Are You AN ANTI-FOILITE?


 
J

jeff lowe

TVWBB Super Fan
I used to be an ANTI-FOILITE big time....... But.... when I read some posts that Jim Minion started using it I had to at least investigate the matter. I have been foiling now for almost 2 years with a lot of trial and error and I have to say that foiling gives me more consistent results but MAYBE not the BEST!!

The very best ribs I ever made were unfoiled but that was one out of at least 50 batches of ribs. Maybe it was the quality of the meat that time, the timing, the bbq gods, whatever..... They were totally AWESOME!!!

HOWEVER......if I want to get very very good ribs nearly every time I have to foil... IMHO the timing in the first stage is critical.... too long and you get a drier product, too short and you get a tougher product.

I made some very good ribs recently which turned out to be a complete accident. I left the side door open and OFF and didnt come back until 2 hours later! I saw that the temp went up to 325 or so! The color looked really good and they looked just about right for the foiling stage!

I took them out of the smoker and foiled for 45 minutes and then finished on the grill afterward....

Results? Amazing and extremely good! I think experimenting with different times and temps for the 1st and second stages will get to your destination.......

So..... are you an ANTI-FOILITE?
 
Hi Jeff
I'm actually finding that the ribs come out better at slightly hotter temps. At least I won't starve trying to get to perfection
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Hummm gues I never did the foil on ribs .... guess I need to try that.

Seems we like the ribs from the cooker using about 260 to 270 at the grate ...
My wife likes them brown and dry ..no sauce

I like um every way I ever had um !!
 
I haven't foiled, basically because I'm lazy and don't feel like pulling hot ribs off the smoker and playing with them. I have been pretty satisfied with the results so far and I'm just getting started. If I wanted ribs falling off the bone, I'd skip the smoker and boil them.
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I foil some times, some times not.

I just can't see being so obstinate or inflexible about things, that I would refuse to use a tool that works without trying it first. Not saying that everyone not foiling is that way, but some people seem to develop an attitude without any rational behind it.

Now laziness I can understand!
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That's not a refusal so much as a desire to choose the path of least resistance, which to me is what BBQ is all about - kicking back and enjoying oneself.
 
Actually, I have thought about foiling. I've watched some shows on the food network about BBQ competitions, and I've seen many people open their smokers to reveal lots of tinfoil.
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Something must be working out for them.....

I just like to kick back and let the WSM do its thing. If I was cooking for paying customers who expected 'fall off the bone' I'd foil. My preference is to have the meat tear cleanly off the bone. I have been able to achieve that while spending the afternoon down at the water. All the while, the foil hides out in the kitchen cabinet.
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Cristopher-

How long and at what temps do you generally cook at? I like my ribs the same way and have had difficulty generating them on the WSM. I have only done 2 cooks but they were a little tougher than I like. I have been cooking my spares about 6 hours btw 200 and 220 at the Grill Grate.

Thanks
 
Derek, I have yet to experiment with spares. I have done baby backs a few times which have a shorter cook time. My WSM likes to settle in at 250° lid no matter what I try so I just go with the flow. My cooks have gone between 4 and 4 and a half hours at 250°. I do multiple racks of ribs in a rib rack (usually about 4 racks) on the upper grate. I follow the BRITU recipe on the cooking tab at the top of the page and have been extremely satisfied with the results. Your results can be dependant on the meat itself. My last cook I did 4 racks and I was disappointed with my first taste test. It turns out one rack turned out dryer than the rest. Look for a rack that still had a nice layer of meat on it and has minimal bone exposed.

If your rack was a little tough I'd guess it wasn't cooked long enough. When you think the rack is getting ready try pulling 2 adjacent bones apart in the middle of the rack, if they tear apart cleanly, they're done. If they fight you they need a bit more time. Some people say to check and see if the meat has slid up the bones. A lot of the time this is a good indicator your meat is getting there. I have found that occasionally the meat is ready even before this happens.

In the end it's a lot of practice and experience that gets you your best results. Even if your ribs are a bit tough, they still probably taste better than most of the stuff that's out there selling as BBQ.
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I have been foiling for years using my brinkman. The first time that I didn't foil was a couple of months ago when I tried the BRITU ribs. I have since done a them several more times. I just like them because I don't have to spend the time to foil. When I do ribs I usually have a full smoker and it takes some time to foil.
 
I too vote for no foil. However, I usually do spares. My rationale is simplicity. I don't want to mess around with the meat once I've put it into the WSM. No sauce, just rub, no mop, no foil; still the best ribs I've ever had.

AR
 
Anti-foil? No, not me. I choose not to use foil for a number of reasons, but not because I think that makes me better (or worse) than folks that do foil their ribs. I'm like Art (is it a Chicago thing?
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) - no mops, sauces, foiling - I just want to cook the meat and then eat it with a minimal amount of fuss and effort. People are out there foiling and happy with their results and I say right on to them.
 
For me, it's not an issue of anti/pro-foil, but pro-consistent results. After cooking enough ribs to realize that the tenderness results can be inconsistent, foiling ensures reliability.

My cooks are a labor of love. After carefully selecting my meat of choice, mixing a new or maybe an old favorite rub, and anxiously licking my lips in anticipation, I really don't want to be dissapointed in the end.

Foiling also provides an opportunity for flavor enhancement. Apple or pineapple juice, beer, wine, honey, etc, added during the foil can create flavor depth and complexity.

If I could achieve the same flavor, the same tenderness and the same consistency without foiling, I wouldn't bother.
 
Morgan: Do you foil? What temps do you use?

Kevin S. Your philosophies seem to mirror mine. What temps do you cook?
 
jeff
Yes, I think foil works a treat. I usually use temps around 225*F, but after cooking on a grill a few weeks ago and producing the best ever ribs in 3-4 hours I'm going to play with this method:
2 racks of spares go in at 300*F stacked meat to meat for 1 hour
stack bone to bone for 1.5 hours and start bringing the heat down (flip half way)
as soon as you see good colour and the meat shrinking back foil for 45 minutes with pineapple juice, flip half way
remove foil and finish low and slow until done
 
HUGE foiler here! I learned from some of the best teams on the circuit. My first trip to an MIM contest I thought I took a wrong turn and was at a Reynolds convention!!

As I mentioned earlier, I only cook for groups now and the ribs must be tender and on time. I have NEVER heard a customer complain of ribs being "too tender".

Foil gives me a consistent result and I can set a watch based on my timing using foil.

Having said all that, I hear more and more folks using higher temps and finishing quicker. THAT would be a biggie for me. It now takes me 6 hours for a rib cook.

Perhaps its time to do some experimenting!
 
Steven Raichlen got me started with How to Grill. While he has a different audience in mind...he cooks at medium-325-350 for two to three hours. His recipes have generally been very reliable. My guess is that higher than 250 would work well. Perhaps one of the pros would experiment with higher temps.
 
I asked Dr. BBQ about his rib temps. He said he cooks at and recommends 275? for ribs. I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but if he's doing it, well...

He also said he uses foil.
 
Kevin, Stogie, BBQGURU, etc!

Good to see you again. You were my first mentor in the world of BBQ and I have to thank you for all of your help in the beginning stages which was 4 years ago!

Have you thought of adjusting your times shorter if the temp runs hotter as I know you are anal about the 225 degree method? Maybe have some sort of scale depending on how hot the grill temp is, thickness, would adjust for the time to be cooked.

I have not dared go an actual 2 hours foiled like you do even though I cook st louis most of the time and yours are baby backs at 6 hours!!

My times have been more like 2-2:45 first stage, 30-60 minutes foiling, and then 30-60 minutes finishing. I go by color after the first stage and also how thick, marbling, etc. would depend on how long I leave them in. Second stage I poke at the 30,40, 50, 60 mark until they are tender enough for me. Last stage I sometimes grill them to get them a little crisp.

Let me know if your experiments with a higher temp work out and great to see you again on the boards!
 
I foil most of the time for ribs. Did 4 racks the other day. Trimmed St Louis style, (don't do that to often) and stacked them on the top grate. Ran a 270 target temp at the lid, but am use to doing them at 235-240 at the lid. Foiled for 1 hour, 2 racks per foiled pack, back on 'til done. Sauced with Head Country on all racks, honey mixed in on 2 of them for the sweet fans in the family, slapped on the gasser 'til they caramelized. Very good results.
Never foiled anything else that I can remember.
 
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