I have one, but don't use it any longer. If I am worried about grease, I line plate setters, etc. with foil.

@xchelf - Lining the setter with foil will keep it clean, but it still gets very hot, even on low temp cooks. It is exposed to direct IR from burning lump. Drippings onto the foil can burn and provide an acrid smoke.

Like @lousybcap and @bodski note above, I think it is better to use the foil to line a drip pan, a dollar store pizza pan that fits inside the setter legs to not restrict air flow is good and raise it to get an air gap between the setter and pan for many indirect cooks. For butts a disposable pan with more depth is often required due to the sheer volume of the drippings. 

Other than Italian beef, I never used a "water" pan in the egg. 

SenecaTheYounger

Drip pan yes water pan no.

Setting up indirect means something is going to drip on your indirect setup, so just use some foil to catch it.

Drippings don't smoke much, if at all.

Focker

Haven't used water in the WSM in years.  Look into a "Piedmont Pan" mod on tvwbb.com.

Two Brinkman charcoal pans, SS bolts, wing nuts, and copper spacers is all you need.  Works great, saves on fuel as well.

For the egg, I am leary about anything aluminum.  Melted an aluminum drip pan doing wings, raised with spacers above the platesetter.  Like Skiddy explained, it gets really hot around the platesetter, even with an air gap.  Found a Chicago Metallic steel deep dish pizza pan that works great.  It has warped from the heat, but holds up with a single layer of foil over the top.

For low and slow cooks at 250-280, have found around the 5 hour mark, grease in the drip pan will burn.  To minimize, I add just enough water to coat the bottom of the drip pan.  For butt cooks, I add more and check every couple of hours due to evaporation.  Burnt grease is not a flavor profile you want on your end product, even if it is during the later stages.   

ElCapitan

I bought a pizza pan as suggested above to serve as my indirect drip pan.  It's perfect because it is 1) round and 2) thin.  I was having the trim most aluminum pans or scrunch them up to fit b/t the placesetter and the grid.  And they were a rectangle so they usually had an area that was missed.  

Skiddymarker

@Focker - man, you must have had some fire going. You have to stop cooking wings like @Mickey, he overcooks them a touch. )

Aluminum will melt/burn in an egg as the egg is capable of 1200º temps - but only on a nuclear runaway. For most cooking I think foil is just fine in the egg. 

KenfromMI

Focker, I know how to avoid the water pan in the WSM if I'm only using the top grate. Ive found the bottom grate to get too hot on larger cooks without the water pan.  Even using the foiled clay saucer etc.  Still not getting rid of the WSM, it turns out great BBQ. I just like the BGE for the grilling and pizza oven options or when I'm cooking for smaller dinners.

 

SenecaTheYounger

You don't need a drip pan for grilling and pizza

stevesails

I make a shallow drip pan from aluminum foil. or just cover plate setter with foil.  throw it away when I get a chance.

KenfromMI

Right, I know that. I just didn't want to use one for my all day smokes. 

Skiddymarker

KenfromMI said:

Focker, I know how to avoid the water pan in the WSM if I'm only using the top grate. Ive found the bottom grate to get too hot on larger cooks without the water pan.  Even using the foiled clay saucer etc.  Still not getting rid of the WSM, it turns out great BBQ. I just like the BGE for the grilling and pizza oven options or when I'm cooking for smaller dinners.

 

Ken - my son as a WSM, turns out great food. You would be wise to keep it. The egg is good for grilling direct at all temps and for high temp indirect cooks like pizza, but it also is very good at low and slow. It rivals if not exceeds results from a WSM. 

Lump filled to half the fire ring, smoke chunks or chips mixed through the lump, fire started at the front on the top, stable at 250º-300º (depending how you like to cook), setter legs up, spacers and drip pan, grid and a 5-7# butt. Give it 6 to 8 hours and you are done. FTC for an hour or so and pull. 

My son was amazed at how moist the but is without a water pan, and when left to cool, the spooge pan is easy to remove. 

KenfromMI

Skiddy, no intention on getting rid of it. I'm actually loaning it to a few people now for parties etc. On the BGE will a full ring of lump last 14 to 16hrs like the WSM18?  I have a 17lb Brisket I'm going to cook on the Egg. Also seems like the Egg will be tougher to add fuel to since it doesn't lift like the WSM.

Fred19Flintstone

Hey Ken! I'm not sure anyone or perhaps me asked before, but where in the mitten are you? I'm in Flint.

KenfromMI

Dearborn.

Fred19Flintstone

That's right. We talked about Miller's Bar. On how long the lump will last, there's only one way to know for sure.

minniemoh

KenfromMI said:

Skiddy, no intention on getting rid of it. I'm actually loaning it to a few people now for parties etc. On the BGE will a full ring of lump last 14 to 16hrs like the WSM18?  I have a 17lb Brisket I'm going to cook on the Egg. Also seems like the Egg will be tougher to add fuel to since it doesn't lift like the WSM.

I did a 16lb brisket a few weeks ago and had plenty of burn left.

I have smoked for 20 hrs on one load of lump. I still had enough charcoal left for 3 more cooks (burgers, wings, and a spatchcock chicken) without adding any lump. For this particular cook, I used Wicked Good Weekend Warrior and I couldn't believe how long it lasted. I had it filled to the top of the fire ring. 

I like to do my low-n-slows between 225 and 275 degrees. I have only had one smoke over the past 2 years where I ran it out of lump and I was using Cowboy at the time. It burned fast and left a lot of ash. I may not have had it filled enough on that cook either. 

I smoke more in the Winter months. Even in cold weather, the charcoal still lasts plenty long for overnights for me. Doesn't seem to use much more than in the Summer to me. 

Foghorn

KenfromMI said:

Focker, I know how to avoid the water pan in the WSM if I'm only using the top grate. Ive found the bottom grate to get too hot on larger cooks without the water pan.  Even using the foiled clay saucer etc.  Still not getting rid of the WSM, it turns out great BBQ. I just like the BGE for the grilling and pizza oven options or when I'm cooking for smaller dinners.

 

I've had this phenomenon be an issue on the egg when I do a "turbo" cook. When cooking ribs at 350, it seemed that the platesetter got quite hot and the radiant heat from the platesetter burned the bottom of the ribs. By adding a drip pan (foil) with some airspace under the pan I've not had the problem again.

 

Focker

Skiddymarker said:

@Focker - man, you must have had some fire going. You have to stop cooking wings like @Mickey, he overcooks them a touch. )

Aluminum will melt/burn in an egg as the egg is capable of 1200º temps - but only on a nuclear runaway. For most cooking I think foil is just fine in the egg. 

Yes I was/is aware of aluminum's melting point.  Was cooking wings indirect, not quite 500 dome if I recall.  Have done the same cook at 400 dome with no melting.  As you pointed out, it gets nuclear at the platesetter during high temp indirect cooks.

 

I agree, many can use aluminum and have it work just fine.  Prefer not to hover around and babysit my eggs dialing in a specific temp.  For baking, I do.  Often when grilling, it is a wider range.  Sometimes I overshoot that range significantly doing other things, not a crisis. 

 

Steel eliminated any chance of this happening again.  Not that I plan on doing another wing cook on the egg....but you never know.  

Focker

KenfromMI said:

Skiddy, no intention on getting rid of it. I'm actually loaning it to a few people now for parties etc. On the BGE will a full ring of lump last 14 to 16hrs like the WSM18?  I have a 17lb Brisket I'm going to cook on the Egg. Also seems like the Egg will be tougher to add fuel to since it doesn't lift like the WSM.

Another easy mod to change the capabilities of the WSM is the "Door Prop" mod.  Drill two holes in each top corner of the access door.  A 2" SS machine screw and bolt on each side, with the threads going into the cooker.  Invert the door and use the threads to adjust and  increase airflow, resting on the bottom of the opening.  Adds another dimension (grilling raised direct or indirect) to the WSM....fantastic for party size batches of wings at the campground.

Focker

There are two other WSMs in my circle.  The others agree, that these two mods are a game changer for the "water smoker".

FWIW, with the "Piedmont Pan", I can cook on all three levels of my WSM with no problems.  My WSM cooks a little faster on the top grate.  I rotate items to even it out.  

KenfromMI

I added one of those ridiculously expensive stainless steel doors to my WSM so I just flip it upside down and prop it open when needed. Can't remember the brand name Cajin something or other. Really no noticeable difference for the money though.

SenecaTheYounger

>On the BGE will a full ring of lump last 14 to 16hrs like the WSM18?

A full load of lump will easily last this long. And an overfill, halfway up the fire ring, can easily last for 40 hours.

I used to follow the Edler Ward method from the Naked Wiz site. It advocated a temperature of 225, which I think now is a little underkill. Those cooks would often drag out two and a half hours a pound, almost 24 hours.

I would cook a couple butts overnight, starting around noon.
Butts would be done same time next day and on would go ribs or a flat. I'd pull the butt for lunch, and when the ribs were done five or six hours later they'd come off as appetizers. A spatchcock chicken goes on for the main meal, and cooked at higher heat for about an hour.

This was our standard 'welcome to the camp' Saturday dinner.

The egg running continuously (on the old WW lump or Royal Oak back then), for about thirty-plus hours. And of course, there would be lump left over even after that.

It's an efficient system.

Skiddymarker

KenfromMI said:

Skiddy, no intention on getting rid of it. I'm actually loaning it to a few people now for parties etc. On the BGE will a full ring of lump last 14 to 16hrs like the WSM18?  I have a 17lb Brisket I'm going to cook on the Egg. Also seems like the Egg will be tougher to add fuel to since it doesn't lift like the WSM.

No problem at all, MBGE can go at least 16 hours, my longest, with lump still in the fire box. 

The real benefit is burning off the grunge in the egg, much easier than the WSM. Because the egg can get hotter, it sell cleans much better. If you are into that cleanliness thing. 

FearlessTheEggNoob

I plan to experiment with a drip pan to see if a beer and garlic infusion would have any effect on a brisket.