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My Uncle swore by water pans in the smoker, took me 3 years to realize he was wrong
My Uncle Bob has been doing competition BBQ since the 90s. He told me years ago that you always keep a water pan in the offset to keep the meat moist. I followed that advice for about 3 years of backyard smoking. Brisket always came out with a decent bark but the inside was sometimes mushy. Then I went to a class in Kansas City last summer. The instructor said water pans just add steam and make bark worse and you actually want dry heat for better smoke flavor. Tried a cook without the pan and my last two briskets had way better bark and the meat was still tender. Has anyone else had a similar experience with water pans?
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valh325mo ago
Ha, funny how those old BBQ myths stick around. I ditched my water pan years ago and started spritzing with apple juice instead, way better bark without the steaming effect.
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the_holly5mo ago
Oh man, @valh32, I gotta push back a LITTLE on that one. Apple juice spritz is great for adding some sugar and shine, but a water pan isn't just about steaming - it helps REGULATE temp swings in an offset or even a kettle, especially on windy days. I still use one when I'm doing a long brisket cook because it stops my fire from spiking every time I add a split. A dry cooker can work fine, but that water pan really pulls double duty on stabilizing your cooking chamber.
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terrybennett5mo ago
Wait, isn't adding moisture through spritzing basically doing the same thing as a water pan, just with extra work and burnt fingers from opening the lid every 20 minutes?
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