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Foil = steaming?

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I was thinking about foil today (something I presonally don't want in my smoker ever).

My guess is that it does what it does because of steam. By foiling the meat has a higher concentration of steam around it, and steam as we know cooks faster due to greater thermal mass as compared to normal air.

Question for those who foil: if you had an appropriate steamer (such as a modified turkey fryer) would you consider steaming or boiling the meat instead of foiling it? Why or why not?
 
Foiling is less about moving steam than the other way you suggested. You are not looking to washing the rub or bark, foiling does not allow that to happen.
Jim
 
Foiling in barbecue is more akin to braising-- cooking with a small amount of liquid in a container with a tight-fitting lid, over low heat-- not really like steaming or boiling at all. And remember, it's not typically done for the entire cook.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mike Parrish:
[qb] Why were you thinking about foiling this day if you never want to do this in your smoker "ever"(per your post)? [/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Just curious, trying to understand the science behind it and what benefits it might bring to the Q. I had some ribs going with a couple new twists and like always I used some of the time to reflect on the subtle art of Q.

Many folks say foiling can make ribs less greasy ... and I'd like to know why this is, if in fact it's true. My guess is the greater thermal mass accelerates the cooking process (and as a result increases rendering), which might be accomplished without foil using higher temperatures instead.

Anyway, gotta run and check on the espresso blend coffee beans I'm roasting right now. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
 
I was never so happy to finish my one year course of pre-medical physics, eight semester units. But I'm wondering if some readers might not know what "thermal mass" refers to in layman's terms, and how steam is different to smoky cooker air in terms of heating the meat.

Dave
 
Obsessing about foil much??

I'm wondering if someone wasn't wrapped in foil and abandoned as a child...

I did some research and found this.

Alumiphobia... it's very real.
 
Aluminum foil? What's scary about aluminum foil? Wax paper, now that's scary!!!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Dave Tracy:
[QB] I was never so happy to finish my one year course of pre-medical physics, eight semester units. But I'm wondering if some readers might not know what "thermal mass" refers to in layman's terms, and how steam is different to smoky cooker air in terms of heating the meat.[QB] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I'm no genius but I'll give it a go:

Thermal mass refers to the amount of "stuff" that can hold heat. For example in space where there is a vaccum there is no heat since there is no mass. In steamy air there's more mass than in dry air (water vapor "weighs" more than air) so it can hold more heat.

Ever wave your hand through the steam from a pot of boiling water? Yeowch! Now wave your hand through a 212*F oven full of dry air. Doesn't even burn unless you hold it in there for a while. This is why things cook really fast in a steamer.

If you foil meat in the WSM it sits in a steam bath and thus is cooked and rendered more and faster.
 
I would not think using a modified turkey fryer as an appropriate steamer would be similiar to tightly wrapping butts or ribs in HD foil and leaving them on a WSM to speed up the cook. While there is certainly some moisture in the meat and the additional moisture from spraying with AJ there would not be the available space for the production of significant steam. Now if you loosely wrapped the meat and added liquid you would be creating a dutch oven which would have a definite steaming effect.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Paul G.:
[qb] I would not think using a modified turkey fryer as an appropriate steamer would be similiar to tightly wrapping butts or ribs in HD foil and leaving them on a WSM to speed up the cook.[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Then how is it that foil speeds up cooking if not by the steam effect?
 
Jason,

you seem very interested in the foiling technique. Why are you so against its usage? Maybe give it a try and see what differences you can discern.

I have used both methods and my taste is more towards the "fall-off-the-bone" tenderness that foiling provides. But, many purists seem to look at foiling as taboo.

Oh well, to each his own.

Good Luck,
Troy
 
Easy enough to get falling off the bone by just cooking longer or hotter. Try the BRITU method but don't raise temp as much at the end and let the ribs sit in there for 6 total hours - they'll fall apart in your hands when you pick them off the grates.

Why am I against foiling? If you must know it seems counterintuitive to the whole concept of outdoor cookery and also smoking. If I wanted to braise or steam my food I'd do it inside in a dutch oven or a steamer. Furthermore, foil is a barrier between the smoke and the food. I mean here we go to all this trouble to get a nice, slow smokey wood fire going ... and then some people put foil over the food?

I'm not against anyone else foiling, it's a free country, but I ain't gonna foil any of my BBQ. I'm also never going to boil or microwave it. I'm at least as interested in the process as I am the end product. If I just wanted good BBQ it's a lot easier to just run down the street and buy it.
 
Jason
There is trade offs with every thing you do. Hotter and longer means the brisket can have a hard crust on the exterior and drier finished product. Foil used correctly will produce great product. Can it be done with out foil? Absolutly!
Foil is not BAD! Just think of it as another tool to use just like a WSM.
Jim
 
I think that besides all the scientific explanations given here, foil slows down the heat loss that occurs as the meat cooks. Even though it is cooking, and getting warmer, it still radiates heat that exscapes out the top vents.

with foil, that loss is slowed down and the heat stays longer in the meat, therefore cooking it faster.

Just theory, but it does work.

Now, whether or not it makes a difference in the finished product is debatable. For pork, I don't think it matters. Same for brisket. Ribs--too difficult to tell for sure, but, tender and juicy are a difficult combination to get. Foil seems to help that process

Dale
 
The heat loss theory doesn't fly, reason being the air inside the WSM is hotter than the meat. The meat takes on heat in that environment rather than giving it up.

Were it not for the faster cooking due to the steam, foil would actually increase cooking times since it's an insulator around the meat.
 
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