The great debate: to foil or not to foil?


 
Christopher H

Christopher H

TVWBB Fan
Hi all,

I'll be doing my first rack of baby back ribs on the WSM (previously used a ECB) along with my other food today. In the past on my ECB I used water in the pan and I used a 2-2-1 method. In my WSM I use a 14inch clay saucer instead of water. Should I still do a 2-2-1, wrap for only 45 minutes at some point, or don't wrap at all? I'll be cooking with a PB and brisket at roughly 250.

I'm open for trying new rib methods but with the other stuff in the smoker I don't want to have to open the lid a lot. (weather today didn't cooperate in Michigan. It's currently 54 and rainy and will only get up to 70)
 
ive done ribs with foil and no foil,i like foiling,just my preference but if im moving around or just plain lazy i wont foil.. i say do them both ways and see what works for you,make 2 racks,one foiled and the other not foiled..good luck and get smoking,lol
 
Jay said:
ive done ribs with foil and no foil,i like foiling,just my preference but if im moving around or just plain lazy i wont foil.. i say do them both ways and see what works for you,make 2 racks,one foiled and the other not foiled..good luck and get smoking,lol
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How long do you foil them and at what point during the cook?
 
I don't foil during the cook but it's just because I'm lazy. I put em in and rarely lift the lid until timing says we're done. I ck them and if we're good I remove them and add sauce (sometimes) then wrap them until everything else is done and ready.
 
Foiling is most certainly a personal thing. For the last couple of years, we foil everything (at least during some part of the cook).
Foiling does give the pitmaster a little more control over the product. Take ribs, for instance... I foil when the bark is set and the color is right. Basically stopping any further color change as well as bark formation. During the foiling stage, we add a little brazing liquid (Stubbs pork marinade work great with on ribs) and make sure the foil envelope is tightly closed. During this stage we are looking to reach a tenderness value. Once the tenderness I am looking for is reached, off comes the foil. Add a glaze/sauce to the ribs and let it tighten up while back on the grate.
It's very easy to overcook ribs, or brisket or pork, during the foiled stage. The pitmaster must stay on top of this and determine when that stage is complete.

Wishing you and Excellent and Enjoyable cook this 4th of July weekend.
 
Great explanation Bob.

I never considered foiling as a color control tool, always as a time saver, tenderness thing. Makes sense.

I used to foil my ribs years ago on my kettle and got a couple mush racks, so I quit. I like the texture without.

I really enjoy the whole smoking experience and am not in a rush, so I don't care about cooking times being shortened. I get to drink more beer that way.

I have never foiled a butt.

I am going to smoke my first brisket tomorrow.

I will foil the brisket this first time as I'm very afraid of a dried piece of meat. Depending what happens tomorrow, I may experiment with butcher paper and then without any crutch at all.

I figure I will find my comfort zone and preference sooner or later with experience.
 
Bob Bass said:
It's very easy to overcook ribs, or brisket or pork, during the foiled stage.
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This what I found out when I foiled baby backs. They weren't in there long and when I took them out they fell apart. I don't foil baby backs anymore for that reason.
 
I generally don't foil at all. Just never got into it. The only times I will is when I'm running out of time and need to get my butts finished faster.
 
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