Foiling: Tightly wrapped or loose?

[jeff lowe]

What are some methods of loose vs tight? I would think that a loose method that is open on top would act like braising. What are the differences in texture and also tenderizing?

 

[jeff lowe]

Nobody??

 

[Rick Jones]

Jeff,

I've only recently started foiling ribs, but I've had pretty good success so far. I cook spares for a couple of hours without foil, then cook them in foil for another couple of hours with some apple juice in the foil. I wrap them loosely, just so all the edges of the foil are sealed up. I unwrap them and put back on to glaze with some sauce, and if they're not quite tender enough I just leave them on unwrapped until they're done.

Hope that helps.

Rick

 

[jeff lowe]

Can anyone tell me if there is a difference between wrapping the foil very tightly with no air leaks versus loosely with maybe an air hole at the top to let steam out? I think there may be some valid differences but I have never tried this.......

 

[Doug D]

Maybe your question is difficult to answer because you haven't specified what it is being foiled. Typically foiled BBQ meats include ribs, butts, and briskets. I will, however, offer this illustrative example:

I used to be not-too-concerned about how tightly I wrapped butts when foiling them, and, on average, 7-pounders were taking 11-12 hours. I foil once they reach 150*. The last ones I did, I made very certain to use an ample amount of foil to allow me to seal them very securely. The result: 7.5 hours to reach 205*. The difference from the 12-hour version: nearly indistinguishable.