Loaf tin?

[SuperDave]

What do you put in your water pan besides water?  I've always used just water but gathered from reading posts that some use apple juice and other concoctions.  I've tried 2 different juices and ended up with 1/2" burnt crust in the pan from the burnt sugars.  Secondly, does your pan generally steam off or do you have liquid left in the pan at the end of the smoke?  With my model 4, it will boil off a full mini loaf pan. 

 

[gregbooras]

Dave,

I have tried adding other things to the water pan, but cannot see that it really makes any difference.

I put water in the pan and drink the beer

Greg

 

[swthorpe]

I either use apple juice or water.

 

[SuperDave]

I either use apple juice or water.

When you use apple juice, you don't end up with a pan with burnt sugar?  I did a smoke with apple juice and another with orange juice and both ended in badly burnt sugars in the pan. 

 

[Barrel99]

Water only...no difference using something else. I found that the further toward the back of the smoker the tin was, the more water was used. Usually empty. I now keep it at the middle of the heater so it doesn't dry up completely.

 

[swthorpe]

Dave...I have not seen burnt sugar in the loaf pan, but the pan does end up a bit black, so maybe that is the sugar.  I clean it out and usually use a loaf pan a couple of times and then discard. 

Yesterday I used just water for a BB and that worked fine.

 

[SuperDave]

The lid of my #4 smoke box is so big that the water pan sits on the lid.  Combined with the strength of the #4 element, a mini pan is always empty.  Maybe I need to try a regular size loaf pan?  As for liquid, I'm going to just stick with just plain water. 

 

[swthorpe]

Putting the pan on the smoke box is probably the reason for the burnt sugar coating.  I sit my loaf pan next the smoke box on the floor.

 

[DivotMaker]

Apple juice or water for me.  I like apple juice because it smells really good when cooking, but I can't tell the difference in the meat.  I would think you'd want to use a regular-size loaf pan in the #3 or 4.  They actually work fine in the #2 also.

 

[es1025]

Water is my liquid of choice. I actually put the water pan on the bottom rack above the smoke box.