Smoker Water Pan

by Jason
(Las Vegas, NV)

How do I get the most out of my smoker water pan?

Is it not cool to put barbecue sauce (or any other kind of sauce) on meat that's cooked in the smoker? My smoker came with a water/marinade pan. Do you have any suggestions for what to put in the pan? I tried a mixture of Fresca, tequila, and olive oil, but it didn't appear to affect the flavor of the meat much. Should I just stick to putting water in that pan?

Answer

To add flavor to meat I prefer a rub or a marinade. A marinade has the added advantage that it tenderizes the meat and because of the tenderization process I think that marinades are more suited to grilling rather than smoking. For some great marinade suggestions click here. Always remember to make sure that your marinade has time to work – overnight preferably.

The one you suggest sounds interesting and I’d be tempted to try it on either lamb or pork.

If however smoking is the way you want to go then the best way to add flavor to your meat is through a rub, sauce or mop and you can afford to be much more aggressive with your flavor combinations.

What’s the difference?

A rub is a mix of herbs and spices that you literally rub onto the meat. The benefit of a rub is that it’s dry so you can make up a batch and store in an airtight container.

A sauce is typically added to your finished article. Of course BBQ is the tradition but as in all cooking there’s so much more such as a citrus sauce with fish.

A mop is in essence a thick baste. Regular basting is a great way to add flavor and keep the meat moist. It only called a mop because of the method of application, what started out as being spooned or brushed over developed into literally a small mop.

Finally, I fill the water pan with water. Some may argue that there’s flavor to be added but like you I don’t think there’s a lot to be gained. If anything it works the other way, click here to see what I mean

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