Swapped my water pan for a foil drip tray on my offset

I kept getting dirty smoke after adding wood chunks because the water pan would steam and mess with airflow. Switched to a cheap half-size aluminum tray filled with sand and covered in foil. Has anyone else tried ditching the water and using sand or clay instead?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_jenny13d agoMost Upvoted

Dry bark & temp swings are real but @lee72 sand's heat stability beats steam issues for me.

lee7213d ago

Sand works fine for heat stability but it doesn't do anything for moisture in the cooking chamber like water does. Running a dry pan on an offset can lead to drier bark and less forgiving temp swings when you open the door. I'd rather deal with a little steam than sacrifice that buffer.