Alternative Replacement Water Pans For 18.5" WSM Part 2 - Chris Allingham - The Virtual Weber Bullet

[@georgepagakis9854]

I bought the Lava Lock Fire Dial and I ditched everything else. I can get steady temps at 250F all the way up to 350F, You get very even heat distribution and a bonus that when the fat drips and hits the fire dial you get the smoke coming back to the meat which flavors it. Also 15 inch pizza steel and pizza stones work great on the Smokey mountain 18 inch.

[@TheMechnicalOwl]

Great overview of all the pans. I will definitely be looking into one of these alternatives. Cheers!

[@4-6-3DP]

Hi Chris, Thanks so much for posting this video, and especially for allowing comments. I’ve wanted to add my $.02 to some of your vids for some time now. I just smoked a bunch of bone-in chicken thighs and breasts for a big batch of pulled chicken. Yum! Have never liked the Weber water pan, and the deep dish pizza pan looks tempting. I’m concerned about the nonstick coating burning off above hot coals, so I’ll be on the lookout for something similar but uncoated. Keep up the good work!

[@TheVirtualWeberBullet]

That's a good point about the non-stick coating, I hadn't thought of that. The label says good to 450*F, but direct radiant heat from the fire below will exceed that at times. Maybe this s/s one: amzn.to/3ksYpDR If you find a good uncoated one that works, let me know and I'll include it in Part 3 of this water pan series.

[@monkeyb1820]

the winco, bought direct from a restaurant supply store, has worked for me. I run it dry. I've never been into spending a ton on the waterpan/heat blocker. Something else that might be doable, but I've not tested: using some heat-resistant steel wire and running it across the straps such that you could set something like the terra cotta on top of the wire.

[@kcirmusic1]

Thanks Chris. This might be a silly question but here goes. Let's say you remove the standard WSM water pan. Then place a Lodge Dutch oven foil pan with water in it on the grate that is located just above where the standard WSM water pan was. The foil pan full of water would now be closer to the top grate where the meat is. Would the water boil since it is now higher up the smoker? Would it still act as a heat sync to keep the temperature more consistent? Question #2... Assuming the WSM water pan is in place and full of water. Is it okay to place an empty Dutch oven foil pan on the grate above the water pan to catch the drippings from above? Thanks, and appreciate all your advice and informative videos.

[@TheVirtualWeberBullet]

Yes, water in a Dutch oven foil pan placed on the bottom cooking grate would evaporate and have a similar heat sync effect. And yes, folks have been known to place some sort of pan on the bottom cooking grate to catch drippings from the top cooking grate.

[@KatMa664]

Wow, that $14 topper pan I guess somebody figured out that people were using it for their smoker and no it’s called the WSM topper for $37.

[@woodlandwonders6887]

Very informative. Thank you.

[@bobbywalden1981]

I thought about buying one and drill a hole into the middle to let juices fall into the coals for flavor and would also keep direct heat from the meat. Do you think that would work?

[@TheVirtualWeberBullet]

Never heard of that before, but you'll have to try and let us know. Seems like you might get the best of both worlds?

[@mikep5701]

Great Video Chris!

[@darubenking]

After searching high and low for recommendations for replacement water bowls for the 22.5" WSM, I purchased the Crestware 20-Quart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl on Amazon. It fits perfectly in the WSM and was 1/3 the price of an OE replacement water bowl. Hopefully it will hold up to the heat.

[@TheVirtualWeberBullet]

Hi Allen, and thanks for the suggestion for the 22.5" WSM. Any stainless mixing bowl like this should hold up fine. But just a warning to readers, as with any mixing bowl, they are not purpose-made for use as a water pan in the WSM and may vary in dimensions from one batch to the next. The best anyone can do is buy one, dry fit it, and if not a good fit return it for a refund and move on to the replacement candidate.

[@GONZOFAM7]

Could you use a stainless bowl filled with water on top of the cake pan?

[@TheVirtualWeberBullet]

Yes, I think so.

[@MikeFLHT]

I bought the WinCo MXB1300Q from Amazon. Just received it a little while ago and it was actually too big. 16 in across. Tried it in my WSM18 and would not fit. It would have been nice if it had been the right fit widthwise.Returning it and hoping one of these will work. Thanks Chris.

[@TheVirtualWeberBullet]

Sorry to hear you had a problem with getting the right size pan. Did it have the WinCo MBX1300Q sticker on the bottom? If so, it's crazy that they can't deliver a consistent sized bowl.

[@MikeFLHT]

@@TheVirtualWeberBullet yeah, it had the sticker with that model number and the WinCo logo (without the model number) etched into the bottom as well. I have found another stainless steel bowl by another company that has the 14.75-in measurement diameter listed from another company on Amazon for $20. Might give it a try.

[@dcortes1223able]

Link please

[@briandeeley1599]

Hi, I have a WSM 18" made before 2009, can I replace the legs with the newer legs that have a wider foot print?

[@TheVirtualWeberBullet]

Yes, they will fit your pre-2009 WSM.

[@briandeeley1599]

@@TheVirtualWeberBullet Thanks!

[@sschario60]

Surely a pizza stone has been attempted for this function? Findings?

[@TheVirtualWeberBullet]

Pizza stone will work. Round steel blank will work.

[@sschario60]

@@TheVirtualWeberBullet, I suppose I was wondering if the pizza stone would also help retain heat, similar to the firebricks in my Bandera?

[@TheVirtualWeberBullet]

@@sschario60 I'm not a big believer in heat sinks in the WSM. It's gotta have some effect, but measurable? Consistent? Repeatable? Who knows.

[@patrickshanahan5870]

Has anyone tried the Hunsaker Heat Diffusing Vortex Plate to replace the water pan?

[@TheVirtualWeberBullet]

There's some discussion of Hunsaker Vortex Plate on our discussion forum: tvwbb.com/search/394773/?q=Hunsaker+Vortex