Mark R (LR)
TVWBB Super Fan
I'm on a mission to learn a brisket method that I like and that I can duplicate fairly consistently. On the wrapping part, I've tried wrapping with aluminum foil, sealing in a foil pan, sealing in a foil pan with a grate in the bottom, and wrapping with butcher paper. My learning curve is still pretty steep, and I've had far too many variables between cooks to really make a fair comparison between these three methods. So far, I'm leaning toward a sealed foil pan with a grate on the bottom. On the 22.5 WSM, I can fit a full size steam table pan with minimal bending. It is big enough to hold a packer, and it does a very good job of collecting the drippings that are pure gold after passing through a fat separator. I'm completely winging it with the grate in the bottom, thinking that it might help protect the bark a little by keeping it up out of the drippings while still allowing the brisket to benefit from the steamy conditions in the sealed pan.
I've read several posts on the differences between wrapping in foil and wrapping in butcher paper, but I haven't seen much discussion on using a foil pan, and I haven't seen any discussion on using a grate in the bottom of a foil pan. I get the impression that a lot more people wrap with aluminum foil than use a foil pan, which makes me wonder if there are negatives to using the foil pan that I've missed or just haven't discovered yet. I would love to hear some of the pros and cons of using a foil pan and would also love to hear thoughts on whether adding a grate in the bottom of the pan might be a good thing or a bad thing. Thanks!
I've read several posts on the differences between wrapping in foil and wrapping in butcher paper, but I haven't seen much discussion on using a foil pan, and I haven't seen any discussion on using a grate in the bottom of a foil pan. I get the impression that a lot more people wrap with aluminum foil than use a foil pan, which makes me wonder if there are negatives to using the foil pan that I've missed or just haven't discovered yet. I would love to hear some of the pros and cons of using a foil pan and would also love to hear thoughts on whether adding a grate in the bottom of the pan might be a good thing or a bad thing. Thanks!