I've used a dome-lidded Brinkmann with the water pan to smoke a variety of meats over the years. I've also used it w/o the water pan to smoke jerky but never tried smoking other meats w/o the water. The lack of temperature control in the Brinkmann has me in the market for a new smoker as I want to start dabbling in summer sausage/salami and the like. It'll also be used for poultry, ribs, etc.
My question is, when smoking meats where drying isn't the goal, is there much, if any, difference in the finished product when using a water pan above the heat source versus not?
