I've done several pork shoulders for pulled pork in my egg with a water Pan under the meat. I've read various things on the intertron about whether it's needed to keep the pork moist. I usually get the smoker at 225-250 degrees and go to around 200 degrees with my meat thermometer. So what say you? Is a water pan needed?

i did my first 2 or 3 briskets with a drip pan no water. it was difficult for me to keep the dome grate temperature below 250. I added water to the pan for the last two and I have more control over the temp. I can keep it lower to in 225-230 range.

I've never used a water pan, and I've never had a dry pork butt...

Water pans, when smoking, are to add humidity. It helps maintain an even temperature and allows for better bark formation.

I don't find water pans particularly important with a bge. They certainly don't hurt, but the ceramic material keeps the meat moist anyway.

Don't do it!!! I did a pork loin once with a water tray because I was worried that it would dry out... I ended up with a steamed pork loin with no bark... It was turrible...

?w=500&c=1

I don't use a water pan ever in my bge. It's not needed as the ceramic keeps the moisture inside. I almost always use on in my offset though.

I have a Primo, and when I started using it I used a drip pan with water under the meat whenever I smoked something, but as stated above I got a good bark on top but steamed the meat on the bottom. I started using a small water pan in the back of the grill on top of the grill grate and have been able to get the results I wanted and maintain a better temperature. I use these: Weber 6417 All Purpose Summit Drip Pan The thought is the BGE and Primo are always hotter towards the back and having a water pan there protects the meat from higher heat by deflection and also adds moisture to the cook without it being directly under the meat which caused it to steam cook.

I geenrally use a water pan for longer cooks as it helps as a heat synch. I've not had issues getting back on both sides with either pork shoulders or briskets.

Knucklesammich said:

---

I geenrally use a water pan for longer cooks as it helps as a heat synch. I've not had issues getting back on both sides with either pork shoulders or briskets.

---

This - a water pan is a heat sink that gets you to a temp you want and holds it by cutting out temp variations. First of all, don't open your smoker during a smoke - ever. Second, if you must open your to add coals, etc, then using a heat sink will get you back on target temp faster.

It really doesn't do anything to add moisture to meat, it's meat to hold heat constant and catch drips that would flare.

With My Primo (and I assume your BGE) I have deflector plates. I have smoked butts with and without water. I do not recall any significant differences between the cooks in regards to temperature holding or product quality. You are using the deflector plates, and those have a lot of thermal mass, as does the cooker itself. You should not NEED water for minimizing temperature swings as there shouldn't really be any. You also shouldn't NEED water for maintaining any moisture (if that's the goal) as the cooker itself is amazingly efficient there too. IN my opinion, it won't hurt to put water in there if it makes you feel better.

To me, Its a different type of tool. I have another conventional smoker....now on that..yes...you get to screw with temperatures and vents and babysit it a bunch and worry about moisture and fiddle with adding wood.....but your BGE is going to make a much more consistent cook.

Thats been my experience and opinion.

A great trick with pork butts is to bag them. Run the smoke for about 5 hours around 235, then bag it in a Reynolds oven or turkey bag for the last 7. You end up with a solid smoke ring from the 5 hours, you get the convection type cook with pork made humidity and you have the lovely drippings to pour back into the pulled pork.

Im so hungry right now.

I use a water pan in my KJ just to keep grease/drippings from hitting the deflector plates and flaming/smoking. I put just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan.