Drip Pan vs. Water Pan - When and How to Use

Spring Chicken

We've all used a "drip pan" at one time or another. Our reasons for using it vary according to what other have told us or what we think would be a good idea.

But we may be doing it all wrong.

I had read something about drip pans and water pans a long time ago but I never could find the article again. Today I happened on this one that is definitely worth reading.

I think it will help set the record straight as to why, when and how drip pans and water pans are to be used.

http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/what_goes_in_the_water_pan.html

Spring "Drip Off The Old Block" Chicken
Spring Texas USA

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fence0407

Interesting article - thanks for sharing! Do you think using the water pan in the BGE would give the same results? Some of the points they argue for water pans are some of the reasons we get eggs in the first place. Just curious on your thoughts.

Carolina Q

What is a water pan? 

DMW

Carolina Q said:

What is a water pan? 

Is it similar to a bed pan?  :-?

SGH

@fence0407‌
A water pan offers little if any benefit when cooking on a Kamado style cooker. On a offset stick burner, where you are cooking with live fire it can be beneficial. Why? Live fire removes most of the moisture from the combustion air. This dry hot air is then used in the form of draft/flue as the cooking mechanism in a offset. This is not the case in a kamado. A kamado is fired with smoldering lump not live fire. Also a kamado uses several other heat transfer methods to cook. Where as a offset is almost entirely dependant on the flow of flue, a kamado use radiant heat, convective heat, reflective heat and heat transfer from the cooking grid. There is no harm in using a water pan in a kamado if you so chose. On the other hand there is really no benefit either except in extreme and rare cases. A offset and a kamado are two totaly different types of cookers. One being dependant on a burning fire and draft and the other is not. Because of the factors listed above, a water pan is a plus on a stick burner but totaly unnecessary on a kamado. I use both a kamado and a offset on a very regular basis and this is what I have found to be fact. Just my thoughts my friend. Thought I would share.

fence0407

@SGH - appreciate it brother. I think your points are right on cue (pun intended).

dldawes1

My 2 cents....Not claiming to know much !!!!

My water pan is a 20" water heater drip pan that I bought and sealed up the hole in the side with JB Weld. I also JB Welded two pieces of 3/8 inch aluminum angle from Home Depot on the bottom for spacers off the platesetter (PS). 

The air flow around the PS just changes to flow above the surface of the liquid in the water pan and still reaches the bottom of the food (except it picks up moisture from the liquid ) (IMHO). Using a water pan is debatable...50-50 on the forum say yes and no (IMHO). I use it because I always have and I always have had good results...I don't want to change. Plus, the drip pan keeps PS clean. Plus, water in the pan makes it easier to clean/empty than dry baked on drippings. Just my opinions !!!!

I have used apple juice, pineapple juice, and other combinations including chopped up onions in water pan...all these mixed with water....but I personally can't tell any difference than using water alone.

My cooking grate sits on my water/drip pan/ It is probably raised only about 1/4' higher than if it sat without the pan. I thought about cutting it down shorter/shallower...but can't justify any benefit.

I ALWAYS get good bark, moist food, consistent results, great taste....unless I mess up and overcook or something that is entirely my fault.

Spring Chicken

When I'm cooking a turkey on the grid and want to save the drippings, I'll use a drip pan, probably with some kind of liquid that will go with the drippings to make a sauce or gravy.  But most of the time I use a roasting pan with a rack to lift the bird above the pan floor.  Drippings will remain conveniently inside the pan for later use.

If I'm cooking something that I'm not trying to save the drippings for a sauce or gravy, such as a brisket or butt, I will add a drip pan with water for the sole purpose of stopping the drippings from dripping on a hot surface such as a plate setter or even the charcoal itself, because that will create a acrid, bitter smoke that can permeate the air inside the Egg, transferring its pungent odor to the bird.  It definitely leaves an unappetizing flavor.

But years ago I also tried water pans with beer, wine and colas with absolutely no noticeable flavor enhancement to the meat.  It apparently just adds moisture and helps distribute heat, as would plain water.  But it does help to stop the meat drippings from causing a problem.

Spring "Drip Dried And Delicious" Chicken

dldawes1

@ SPRING CHICKEN....+1

I wanted to say something about burnt drippings creating an odor....but I assumed that was preferred by many folks !!!!   We all have our own taste and smell preferences, don't we.

Thanks for posting !!!

Donnie

henapple

I'll use a pan filled with beer that people leave in the cave...like Shiner Bock. %-(

JRWhitee

When I first got my egg in 2006 I always used a drip pan with water in it for low and slows because I thought you were supposed to, my food was always juicy. I started reading the forum a couple years later and read that the water was not necessary so I continued using the drip pan without water but with spacers so not to burn the drippings. I did not notice any difference at all in my food after eliminating the water. So no more water for me.

DieselkW

I think water in the drip pan is a heat sink - uses up lump and in a kamado tends to cool the dome, which gets me to open the vents more to compensate for the heat sink.

Then, when the water boils off, the vents are not set for a dry drip pan, and the temp shoots out of control.

If I'm looking for 300f air in the dome, I don't want 212f steam cooling that dome off.

lkapigian

@SGH question for you my friend, does the mass of fluid help stabilize a lower temp or is it just me. I will put a pan in on Butts and Briskets with broth but really don't know if it helps in temp control

boatbum

Keeps the plate setter clean

tazcrash

dldawes1 said:

@ SPRING CHICKEN....+1

I wanted to say something about burnt drippings creating an odor....but I assumed that was preferred by many folks !!!!   We all have our own taste and smell preferences, don't we.

Thanks for posting !!!

Donnie

Another +1, and +2 if egging lamb. 

Something about the smoke from rendered lamb fat that is not good tasty smoke. 

clintmiller

Seconding what DieselkW says. I used to use a water pan when cooking briskets. I'd read the arguments that they're unnecessary on BGE's, but I figured I might as well use them just to be safe since I figured they wouldn't hurt anything.

But, they were hurting things. I had some cooks where I locked in the temperature late at night and watched the temperature not move at all for several hours. When I was completely convinced that the temperature hadn't moved in several hours, I went to bed for 2-3 hours. Then, when I woke up and checked the Egg, the temperature had shot up 50-75 degrees.

I believe this temperature jump was due to the water pan. As the water boiled off, the water pan had less of a heat sync effect and temperatures shot up.

So, water pans not only aren't necessary, but they are actually harmful.

SGH

@lkapigian‌
It certainly does help hold a low temp more stable if this is your goal. That is about the only advantage the water pan offers on a kamado. If you notice, sometimes when I do whole poultry I start at 500 degress to set the skin. I will have a empty pan in the egg for when I'm ready to drop temp. When ready I simply pour water into the water pan and I can drop the egg temp at will to where I want it for the remainder of the cook. This is about the only safe way to rapidly drop temp in a kamado. But again, a water pan does little to the end quality of the meat cooked on the egg. A perfectly cooked brisket on a kamado without using water will be no different than a perfectly cooked brisket that was cooked on a kamado with water. The quality will be the same all other variables being equal. A water pan is a heat sync as water will not rise in temp above 212 degrees no matter how much heat you put to it at atmospheric pressure. Again, there is no harm by using a water pan in your egg. But it doesn't offer any kind of cooking benefit either. The only time I use one on the egg is to drop from a very high temp down to a lower finish temp. Short of this, I see no advantage or need of using a water pan on a kamado. Offsets and vertical cabinets is a whole different story my friend. On those a water pan certainly helps.

dldawes1

I've not experienced any concernable temp rise on low and slow cooks using a water pan.

Yes, when the water boils away, temp can and will rise, but I have not seen any considerable issue with this. 

I know, I know, we all have our different opinions and techniques.

And I have asked before about different size eggs and different characteristics.....mine is XL and I have not seen any problem using a waterpan. Just my experience.

SGH

@dldawes1‌
Please don't misunderstand what I said above. There is nothing wrong or harmful with using a water pan. Nothing at all. Just in my opinion it does not add anything to the final meat quality when cooking on the ceramics. Therefore I negate its use when using my egg. However when using Unit #4 and Unit #6 I always use a water pan for the reasons I mentioned above. A water pan offers some significant advantages when using a cooker that utilizes live fire as its heat source and depends almost entirely on the draft to cook. Under these conditions I feel the use of a water pan is more than warranted and needed. At the end of the day, folks should just do it the way that they like and the way that they achieve good results. After all you will be the one eating it. If you are getting the results that you want, stick with it. That's what I do. I do like to run test and conduct experiments at times just to see. But in the end I always go back to what works the best for me.

lkapigian

Thanks @SGH

dldawes1

Not disagreeing  @ SGH.....you de man !!!!  I was only explaining...not disagreeing.

I have a way of throwing my thoughts out there !!!!!

I appreciate you and all the others that have taught me over the past 10-1/2 months.

Thanks, as always,

DD

Griffin

I'm curious about #6

"6) Water vapor condenses on the meat and makes it "sticky" allowing more smoke to adhere. This smoke enhances flavor and sodium nitrite in the smoke creates the smoke ring."

I don't know if that's true of not. I do know that I always used a water pan and/or a drip pan in my offset and I always got a smoke ring. When I first got my Egg, I used a water pan and got a smoke ring and was told time and time again that it wasn't needed. Now I don't use one and for the life of me I can't get a smoke ring. Tried everything. Brisket straight from fridge to Egg, put the brisket in the freezer for 30 minutes first before going to the Egg. Next brisket...going back to a water pan just to test.

Mickey

No water. I use salt. This is my set up for both butts and hams.

dldawes1

New one for me Mickey !!!

I'll bite...Now I'm even more interested...

DieselkW

The only way I can see water helping the smoke ring is in lowering the temperature - meat will take on smoke until it reaches about 110 f. - at which point all the smoke in the world will no longer penetrate. (I'm going from memory on that temp... I think it's right)

So your smoke ring is dependent on how long you can keep that meat temp at or below 100f. - deeper penetration comes from lower temps.

First the smoke ring, then the temperature rise. If you're measuring temp, don't bother putting more wood on after 110f. 

Mickey

dldawes1 said:

New one for me Mickey !!!

I'll bite...Now I'm even more interested...

Didn't want water so thought grease dropping on salt would work. And it has for me. Big box of salt don't hurt.

shtgunal3

I use a dry drip pan and always get a good smoke ring. Although I think smoke rings are overrated. @DieselkW‌ I thought it was 140f .

Griffin

@DieselkW I believe its 140F. And the meat will continue to take on smoke long after that, it just won't increase the smoke ring. Which I can't seem to get anyway. I've put the brisket in the freezer for 30 minutes then onto the Egg at 230 and still have not got the smoke ring. I have used mesquite, I have used oak, I have used hickory and I have thrown in cherry and pecan on different cooks.

I'm thinking a more humid environment vs a drier environment might help. I know the smoke ring is purely cosmetic and my briskets are always good, but I also like to experiment just for fun sometimes and see what happens. I probably haven't used a water pan in 4+ years and I don't think I've had a smoke ring in 4+ years. Could it be coincidence?

Looking back through my pictures I found a brisket with a smoke ring from 2011. And a water pan was in use...

dldawes1

DieselkW

"The temperature at which myoglobin denatures is variable. Increasing the pH increases the heat stability of myoglobin. This temperature can range from 104 to 160 Fahrenheit. Starting with a cold piece of meat and raising the temperature slowly gives a more intense smoke ring because myoglobin has more time to convert before it denatures. Once it denatures, the smoke ring stops forming. As best as I can tell, this is where the idea that meat "stops taking smoke" at 140 comes from." 

SMITTYtheSMOKER

We've used moisture in the drip pans for the last 10 years, grabbing 20 1st place KCBS Championships in the process.  We like a moist cooking chamber.