Water pans

Give Cookshack a call and ask if this might help.

http://www.cookshack.com/store...usion-Reservoir-1-Q-

quote:

Originally posted by Lagrue:
I purchased a sm045 about a yr ago. So far I have very dissapointed with it,as everything I cook turns out very dry.

The cookshack electrics are a very moist environment, you shouldn't need a water pan. What are some of the things that you have cooked that have come out dry? Give us some details as to what it was, weight, time, temperature etc. and we'll be happy to help you out.

I would start a new thread for each item, so it can be found easier in the future.

It sounds like you're overcooking things. As stated, the Amerique is a moist environment, but the water pan would allow you more leeway on the finished temp and still give you a moist product. Are you cooking to a finish temp? Are you testing for tenderness with a probe on your ribs and pork butt so they can be pulled in a timely manner?

Give us some info and maybe we can help.

Or under cooking. Under done brisket can be very dry and chewy. Ditto on ribs.

It won't hurt to try a water pan but as the other fine cooks have mentioned, the AQ is a very moist smoker. If anything, we open the doors now and again to dump moisture.

Tell us what you're smoking and a brief description of your methods.

Using the meat thermometer provided with the smoker. I have been cooking pork(loins and ribs) to 145 deg. Chicken to 165 degree chicken probed in the thigh.

quote:

Originally posted by Lagrue:
I have always smoked with a backwoods smoker with water pan. Always had great results, but there are times that I can't baby sit the fire. I purchased a sm045 about a yr ago. So far I have very dissapointed with it,as everything I cook turns out very dry. My dad has a cheap master built and his stuff always turns out much better than what I can turn out with my cook shack, he does use a water pan. My owners manual says not to use a water pan, but Im thinking of trying it,as it has come to the point that I don't even want to use it anymore.

The good thing is you've finally have come to the right place to take care of the problems.

If your smoker needed a water pan, I'm sure it would have said so in the instructions,ya know, they have made these smokers for a very long time.

All smokers have strengths and weakness and it is up to the pit master to learn them.

Dryness can be cause by various reasons...meat, preparation, cooking,etc.

If you could give us some details of your methods(time,temp) of your cooks, I'm sure we can get you cooking moist food once again.

Welcome to the CS forum!

quote:

Originally posted by Lagrue:
Using the meat thermometer provided with the smoker. I have been cooking pork(loins and ribs) to 145 deg. Chicken to 165 degree chicken probed in the thigh.

Your not cooking the product correctly, to proper doneness.

As Cal said, you are undercooking for ribs and Chicken. Thighs need to go to 175. That is why I recommend brining chicken. This will keep your breasts very moist while the thighs cook to proper 175 IT, breasts are usually fine at 165, but on a whole chicken you will pass that waiting for the thighs to come up to temp.

Ribs are measured by feel (toothpick test) for most of us, I know I take weight and time into consideration only to approximate when dinner is gonna be done.

Pork loins for me are brined as well, but I have not done one on the smoker yet.

You have come to the right place to fix your problems. It's always good to supply us with as much details as possible. Then the more experienced than me can help some more.

I didn't know that thighs need to go to 175. That being said the last chickens that I cooked went to 173. They were drier than the ones I pulled off at 165. I will try brining. I don't use the probe on the ribs. I do them by look and feel. But I did use it on the loin

Probe those ribs as suggested. They will come out better for you. I used to go by looks and feel, until Smokin gave me a few cooking lessons. They turn out consistently better now.

I brine my pork loins all the time now...Smokin again. They come out more moist, but more importantly, more flavorful. Seems today's pork loins are much leaner and less flavorful than those my folks used to cook.

When we say probe for ribs specifically, we mean probe with a toothpick or similar object to see that it goes through like butter to test for doneness.

quote:

Originally posted by Lagrue:
Using the meat thermometer provided with the smoker. I have been cooking pork(loins and ribs) to 145 deg. Chicken to 165 degree chicken probed in the thigh.

Have you checked your thermometer to see if it's accurate.

I've been cooking on a 45 for over 2 years now at altitude and have not had any problems with moisture. As has been mentioned before, usually have too much moisture.

quote:

Originally posted by Lagrue:
I didn't know that thighs need to go to 175. That being said the last chickens that I cooked went to 173. They were drier than the ones I pulled off at 165. I will try brining. I don't use the probe on the ribs. I do them by look and feel. But I did use it on the loin

Told you, you have come to the right place. Lots of folks willing to help, but you must remember that finishing temps/doneness is only part of the equation. Pit temps are also part, this is not a cake recipe.

It will be easier to help with each individual meat one at a time, so let us know which one you want to do first....oh by the way, cooking on a CS does have a small learning curve,yes?

quote:

Originally posted by Que'n RN:
Have you checked your thermometer to see if it's accurate.

A good place to start

I have thought about the thermometer being off. I have another probe I'm gonna use along side it next time.

In the past on my backwoods and on my green egg. I have always gotten very good results. Using this cooker has been much harder so far. I'm gonna try ribs on it again in a couple of days. I can't help. I can't help but think the thermometer might be off

Sounds like with your experience, it might just be a learning curve problem.

The CS is a very moist environment, as the other fine cooks said, we have problems getting a dry"bark".

The cookers have a slow recovery time, so if you are peaking during the cook, it will add 20 minutes or so to the cook time for every opening of the door.

There was a gentleman a while back that didn't realize that his meat was touching the thermometer inside the unit that controls the temp of the unit. Just fyi, make sure your meat isn't touching that probe.

Best suggestion would be to pick one item and let us help you work through it. Dry isn't a function of the smoker as it's so well insulated most people want to get rid of moisture.

So if it's ribs, start a new thread in ribs and let's walk through what you're doing in detail for this cook and we'll work with you.