Using the pan of water is in the operating instructions that came with the Smokette.
quote:HOW TO USE THE SMOKETTE
The interior of your smoker needs to be "broken in" or seasoned before
you cook your first load of meat.
Remove the strap that holds the wood box to the heating element bracket
during shipping.
Place 6 ounces (3 pieces) of properly sized wood in the wood box.
Place a container of water on one of the grills in the smoker to insure
even heating of the unit during seasoning.
After seasoning it as the instructions said, I called customer service with a couple of questions and the young lady asked me how much wood I'd used. I told her 3 pieces and she said that was too much. That's what the instructions say to use though. Maybe they need to re-write their Operators Manual.
I've been cooking most of my life, but this method is new to me and I've frequently had the same thoughts you just posted. A lot of us are working real hard to put out good BBQ and would be lost without all of our remote thermometers and other digital doodads, but people have been producing pretty good BBQ without any of these gadgets since the discovery of fire. Probably worrying too much about this. I need to just relax, cook more and become more familiar with my smoker.
Thanks
Pat