Smoking in foil pans?


 
P

Pat McCreight

TVWBB Pro
I notice that some cooks like to use foil pans to smoke their meat in. Especially the kickassbbq web site recipes.

My question is, does the smoke still penetrate the meat as much, or do you think the foil pan blocks some of the process?

I think there would be some advantages to cooking in a foil pan, in terms of clean up and moving meats around, but I don't want to compromise the flavor.

Has anyone tried this and noticed a difference?

Thanks
 
I've wondered the same thing and also how any "braising" by cooking the meat in it's own juices affects the final product. Ed (kickassbbq.com) swears by this method and he's done quite well over the years so there must be something to it.

Bill
 
I have cooked that way before. Try it and you will be amazed how much fat comes out of a butt. i like the idea but i thought it made the butt greasy tasting. Just because I failed with that method doesnt mean you will. I hear people say dont do this or that but you will never know for sure until you try it for yourself.
 
Unless the pan is tightly covered, it really wouldn't be braising. I would think meat in an open pan would receive sufficient smoke. If I foil a butt-- which is more like braising since it's sealed up-- I reserve all the rendered liquid to a fat separator, and return the juice to the pulled meat.
 
I cook on pans all the time, I set the meat on a trivett type deal so its not cooking in the juices. When I smoke Briskets, esp CAB briskets they let off a ton of juice. First time I cooked one I didnt use a trivett and was basically cooking in the juice. Came out ok, but was more boiled than smoked. Pans are great, easy clean up. They do not affect the smokiness of the meats one bit.
 
Sounds like it is worth a shot. I think adding a trivet / grate in the pan like Gary suggests would eliminate the greasy/soggy meat problem.
 
Wally has a good set that is great size for butts or flats, but to small for brisket. Its in the same Isle as the Woks and pans. It comes with I believe a 9x13 pan and a larger pan that fits into. It also comes w/ the metal trivett thing that fits on either of the sized pans. I believe its only like 8 bucks, great for butts!
 
I use foil pans for certain meats such as chuck roast . Scroll down to Kevin's note; it's a fantastic way to cook CR. With the CR, I like to retain the juices and the pan holds in the sliced onions as well.
 
I have not tried cooking in a foil pan on the WSM yet, but have been thinking about giving it a try. I always cooked briskets in a foil pan when smoking on my Weber kettle with great results. This is the method recommended in "How to Grill" by Steve Raichlen. I have never tried it with anything other than brisket.
 
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