Water pan or direct moisture?
notbob
a Bandera. While I was cutting my bubba-Q teeth on my ECB, I used the
water pan, but soon discoverd it was more of a big ol' heat sink,
rather than a moisture mechanism. Or was I missing something? Anywho,
during my downtime, I still kept up with the latest Q trends, watching
the Food Channel's BBQ week, and reading afb. One thing I noticed was
a lot of contestants using apple juice as a moisture adjunct. They'd
spray a little apple juice from a spray bottle every now and then.
That raised a question.
What are the pros and cons of spraying moisture (juice, beer,
whatever...) versus using a water pan? I realize water pans are not
going to be effective unless rig temps are greater than 212F. But if
they are, is this approach as effective as direct spraying. As for
spraying, does it just mix with the rub and make a nice spice stucco,
a harder than desired bark? What say ye!
nb
The Fat Man®²°°³
Spraying and mopping do about as much good as a water pan. A water pan does
nothing but hold heat.
TFM®
Jack Schidt®
"notbob" <not...@nothome.com> wrote in message
news:vmb5b.336646$Ho3.49960@sccrnsc03...
I'm thinking all that spritzing and primping and mopping is just for show.
I don't do anything to the ribs or shoulders once they're on the fire and
the meat is tender and flavorful. I think people get carried away with this
moisture thang.
Jack
Patrick McSparin
sweetness than it is to add moisture. I don't think it adds to the bark at
all (fine with me - I'm not a bark fan), but it helps the meat a deep
burgundy color.
FWIW, I've been using the same cheap Brinkman for about 8 years and have
always used the water pan, usually with something besides just plain water.
"notbob" <not...@nothome.com> wrote in message
news:vmb5b.336646$Ho3.49960@sccrnsc03...
Monroe, of course...
<not...@nothome.com> wrote:
Some rustheads swear by all that mopping and spraying-I just say it
cools off your cooker (just like peeking does in your kitchen oven) and
loses you time and wastes fuel.
My take on things is that cooking meat loses moisture and there is no
way to get it back by any surface additions. If you boil a london broil
you get a dry as a bone piece of meat,even though it was cooked low and
slow, surrounded by liquid.
AJ does glaze the meat a bit and has low enough sugar that it browns
rather than burns so it's prolly for cosmetic reasons I'd guess. Ask
the pros - they'll tell ya how many extra points sprayed versus
unsprayed will garner.
monroe(neither a pro or a rusthead)
bbq
Jack Schidt® wrote:
Jack,
I think your absolutely correct in that the mopping, etc. is for show. I
have talked with a few rib fest cookers and they told me 'most of the
smoking' takes place in the big tall smoker. When they are getting them
ready to serve they place them on a grill and sauce them, etc. And that
is when the attendees to the contest see them. So it is mostly for the show.
BBQ
Cuchulain Libby
Monroe, of course... wrote:
> In article <vmb5b.336646$Ho3.49960@sccrnsc03>, notbob
> <not...@nothome.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> What are the pros and cons of spraying moisture (juice, beer,
>> whatever...) versus using a water pan?
>>
> Some rustheads swear by all that mopping and spraying-I just say it
> cools off your cooker (just like peeking does in your kitchen oven)
> and loses you time and wastes fuel.
> My take on things is that cooking meat loses moisture and there is no
> way to get it back by any surface additions.
[...]
A rusthead chiming in.
Mopping is an old wives tale as far as I'm concerned. I mopped some ribs
Labor Day because I had a saucepan of butter, garlic, onions and comino I
was using the night before. I hit it with some AC vinegar and used most of
it up. The ribs weren't improved. The last time I mopped was over 3 years
ago.
That said, I once put a foil turkey pan of water next to the firebox in my
little pit. It evened out the temp fairly well but as I've said before, I
use the vert in my 3-chamber and so it seemed superfluous.
The problem with mopping is the heat loss, nevermind the physics.
I sure would like to hear from a graybeard (ESKie?) that can say where this
mopping bs originated and will motion for it's deletion from the FAQ should
we ever get a FAQ Revision Committee gathered.
As for adding anything to a water pan? Same deal.
-Hound