Tom, I think a small pan, for a smoke like this, is not going to hurt anything. Where folks have gotten into issues, with pans, is when they place large pans below the meat, between the "meat and the heat," so to speak. If you put a large pan below meat you are actually trying to smoke until done, it can cause problems. In this case, Jimmy smoked it until 155 (which is about all the smoke the meat will "take" anyways), and then, essentially, slow-cooked it the rest of the way in the pan. If you're into sous vide, you could finish it in a SV bath, too. The goal, at this point, is to tenderize the meat.