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can't help ya as I don't foil or use pans. In my opinion pans inhibit the food from getting a full smoke....plus they sit in their own juices and I don't like it mushy. You didn't say what you were smoking though.
I think pans would work for ribs ... but I always use foil.
For bigger cuts of meat, butts or briskets the reason you foil is to get past the stall.
At about 150º to 160º internal temp, moisture evaporating from the surface of a butt or brisket will cool it and create the stall. If you tightly wrap it the moisture can’t evaporate and you can cook through the stall.
The meat must be wrapped tightly to prevent evaporation.
I do roasts on racks above pans all the time, especially when I am making smokey Au jus. Or if I want to save the drippings for gravy. I don't wrap any thing I smoke though until it's done and ready to rest. One exception to that is beef ribs. I feel they benefit from the braising process. That's just my preference.
That's an entree sting article. Sure explains my experience last Sat with mr brisket. I wonder how well excepted that theory is? Sure is food for thought.
I like to use a pan when I do foil. It catches more of the juices. My foil always seems to leak. I always have a pan under butts and chuck roast anyway so I just defat the juice real quick and put the meat in the pan and double foil. Works great. I don't smoke with the meat in the pan without a cooling rack or my rib rack to keep it up out of the grease.