Foiling question from a newbie


 
Mike Willis said:
I foil the bottom as well. The smoke will make the bottom very sticky and dirty.
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You mean sort of like the rest of the smoker? :confused:

If running a dry pan, I just foil over the top with a couple layers draped down deep enough to hold all the drippings. When I've used a clay pot base, which I rarely do anymore, I wrapped it in foil and just put it in the bottom of the pan before draping foil over the top as for a "normal" dry pan cook.
 
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I grabbed the pan once to remove the foil from the top of the pan…that's when I decided to start foiling the bottom. Chris A. explains it better here.
I don't handle the inside of the smoker Dave, but I DO remove the pan....
 
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Mike Willis said:
I grabbed the pan once to remove the foil from the top of the pan…that's when I decided to start foiling the bottom. Chris A. explains it better here.
I don't handle the inside of the smoker Dave, but I DO remove the pan....
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Mike, I've read or seen pretty much everything Chris has put online available, but this is one of those things that I just don't get, since by and large, the mess is on the inside of the pan, not the outside. Any time I mess with the smoker though, I just put on a pair of disposable gloves, whether it's hitting the high spots of the bottom with a plastic putty knife or sides with a 10" taping knife, handling the pan, ring, or grates, or loading with charcoal.

As to the bubbled build up that can accumulate on the bottom of the pan though, I'm a lot more concerned with build up in the bottom of the cooker. I just hit the high spots every now, and the reason is to prevent build up from smoking or much worse, catching fire. I had that happen once on a high heat brisket cook where I used a torch to get the charcoal smoking hot. Well, that I did, but it kept on smoking for quite a while after putting the lid on, and I didn't even have wood on yet. I peaked in and saw flames, and it wasn't on the inside of the charcoal ring. Didn't smell too great, either.

But getting back to the mess on the inside of the pan, That's why Gary Wiviott instructs in his book, "Low and Slow," to foil it that way. Unless going without water though, I just spray the inside with some Pam before adding water. Besides, I'd go through a lot of foil, just for the simple fact that all three of my water pans (including the Brinkman) are much larger than the pre-'09 18.5" wsm pan.

Regards,
Dave
 
Dave Russell said:
Mike, I've read or seen pretty much everything Chris has put online available, but this is one of those things that I just don't get, since by and large, the mess is on the inside of the pan, not the outside.
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Dave, I foil the top AND bottom. I've never seen any "bubbled buildup" on the bottom, just a sticky mess from the smoke. I foil the top because I don't want a mess from drippings IN the pan. I hate cleanup as much as the next guy, that's why I foil top and bottom.
 
It's one of those " to each is own " or similar.:)
I tried the foil on the bottom when I first got the WSM. Seemed to me that the foil will get gunked up, just like the bottom of the pan, and since I just grab mine by the lip and don't normally touch the bottom, I choose the " no foil da bottom " one.;)

Tim
 
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