avoiding foil?


 
J

John Noble

TVWBB Member
Ok, so with an ATC we don't need the water. All we need to do is block direct fire from the meat. So how about replacing the foil wrapped bowl with a simple ceramic heat shield. Could be a thick pizza stone, or a flower pot base.
Unless you are using a foil pan to deliberately catch the drippings for gravy, just let the drippings land on the ceramic shield. To clean, flip the shield over and let the next batch of charcoal burn it clean. It will be black on both sides, but I think that's ok.
Comments?
 
Depending on what you're cooking you could have way too many drippings. For instance butts or briskets might not work, ribs you'd probably be OK.
 
I have the large Big Green Egg and I leave the "plate setter" in. The plate setter is a big ceramic disc that sits over the coals and the grill surface is about 3 inches above that. I suppose I could wrap foil around it but I don't see any point because once the food is off and the grill cools down I can just pop off the crusty bits with a spatula. It cleans up in 30 seconds or so.

Pork butts or briskets or ribs, doesn't matter. Some juices drip, it sizzles, no worries.

Ironically, when I make pizza on the egg, I do put down a piece of foil on the ceramic stone.
 
I think what I'm going to try is this. I have just ordered my brinkman pan. When it arrives, I'll take it to my kitchen shop and look for a Emile Henry cooking bowl. The Emile Henry line is ceramic, so good for temp stabilization. It should sit inside the brinkman the way Larry does his ceramic tray. And it should catch the fats and drippings. Maybe then use it to make gravy. Pour off excess fat into the ashes and garbage it, and use the rest for brisket poutine.
 
A good butt will render a bunch of fat. I use a foiled clay saucer nestled in my foiled water pan as a dry heat sink and temp stablizer. It catches a good bit of fat and drippings that can be used. Would not want all the drippings to run off the pizza stone aand get on the coals. Would lead to problems IMHO.
 
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