Putting Hot Water and Apple Juice in Drip dish

[Pankubox]

Hi all,

I got a recipe online for a smoked pork butt, but it asks me to put hot water and apple juice, chopped onion in the drip dish, is this normal??

Thanks

E

[hal4uk]

Yup.  Pretty common... but the truth is (IMHO)...  Most of what evaporates is just water.
It helps some...  But spritzing/glazing directly has a better effect.

[OU812]

Just dont let the water pan go dry or youll have a sticky brown burnt mess.

Apple juice has allot of glucose, sugar, in it.

Try to get the unsweetened kind if ya do.

Just sayin

[Pankubox]

what I found weird was an onion in the drip dish :P
Anyways It has an injection + a combination dry-wet rub on a Pork Shoulder.
Gonna make some great pulled pork :)

[ghost9mm]

Like Hal said..I just keep water in the bowl or pan and I have a spray bottle that I use filled with apple juice..as for the onion in the bowl, someone else may have an answer about that...?

[KyNola]

My personal opinion is that adding juice or something to the water bowl doesn't give you additional flavor as most of it evaporates away or goes out the vent.  I don't think it is going to significantly penetrate whatever you're smoking.  There are members here that feel differently than me.  That's why this forum is so neat.  You can get all kinds of ideas and no one really takes offense.

[freakaccident]

I just got my bradley last week but before that I used a can electric smoker.  I love to add roasted garlic.  Chop the stem end off of whole heads of garlic, pour olive on top of the exposed garlic cloves, wrap them in foil, and cook in the oven until they are caramelized and sweet.  Eat one clove so the wife will leave you alone then add them to a pot of boiling water for about 20 minutes.  Use the water and the garlic cloves in the water pan.  Make sure you heat the water/cloves back up to near boiling before you refill the water pan so that the brew keeps fumigating the smoker.  

Hrm... speaking of brew I may try this with a fruit flavored beer next time instead of water.  

This really does work.  Get a couple cheapo tilapia filets and don't brine them, rub, or smoke them.  Just lightly salt them.  You really can taste the infusion.  Tilapia is the most flavorless fish I have ever tried and this makes them taste really good.

I have tried all kinds of concoctions in the water pan with tilapia since my ex wife liked tilapia but hated smoke flavor.  I've even steeped cinnamon sticks in the brew to see the result.  Not very good btw.  You can experiment pretty well with tilapia.  I hate that it has no flavor but it's decent for testing water pan concoctions.  I wouldn't use it to test rubs or different wood combos since the fish has no flavor or backbone texture.  I asked earlier what to use to test rubs and wood and I was told to use chicken breasts so keep that in mind too.  Chicken breasts might work well with water bowl testing too.