BBQ Vs. Bread Humidity

Is there any science behind why one might add ice to a smoker to add humidity, but for baking bread, a pan of really hot water is suggested? Do they achieve the same goal? Is the ice only used because it also keeps the smoker relatively cool?

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Comments

Brendan_Lee_56950

Yes, the ice is there to absorb energy and help regulate temp whereas in a baking environment the steam is being used for "oven spring" so the cold isn't necessary.

Brandon_Byrd_40557

For bread, hot water provides a bit of steam that helps facilitate rising in the dough. It's a way to compensate for not having a full-on combi-oven. (Using a dutch oven inside your oven does something similar by trapping the steam inside the dutch oven during the initial rise stage of the bake). For BBQ, you're not trying to add loads of steam, but just keep the cooking environment from getting too dry. Many people use a pan of water for this purpose. The ChefSteps recipes use ice because they're doing low-temperature smoking and it can be difficult to keep temperatures constant at SV temperatures. If you have a smoker that has good temperature control, ice isn't necessary and you can get by with just a bit of water. When you're smoking meat, you don't want the outside to dry out because smoke particles won't adhere; adding ice or water will keep the meat moist enough to keep sucking up flavor.