Sand vs Water on the WSM? | Test #1
Вставка
- Опубліковано 14 жов 2024
- Sand vs Water in the WSM water pan? Let's find out what the difference is! Click "Show More" for info!!!
We use two 22.5 inch Weber Smokey Mountains loaded with the same amount of charcoal and wood, one with water in the water pan and one with sand in the water pan. The vents on both WSM's are set the same. Which performed better? The one with Sand or the one with Water?
===========================================
Test #2 - Maintaining same temps on both smokers
• Sand vs Water on the W...
Test #3 - Mixing sand and water in the water pan
• Sand vs Water on the W...
============================================
I appreciate James from Aim'em & Claim'em Smokers joining me for this test. Please check out his UA-cam channel and subscribe:
/ centraltexasgrilling
Also, please check out Jason's channel GQue BBQ:
/ bbqgque
You can buy the GQue BBQ Rub called "The Rub" here:
www.thekansasci...
Sauces used in this video:
Tim-Buck's BBQ Sauce
www.tim-bucks.com/
Texas Rib Candy
www.texaspeppe...
==================================================
Amazon Affiliate Links:
The BBQ King Heat Resistant Gloves
amzn.to/2rXF6Eq
(use coupon code TROYCK15 at checkout, save 15%)
Weber Smokey Mountain 22.5 inch:
amzn.to/2fZhY29
Weber Charcoal Chimney Starter:
amzn.to/29rrV8q
River Country Thermometer:
amzn.to/29nVRSt
Yeti Coolers Rambler Colster 12 oz:
amzn.to/2ei8FZO
Grill Beast BBQ Grilling Cooking Gloves:
amzn.to/2hwFsgC
Canon G40 Camcorder:
amzn.to/1UgGuee
==============================================
ThermoWorks Affiliate Links:
Smoke - www.thermoworks...
Thermapen Mk4 - www.thermoworks...
Thermopop - www.thermoworks...
Chef Alarm - www.thermoworks...
Dot - www.thermoworks...
==============================================
Get your T-ROY COOKS App here:
Apple Devices
itunes.apple.c...
Android Devices:
play.google.co...
==================================================
Please help support T-ROY COOKS
www.paypal.me/T...
Thank you very much for the support!!!
==================================================
Follow T-ROY COOKS on Social Media:
Facebook:
/ troycooksgoodfood
Twitter:
/ t_roy_cooks
Periscope:
www.periscope....
Pinterest:
/ spacecowboytx
Instagram:
/ troy_cooks
Website:
www.TroyCooks.com
Music:
"Nile's Blues" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons...
Troy, you and James are a great pair. Your calm voice and likability are definitely something people can watch. You have charisma. Thanks for sharing your knowledge
you guys team up together so well, I know I've told both of y'all you both are national TV ready, but even to me more so with both of y'all together. You two have schooled me so much in smokin que that I've actually been very pleased with my last few cooks and I owe it all to you two. I wish I knew you guys on a more personal level so I could hang with you kats. you guys kill it every time man. thanks so much for the clinics you put on. Lord knows they have helped me out way further than I ever expected.
Hi Eric, you made my day brother!!! I'm always thrilled when I hear that I have helped someone become a better cook, so thank you!!! I'm always happy to help a brother out! Keep that smoke rollin'!!!! Cheers, Troy
Thanks for the comparison guys! This made me think that running with sand might be a good option to help the WSM run more efficiently in a cold-weather scenario. Up here in Ontario Canada, that would definitely help with winter smoking. Thanks guys! Big fan! Keep up the great work. 👍
I get the concept of the vents being open the same amount which proves that sand runs hotter but I'd like to see another one keeping the temps the same , I think the ribs done with sand would have retained a little more moisture if cooked at a lower temp. Great video
Thanks for doing my video suggestion T-Roy! I just want to give a shout out to JB at Louisiana cajun recipes for showing me the sand method on the WSM. After doing the sand smoking method for years now I can tell you my BBQ comes out great every time. Just keep the vents cracked a hair and the temp at 250-275 throughout. Thanks again bro
I'm glad you suggested that test Nathan. It was a fun experiment. I'm going to do some more testing!!!
Nice comparison, guys. I used fire bricks buried in sand (with foil on top like yours) in the bottom of my old offset for better heat retention and even cooking.
Great experiment! I feel that the sand cooked ribs would have been just as moist as the water cooked ribs if you took them out sooner. The experiment showed that the sand cooks hotter and quicker than water, therefore, they should have been taken out sooner if you like your ribs more moist.
T-Roy, I just scored free WSM 18.5 off a buddy. He just bought a new kettle model. Your videos are very informative, and have helped me indulge in the smoking aspect of grilling. Thanx so much, please keep em comin!!!
You two make a great team - Nice comparison. Keep these comparison videos coming if you can. Nice to see you guys putting the Rub to work! the water smoker ribs looked like perfect comp ribs - Great video!
Thanks brother, The Rub was fantastic on these ribs. I'm gonna do some more testing of the sand vs water, so stay tuned!!!
Awesome!
Your on-screen delivery is so natural. Do you script any of what you're about to say? It really feels like you can naturally talk about the subject, while working on the grill or meat, and it's a natural conversation. That's an art, my friend... and the food looks great. I've been watching your cooks to try and improve mine. I'm very much still a beginner with only a few cooks under my belt.
Man you guys did an awesome job with this! y'all make a great cooking team. Good job James and Troy! and Karebear giving a 'customer review' is awesome! . Love y'all!
Wish you could join us Booger!!! That would be an epic video for sure!!! Love ya!
Even though there were lots of variables in this cook: different dome thermometers, sun vs shade, different upgrades (doors & in guessing coal rings too), I think it was still a great side-by-side experiment!
A +30° temp range is all I needed to know. Water is what I'll continue to use. Thanks for sharing this, Troy & James! I enjoyed watching!! -Jon
I'm going to do more testing brother, so stay tuned!!!!
Great experiment T-roy. Love it when you and James team up. Keep up the great job
Thank you very much!!! We always have a great time when we get together for a cook.
Hello T-roy cooks.
I have only just found your channel and it's fantastic .
I live in the UK where smoking isn't that big over here. With all the advice you have given I have got the smoker which is best for me ( weber smoky mountian ) so it's a big thank you from over the pond and keep up with the great videos
Hi Simon, I know you're going to have a lot of fun cooking on the WSM. Wishing you a fantastic summer of BBQ my friend! I bet your family and friends are going to really be impressed with the flavor of the meat you cook on the WSM. Cheers!!
I'm glad this question was asked, and you guys went to the trouble of sitting it up and showing us the results. Of course you also got the benefit of some great ribs as a reward. I've been wanting to know what the difference would be as well, and now I feel like I have a better idea of what to expect if I do the sand.
Hey Steve, check out the video tomorrow. I did a 2nd test maintaining the same temp on both WSMs.
T-ROY COOKS - I most definitely will Troy. Thanks for the heads-up.
I know your thermometer is adjusted to show grate temp but is James' thermometer showing dome temp or grate temp? Great video... keep up the good work!!
Great question!!! I'm not sure, so it sounds like I should maybe do another test?
WSM MEANS WATER SMOKER. always use water in mine. won many contest ..great video guys...
Excellent video I enjoyed the comparison between the two styles. I look forward to more content like this as well as maybe some wild game cooking on your channel. God bless T-Roy!
Nice video T-Roy! And very cool to see James come by again. Either set of ribs is good to try with me. Y'all should do more of these vids from time to time. Keep it up!!
Hey Damien, it's always great when James can swing by for a cook with me, but it's hard to find time to get together during the summer months since James is on the BBQ competition circuit. We will get together again soon though!
I am thinking part of the reason T-Roys smoker was hotter was due to it being more in the Sun. Especially since you guys are in Texas in the summer. Also this was more of a test of cooking ribs at different temperatures since they varied so much. I think you should do the test again but try to maintain both smokers at a similar temperature that way the only variable is the water vs the sand. Otherwise great experiment these are the most fun videos that you make.
Agreed, the ribs are responding to both temperature and humidity. You want to control only one of them at a time here
Matthew Smith I agree with Matthew Smith. Can you maybe do another round of experiments only this time keeping the temps in each smoker as close to the same as possible? I'm very curious what the results will be then!
My theory on why T-Roy's smoker was running hotter is this. The smoker using water holds a lower temp because water can only reach a temperature of 212 degrees, after that it just creates steam via the boiling. Sand on the other hand is able to get much warmer and then it retains that heat. The smoker with water held a lower temp especially during the initial phases of the smoke because a large volume of the smoker was holding at 212. The temp slowly crept up after the water started to evaporate, because less volume/mass in the smoker was holding a temp of 212.
I agree that I would like to see a test where the two different methods are used, but the same temprature is maintained.
The hotter temperature in T-Roy smoker explains also why the smoke ring was not much there. I would have love to see the results with the same temperature in both smokers. To many time I hear people saying the water in the water pan adds moisture to the meat but I'm sure it doesn't. This video could have proved it if the temperature would have been egal in both smokers, plus we could have measured the fuel economy from the smoker with sand in the water pan.
I agree with you on the fact that I don't believe the water pan adds that much, if any moisture. I would be interested to find out what the water content in a piece of meat is. I'm just talking out my butt here but I think juiciness is more dictated by fat content, where a drier piece of meat has had more fat rendered from it then its juicier counterpart. If my big water pan runs dry during an 8-12 hour cook, i would assume the meat I'm putting on the grill would have also lost the vast majority of it's H20 content. Not sure how this could be tested but it would be interesting to see.
T-Roy & James make a great team!! Excellent video! Thanks for coming together and doing this comparison on the WSM.
Thanks for watching Rick!!! We had a lot of fun on this cook.
Love this channel. Many smokers have an extreme cockiness to them, but not T-Roy. He seems like a good ol boy. Cheers and thanks guys!
That's awesome!!! TRoy and James together!!! I catch every video y'all both put out. Keep it up fellas!!
Much appreciated Clint!!! It's always a great time when James hangs out with me.
Solid video T. I have tried both sand water in my WSM 22.5 but I never really remembered the difference. I actually always prefer neither and just line the pan w some heavy duty foil to catch the love drippings. Long time sub but first time catching this vid, thanks for the info and wish I coulda seen you guys drinking a few of those brewskis! Don't worry, I'll drink a couple for you guys.
Troy this was one of your best videos. They're all great but this one I truly enjoyed.
Hi Nick, I appreciate that brother!!! Glad you enjoyed the test. I am actually shooting another test video using both WSMs today, so stay tuned for that video in the coming weeks! Cheers to ya!!!
I think adjusting the vents to maintain the same temperature would have been a better measure. I'd also be curious to know the differnece in charcoal consumption with the temps the same. I switched to sand over a year ago and never looked back.
I had wondered about the sand vs water debate. Seems like the sand cooks hotter but that means just closing the vents a little more and not having to worry about refilling the pan. I thing sand is the way to go. I'm going to use it on my next wsm cook. Thanks T-Roy and James!
Some science, because James asked/speculated:
From a scientific standpoint, evaporation is the process of high energy molecules escaping a liquid. As the high energy molecules escape and the low energy molecules remain, the average energy of a molecule in the liquid goes down. Since temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy, this means a drop in temperature. This phenomenon is known as evaporative cooling. Evaporative cooling is why your body cools down when you sweat.
The same thing was happening in James' pit. Water boils at 212, and his pit was around 240. This ensured a very high rate of evaporation, which in turn means a high rate of evaporative cooling inside the pit. An empty pit with no sand or water would likely be somewhere in the 280 range!
As for staying hot longer once the coals were off, the boiling water was at 212 degrees, whereas the sand was at whatever temp your pit was at (somewhere around 260 to 270). The hot sand was holding far more heat energy than the boiling water, so it should come as no surprise that it took far longer to radiate it all away and cool down!
The practical takeaway here is that for any low-and-slow style cooks where you want a temp around 225, water is an idea medium for stabilizing temperatures. If you're trying to cook hot and fast, water is very detrimental and will be actively cooing your pit, but sand makes an excellent job as a thermal ballast.
You and James make a great team. Great comparison video. I don't have a water smoker at the moment, I'll definitely remember this video when I get one. Thanks for sharing😃
You would love a WSM Christy!!! And I would love seeing you cook on one! Have a fabulous week my friend! Cheers!!!
I've been using char-diamond briquetts in the water pan of my WSM covered in foil with a foil water pan sitting directly on top of that for a while now. The briquetts help maintain the heat in our cooler months here in northern Ohio but i also use this method year round. The foil pan makes for a much easier clean up too. Thanks for the video fellas.
Thanks for watching and I appreciate your feedback on how you cook using your WSM. I will have to give your method a try!!! Cheers
You both rock individually but together? Neither of you are afraid to bE honest & that is great! Awesome- I love it guys & thanks!
Glad you enjoyed watching us having some fun again. I appreciate the support Bob!!!
A few years back I got a 22.5" WSM and I got a BBQ guru to go with it...Previously I had an 18" WSM for around 5 years with no guru and loved it equally as well..What is your opinion of a BBQ guru with a WSM...Personally I love mine......
Hey Mike, I really don't ever use my Guru with my WSM because the WSM is able to maintain temps so well.
Another awesome vid Troy. Love the collaborations.
Thanks Alan, I love having my UA-cam brothers & sisters over too. Thanks for the support brother!!!
Awesome cook with great results. Two thumbs up!!
Thanks brother!! I appreciate you watching! Keep that smoke rollin'!!!!
Great video! Cheers guys! Brotha Troy what is the brand butter you're using on them bad boys?
I used Parkay butter on the ribs. Thanks for the support brother!
Awesome Troy and James!!!
Hi Ellen, thanks so much!!! God Bless!!!
T-roy another great vid. Been looking for something like this cuz i wanted to try it myself but thanks to u i could make a better decision now! Thanks for ur advice and i really enjoy the q&a sessions. Keep it up!
Hi Chris, thanks for the support brother!!!
Hey T-ROY JAMES, great video, raises some questions. Since the sand pit was hotter, maybe those ribs could have come off sooner? Also by adjusting both pits to the same temp could have made a difference.Sure are a lot of possible things to try. You guys have opened up a whole list of things to try. If you keep playing with these ideas, please keep us posted. Cheers.
Hey Preston, I am doing another test with both WSMs today, so stay tuned brother!!!
Can't wait. Cheers.
you guys in Texas have warm weather all year round. us in Colorado have not only altitude, but cold temps to deal with. in winter out here I definitely go without water just because it's hard to get the temp up at 30 degrees or less at a mile high
I hear ya brother Lyle!!! The environment does make a huge difference in how you should set up your smoker. Cheers brother!
You boys are Fabulous!!! Thank you this was great :)💖👐👐💖❣
Howdy Linda!!! Thank you very much! James and I always have a great time when we get to hang out for a cook. I'm really enjoying your live videos too. I've been wanting to get into doing live streaming, but you know I want to make it look great, so I'm saving up for some good equipment. Keep up the great work my friend!!! Much love to ya!
Hi T-Roy..I always enjoy watching your videos, they are really fun!! Thank you, many blessing to you:)
Hey Tracy, I appreciate the support!! Many blessing to you as well!! Thanks much!
Awesome brother Troy glad to see James back over there cooking with you. Love you both brothers! Great video!
Hey brother Rich!!! Wish you could have joined us brother. We were having a great time!
T-ROY COOKS was thinking about calling you guys lol! We will get together soon brother!
Dear T-Roy where did you get your nice Kingsford cap from? Didn`t see the related link on your page. Thks in advance Bro. As always, cheers and regards from Tulsa, Ok
Howdy Mike, I ordered that hat from the Kingsford website. I think it was like $15.
Hey Troy, you better not toss that sand out brother, Karen says it stays lol! After watching this I was thinking that cooking with sand in the water pan would have a advantage as for as fuel consumption as well. You had both smokers dialed in the same on the lower vent, so if you were to adjust the lower vent on the sand smoker, you could run a bit lower temps as your use to, and save charcoal doing it. Now here is the big question. What happens when you wet the sand ;)
I think I need to do more testing Rus. I was wondering the same brother!!!
T-Roy-
Great video thanks for sharing, that was awesome that James stopped over so you could do the comparison with both WSM's. Hope all is well with you guys until next time take care and God Bless
Happy Smokin' 👍🏼
Thanks brother!!! James and I always have a great time when he visits. Glad you enjoyed the video!!! Keep that smoke rollin'!!!
What if you added a water pan with the sand maybe the ribs would have came out a little moister?
What is the purpose of putting anything in the water pan besides the temp difference?
Hey Troy, wanted to recommend a couple rubs. "Hardcore Carnivore Red" for Pork and "Hardcore Carnivore Black for Beef" both are by Jess Pryles...amazing rubs!! Also "Meat Church" Fajita and Honey Hog seasoning.
Hey Kenny, thanks for the suggestions! I'd love to meet Jess one of these days since she lives here in Austin and I do need to try out her rubs. She just started selling a nice looking offset too!!! I've heard good things about the Meat Church products too, so I will see if I can get my hands on some of that too. Much appreciated brother!!!
Brothers, great video, love the idea of using sand, especially if you want to cook at higher temps, that may be a good idea for amping up the temps in my UDS, I may have to give that sand a try, nice to see you guys hanging out, going to let you know when I am back in Texas, maybe labor day weekend, may visit my son, it will also be my birthday. Great video fellas!
Hey there brother Daryl, we would love to hang out with ya, but I am probably going to be at Keith Bettag's Labor Day part in Evansville. Please do keep me update on your plans just in case my plans change. Maybe we can do a cook together? Cheers brother!
Great video Troy! Could you have pulled the ones on your smoker earlier to compensate for the temp difference?
I'm shooting a follow up video today where I cook at the same temp on both WSMs, so stay tuned brother!!!
Love this vid man!! I always use water in my water pan, but I'm tempted to try sand next time I cook ribs!! As always, thank you for posting brother.
-Kent G
Give it a shot Kent!!! It's always fun experimenting with cooks. Keep that smoke rollin' brother!
I did not see if anyone explained this, I am a Geophysicist by training and education and a former high school chemistry teacher, so I thought I'd help shed some light on the science here. The quality of sand and water we need to consider is called 'specific heat'. This is the amount of energy need to raise the temperature of a certain mass of a substance by a certain degree of temp. The normal scale used is joule per kelvin and kilogram, J/(K kg). The specific heat of water is 4200 while that of pure sand (SiO2) is 840. I think the reason the sand-filled pit used less fuel is that less energy was needed from the charcoal to raise the temperature of the sand to the temperature, thus less fuel was consumed. The water-filled pit needed five times as much energy to heat the water up to a similar temperature.
It's important to consider weather. I don't mean if it's raining outside or not during your cook, though that is important. What I mean is to think about the effect large bodies of water have on weather. I live in Houston, so I am close to the Gulf of Mexico. That massive amount of water nearby helps to regulate our temperatures. We don't see the wide swings in temperature like Troy does in Austin. The water in your pit should have the same effect: it should lessen wide swings in temp and give you more constant temps.
I hope I helped. :)
T-Roy and James, nice video. Very interesting test between the two methods and both racks looked just fine, but I think I will stick my 14 year old Orion Cooker for my ribs, yard birds and the big bird. Good job guys!!
Howdy Joe, this was a fun test brother. I appreciate you watching!
Seem like the sand pulled out the moister from the ribs, but the water added moister but less pull back on the bone, plus the smoke ring appeared on the second batch of ribs.
Would there be a way to mix both water and sand in the water pan? Maybe cover the sand with the foil again and add a foil tray of water on top. So you retain the heat of the sand ribs without losing the moisture of the water pan ribs.
Jay Millz Good question, that will be the next video!😜
no....let's not get crazy
Jay Millz Exactly what I thought!
great video as per usual, really interesting to compare the moist environment and dry. Nice to see Bro James.
@Carlos G... I think we are long past crazy already.
Jay Millz daaayum good thought
Thanks guys! Great show, you 2 are Great to watch! I use a lot of pecan and peach wood myself.
Thanks!
I appreciate you watching Tom. I just uploaded a 2nd test video this morning if you want to check that one out too. I kept the temps the same on the 2nd test! Cheers to ya!
Hello again from Cleveland Heights! Keep on increasing the knowledge, brother.
Love your vids mate... all the way from Down under.
Great video Troy and James ...since you're responding to viewer questions Troy what about these folks using hangers in there WSM's and hanging Brisket ?! Seems to me they'd not be as moist throughout due to the meat hanging and not laying flat...please try that for us if you have those silly hangers ! lol
I don't have those hangers Carlos, but I think Justin has some maybe I can borrow? I will have to check into it for ya!!! I appreciate you watching brother!
Thanks Troy ..you have one of favorite go-to channels buddy
Loved this video. Where did you get the kings ford hat. I need one. lol
Thanks very much for watching Phillip!!! I purchased that hat from the Kingsford website brother.
I make my own rub I start with seasoning salt. I add ground & red pepper, granulated garlic. Smoky paprika, cumin. Kosher salt & sugar. My kids like my dry ribs best. I know you aren't a fish water but I'll add lemon juice, olive oil & fresh garlic to my rub. I'll marinate skirt steak for tacos 🌮 or prawns for shrimp tacos. The lemon juice helps break down the meat it acts like a tenderizer. I usually marinate for 24 hrs. It's a huge hit with the family. I've been dry aging a prime you like your video showed. It's been only 2 weeks but my birthday is Sunday. I'm not sure to cook it or go buy a prime brisket & leave the roast for 4 more weeks. What's your opinion T-ROY? Love your passion for cooking. You got me to try some new things
Hey August, thanks for sharing your rub recipes and techniques!! I'd let the Prime age for another 4 weeks or so and go buy a different one for your birthday bash. Happy Birthday to you and I hope you have a wonderful week my friend!!! Cheers, Troy
You guys reminded me of the episode of Mike and Molly with Mike and Carl shopping for mattresses. Check it out for a laugh with best friends. Your videos have led me to want a WSB. I have a Weber spirit 310 and love it, but I want to step up my smoking game since I've been practicing smoking on it and had many success. The only draw back is very large cuts of meat such as brisket and pork but that use a lot of propane to cook those types of cuts. I tried a free offset smoker and love the flavor of charcoal but the heating chamber was not efficient and difficult to maintain. That's why the WSM is my choice of Smoker that I look forward to with the Weber Family. You can't go wrong with any Weber.
Thx for your love of grillin and smokin! You inspire me!
Water has a thermal coefficient you may learn about when doing a hvac project it takes more energy to heat water from 190 to 212 than it does to heat it from 70 to 190 ;)
the sand would definitely hold more heat longer, water only gets to 212 degrees that's why it was a cooler cook. How about trying a cook with water and sand. You could either put water in the sand or a water pan on top of the sand pan. Just my thoughts. Keep up the great videos you guys look like you're having a great time makes me want to keep watching your videos
I did perform a 2nd test using sand vs water and that video will go up tomorrow. I will have to try combining sand and water and do a 3rd test soon. I appreciate your suggestion and thanks for the support Ron!!! Cheers brother!
Nice video man, must be cold in Texas, lol havent seen you in the kitchen in a long time. Lol cheers buddy, jamie from Kentucky.
Those two smokers were fairly different as well. T-Roy's is modded. Watch how the smoke comes out almost exclusively through top vent. Upgraded door and seals. Plus he's got a better thermometer. I know the stock one in mine always reads low too.
great video. the sand seems to help keep a steady heat. i use a offset smoker and sometimes have troubles keeping a steady temp. i wonder how that will work in a offset smoker? ill have to try it. thanks again. keek up the great videos.
Yeah man, put a bowl of sand in your cooking chamber next to the firebox and see if that will help stabilize the temps. Please let me know how that works out if you give it a try!!!
T-ROY COOKS i sure will i wont be able to smok again intill two weeks ill let you know
Thank you professors for doing the dirty work for us fans! Well, not really dirty work because it looks like y'all had a great time.
Nevertheless, I think I'll stick to water because of the added moisture in the cooking chamber, but I can imagine your video converting a lot of people to sand as well.
Have a good one brother!
Thanks for watching brother!!! It was a fun test, but I think I need to do more testing.
Good collab. I follow James too, he does some magic on the grill.
Never heard of using sand as a buffer/base. Gonna have to give it a try.
Yep, James sure knows how to cook up some fine BBQ. It's always a great time when he swings by for a visit! Thanks for watching brother!
Hey Troy, if you had to pick one, would you go with the Weber smokey mountain or the pit barrel cooker? Thanks
Nice experiment.
What do you think, Offset smoker against a Smokey mountain when you are smokeing ribs ?
That would be a nice test, but I can say that the meat I cook on the offset always tastes better, but the WSM is very close in flavor.
What about adding sand to the water pan and adding a water pan on top of the sand both see what happens with the moisture in the air
Got couple of large terra cotta pot saucers in the water pan in my 22in wsm. Works very well
Great feedback there brother!!! I may have to give that a try!
Now what if you added some water to the sand? Or use sand and put a bowl of water on the grate? I am going to try that.
Why didn't you open the vents on the water smoker to try to even the temps? Just curious.
Gotta tell ya brotha, you’re the only person I’ve seen that puts butter on their rib. Next time I coook up a batch, I’m going to try it. Cheers.
So I think I would give up the pullback for the moisture! Water in the pan beats sand! GQ BBQ "The Rub" Is excellent! I am going to use it again soon! Rock On Troy and James!
Yep, we enjoyed both racks of ribs, but James and I did prefer the ribs cooked over water. And The Rub is excellent on ribs!!! Rock On Sal!!! Cheers brother!
T-Roy I wanted to know if you knew of a good brand of "Red" Hot Links?
I love Smokey Denmark's they have a great flavor , but I'm on a quest for a "Red" Hot link.
Great Video Guys! I will be playing with temps with cooking ribs now that I have seen this.
It's all good fun brother!!!! I appreciate you watching! Keep that smoke rollin'!
Great video by two of my favorite BBQ guys, thanks for doing this ! I love my WSM, but only have one, so I haven't done a side by side comparison, BUT, I like to do ribs at about 225 degrees and I've noticed it's a lot easier to keep the temps down and regulated steady at lower temps with water in the pan.....just my personal experience. I've found this to be particularly more noticeable when doing a long slow cook with a full load of charcoal, such as a brisket or a pork butt. That being said, if I'm doing something like the bacon wrapped chicken bombs where I want the bacon to crispy up more, I prefer to use sand in the water pan so it's easier to kick things up to around 300 degrees. It can be more difficult to get the WSM up to higher temps with water in the pan. Cheers guys, keep the smoke rollin' , the cold beer flowin', and keep having fun while eating fine BBQ ! :)
That's great feedback brother! I appreciate it!
Curious how clean the sand stayed in the pan? I use a foiled drip pan in my Kamado, and the grease always gets below the foil no matter how good I foil it. Seems like the watered pan would be a lot easier to clean and deal with than the sand pan.
I will see if I can show that on a future video for you brother!!! I appreciate the request and thanks for watching!
Great video gents.I also have tryed both methods.The clean up alone using sand sold me and a much longer burn time on coals.
It is not rocket science.....also do some sit ups during cook time.
The Water pan nails fuel here in the uk, since running the pan dry I've had excellent results, the fat renders off the meat and evaporates off the pan giving great flavour. Plus it is more humid here, that helps with moister! I would wrap hot and fast ribs though
Thanks for your feedback Olly!!!! And thanks for watching!
Really interesting! Thanks for the work you put into this. I'm sticking with water. Best regards from Sweden! /TC
Glad you enjoyed the video and I appreciate you watching Tomas!!!
Great video guys a lot of questions answered. I would really like to see the comparison at the same temperatures. I cooked some baby backs last weekend on my 14.5" WSM with water in the water pan and they were juicy and fall off the bone (4 lb. rack for 3.5 hours). I don't know but I'm assuming that temperature had more to do with the ribs than the water and sand just my opinion. Keep em' coming...
Yep, I think you may be right Don. I'm going to do another test with the same temps on each WSM and see what happens. I appreciate the support brother!
Troy, Butchered some spare ribs into tips and St Louis style. Going to do them all together on the WSM using both racks Never used both at same time. Any suggestions
You may want to put a pit probe on each grate to monitor cooking temps. I have found that my middle grate is usually about 20 degrees cooler just above the water pan. And I do use water in the pan. I'm sure your ribs will turn out fine brother!!! Just have fun and enjoy the cook! Cheers, Troy
That was a great video. Thank you T-Roy and James for you time and effort. SWEET :-)
Glad you enjoyed our test Jay and thank you very much for the support brother!!! Cheers
Great. Next time put the water and sand together. Kindest regards from Austria.
Its really hard to get that kind of ribs you are using. Are you killing T-Rex for that?!😆
Hey Troy, do you think the ribs cooked with the sand could have been pulled off sooner and been more moist?
I believe they would have been more moist if I had pulled them off earlier. I may have to do a similar test and find out!!! Thanks for watching!
Great video! I have two 1X4 boards that I lay on the concrete to set my lid on. Protect the enamel on the lid lip! Got to get one of those doors!
Thanks Kevin, I appreciate you watching!!! Bamboo sticks for the garden work pretty well too if you lay them on the ground to protect your lid. Yes, you should get one of those doors from Cajun Bandit. They are great!!! Cheers brother!!!!
Big cheers for this video! I really like these comparison videos. Just a couple thoughts about sand vs water. With the sand cooking hotter with the same amnt of coals, you could conceivably reduce the amnt of coals and add more wood for the same cook time. Get the temp down lower. I would like to think that you almost seared your ribs before the smoke ring had a chance to form. Also, you could try cooking to the same level of done-ness instead of time. I think the sand ribs were a little over cooked and therefore not as juicy.
I'm planning on doing another test where I keep the temps the same, so stay tuned brother!!!
Nice to see the sand vs water test. I'm thinking the sand helping the WSM run at a hotter temp would be great for smoking chicken. I know my 14.5 WSM can struggle to smoke at those higher temps. Thank ya'll for doing this video
Yep, definitely try using sand when cooking your chicken. I bet you will have much better results!! Thanks for watching brother!
I love using sand since I use lump charcoal, oak mini splits and peach wood chunks almost exclusively. Trick with ribs is to hit them with heavy sauce after the first hour or so, one more time mid cook and once more around an hour before taking them off the smoker.......if going strictly with dry rub, that water pan and spritzing is hard to beat :)
I appreciate the feedback brother!!! And thanks for watching!
I wonder if the diffuser plate in the new Summit Charcoal Grill would work in the 22' WSM? Nothing in the water pan and the diffuser on top.
Sounds like a great test Mike!!! Give it a shot and let us know how it works out for you!
Interesting comparison. Can definitely understand why the WSM with sand would retain more heat and use less fuel. The question becomes if you dialed back the vents on the sand WSM to achieve equal temperatures would the ribs then be the same?
Great question! I think I need to do another test. Thanks for the feedback!!!
My man Troy! What happen brother?!?! Those were some very fine looking ribs my friend. Now you got me wanting to run to my meat market and pick me up some Ribs!
As for me on this deal... when I'm doing a brisket during the summer months, I almost always have to use water in my water pan, or I have a hard time keeping my temputure before 250 F. If it's a cool day and breezy, I can go without water and cook right at 255 F. or so even in summer.
For pretty much everthing else, butts, chicken, ribs, etc., I roll with my water pan filled 2/3 the way with Lava Rocks covered in foil JB Style... but with lava rocks in place of JB's ceramic briquettes.
Now during the cooler months here in the Northeast, I don't use water, even when smoking briskets. Even when tempurtures are below freezing and with the lava rocks in my water pan, my 18.5" WSM hold 235 to 250 with one vent open to 1/4 inch (#2 pencil).
Thank you for sharing this video with all so others can learn.
Blessings to Miss Karen, you and James....
Howdy George, thanks for the feedback brother!!! And thanks for watching! We had a lot of fun doing this test. Many blessing to you and your family as well my friend!! Cheers
I use ceramic brickets in my WSM and then just put a pan of water on the lower grate. works really well as long as its not a big cook that requires top and bottom grates. I would be interested in seeing the same test with equal temps in the cooker. Looked like the temp in the sand cooker was a good bit higher through the entire cook than in the water cooker. Wondering if the differences may have been more temp related than water or sand related. Glad you are doing this comparison. This has been a big debate with the WSM's for a long time. I know the biggest thing I like about not using water is I get much better efficiency as far as not using as much fuel. My cooks can go much longer with the same amount of fuel.
Thanks for watching!!! We were very surprised at how efficient the fuel burn was on the WSM using sand. I think I need to do more testing!!!
Hi, Troy. Great seeing you again. What did you enjoy about making my Salisbury steak? Have a good day, good buddy.
Hey Byron, making your Salisbury steak reminded me a lot of me making Hamburger Steaks which I absolutely love!!! Thanks for watching brother!
You should've kept your temp the same on yours T-Roy for a more equal comparison, closing them lower vent holes. Maybe you can make another test ;) great video though!!!
Great suggestion brother!!! I am actually shooting a followup video testing that today, so stay tuned for that video in the coming weeks!!!