Overnight Brisket- To Water Pan or Not Water Pan?

[EZCUSE]

My plan is to do an overnight brisket on my Yoder pellet smoker on Friday night. Goal is to get it on top shelf at 190 temp and let it go from midnight to 8am and turn up the temp (250) in the morning until I can foil boat it. The brisket I will be smoking is a SRF Gold Grade brisket.

My question is to water pan or to not water pan overnight. What is the benefit of the water pan? Any drawbacks? Do people just use water or use a combo of say 50% water and 50% apple cider vinegar? I assume the pan on the bottom shelf should cover most of the brisket? Any suggestions on how much liquid to use?

Any and all feedback would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

[Santamarina]

I always use a water pan for long cooks. Keeping the moisture up in the pit keeps the meat from drying out prematurely, but perhaps more important for me…moisture helps more smoke stick to the meat!

Water only in my pans, never found a benefit to adding anything else…and everything else is more expensive, so water it is!

As for placement….I put it closest to the heat source. It acts as a buffer so the hot side of your pit isn’t killing one side of the meat.

[mrichie1229]

Agree with Santamarina. Water is the great heat regulator.

[GolfGeezer]

I have not seen any benefit to using a water pan in my pellet smokers, at least non-vertical ones like yours, especially in low-n-slow cooks. I tried using them in my original Camp Chef DLX and my current MAK 2 Star, but since these type smokers have deflector plates and heavy drip pans over their firepots, the heat source issue just did not become an issue. On the flip side, it won't hurt anything to have a pan with just water.

[LA Pork Butt]

Moisture attracts smoke.

[Draznnl]

I’ve never used a water pan in my Yoder pellet smoker. I’m not sure I see any utility to it.

[radiodome21]

I also don’t use a water pan in my Silverbac either. Only in my WSM because it also helps keep the temp lower, something I don’t have worry about with a pellet smoker.

[Huskee]

There should be enough moisture/fat/collagen in a brisket to not truly need a water pan, but as you can see from the varied responses above it's purely preference or desire to try it. A water pan will not prevent your flat from being drier or make your point more moist- those are what they are regardless. A properly thick fat cap and good marbled meat to start with will dictate far more with regard to a great brisket meal than a water pan will. If you're putting it on the top shelf I'd recommend keeping your fat cap up to help as a buffer from the heat reflecting from the lid, but that's not even set in stone either, just what I'd do.

EDIT: Meathead's writeup on water pans & drip pans is worth reviewing, great info: https://amazingribs.com/more-techniq...nd-water-pans/

[Troutman]

It's essentially an aid to help set the bark and attract smoke as others have said. Forget about the juice. I've tried both with and without in my pellet smoker and didn't see a whole lot of difference so it may just be an intangible.

[Spinaker]

I would use a water pan. Place it right by the blower on the Yoder, if possible. Then the brisket above it, allowing it to drip into the pan.

As a bonus, I would put a large foil pan with plenty of water in it under that brisket and catch as much of those drippings as you can. If there is water left in the drip pan, reduce it on the stove and you will have liquid gold to at to that boat you are taking about.

I am not sure why you are going at 190 F, but that seems way too low for me. You might get some acrid smoke cooking that low, for that long, even on a pellet rig. I would set it at 225 F and let it ride. Just use water.

That is how I would do it.

Make sure to check out Meathead's article on water pans, as Huskee mentioned.

[EZCUSE]

Goal is to eat around 6-7pm on Sat but I want it off and resting by 2pm Sat so I can rest it in the cooler for a good 4 hours. Gonna wrap it in butcher paper with some smoked wagyu fat.

[Spinaker]

You do you. I do not want to change your Wagyu plans. If it were me, I would separate the point and the flat, (They cook at different rates anyway, I would cook that starting at 6-7 am. Then set the Yoder to 275 F and let it go. I don't do the brisket boat, but I would throw it in there whenever you are supposed to. Braising allows you to speed that up quick. Much less stress than worrying about over cooking it at night. That is just me. EZCUSE

[Oak Smoke]

Agree with Spinaker on higher temps. I’m afraid at 190 you’d be running a dehydrator.

[KimO]

I have heard that water pans are not needed in kamado style smokers because they already retain a good deal of moisture. I don't know if this is true or not... I have an egg. Anyone have any experience/thoughts on this?

[Spinaker]

They do. But they have so little airflow, that is the real reason they are not needed. There is surface evaporation but it is really slow due to the low airflow. That is why kamados cook slower when it comes to big pieces of meat.

[bbqLuv]

Yes, use a water pan, no don't use a water pan. I have never used a water pan in my pellet grill ever.
I like overnight cooks, briskets, and pork butts.
If you do use a water pan, I am interested in the results.

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

The only warning I have with the water pan is don't put one directly under your brisket if you're trying to do hot & fast or higher heat. Bad idea, mushy and gross on the bottom.

With my Yoder I'd put a pan over the hottest part of the chamber, which for me is the lower right front grate. This can often be 80ºF or more hotter than the left upper rear grate in my smoker - I've got a Yoder YS480. Non-S version.

I don't see a water pan hurting you in any way, other than as mentioned above. But at 190ºF, it'll also suppress temps a little bit, I don't see much point in cooking that low, I don't want my meat on the pit for 15-18 hours. I've had plenty of luck getting good smoke at 225ºF, but I usually just run 250-260ºF for brisket the whole time. Maybe a little foil on the flat end at some point, pull and wrap in butcher paper and tallow after the stall... long hold.

I pull at 190ºF or so nowadays and try to hold it at 150ºF for 8 hours or more. I'm planning a cook this weekend and that is my plan - LOOOOONG hold. I've have much better luck with long holds and lower finishes and am planning a sous vide holding chest like Steve Gow (YouTube Smoke Trails BBQ channel) to experiment with this even further. I believe you're much better off not overcooking it and keeping that moisture inside, and this is the method I've had the best results with.

This weekend I'll be cooking mainly on my new custom offset, hoping to do EVERYTHING on that with probably about 24-30 hours of straight stickburning. The pellet.... eh. She may get some use cooking sides. My wife pointed out with my new cooker I now have FIVE LARGE cookers on our small back patio - the smallest is my Camp Chef Smoke Vault 24 vertical propane smoker. I really don't want to get rid of any of them. Ok, well, my old, rusting out Char Griller Duo I could stand to replace with a new Weber kettle 26 and maybe a small gasser. That would mean 6 cookers! lol But would probably take up less space.

Anyways, I ramble... water pan, sure. My advice, a little more heat, wrap at 170ºish, pull early, wrap tight, hold long.

[theleeb]

Got a brisket problem....this topic seems relevant. So I have a pitbarrel cooker, left the brisket in it overnight. I set the max temp to 203 and set the alarm at my bedside.

Alarm never triggered...I see the temp reached 197 at some point. Woke up at 7am and the temp was 145.

Two things...1) not sure if I should heat it to 203ish. 2) Worse problem...I cut off a corner and it is dry. I think I ruined it by leaving it in the cooker for probably hours after it reached 197.

Sound like I'm stuck with a dry brisket? Might have to rely on barbeque sauce

[Oak Smoke]

Make a good slow simmered batch of chili with it.

[RolfTaylor]

Pretty much one should always use a water pan for low and slow. The only possible exception (and this is somewhat debatable) is in a highly efficient (e.g. insulated) cooker like a Komado.

[theleeb]

A water pan is not really doable in the barrel cooker. I think, next time, I should forget the overnight strategy since it cooked quicker than anticipated.

Hoping it will be a little moister as I work toward the middle of the brisket. Will probably cut as thin as possible and dab with bbq sauce.