foiling and maintaining bark

[smokymcsmokster]

is it at all possible to do? I've never foiled before, and know that my meat could definitely be moister, but at what cost! 

 

[foamheart]

Foiling is about breaking thru the stalls. Yes it adds a little moisture but the amount is up to you. I never foiled to coming here, and still don't regularly, but I noticed no difference other than the bark being less hard and dry and more....... lets say tender. You still have bark and I really didn't realize any lessening of quantity, only the difference the hard bark verses the softer bark.

Course its just my own humble opinion. Like I said I am not a big foiler, not the most experience at it.

BTW when ya get a change please take min. and click on the "My Profile" icon on the above toolbar and tell us a little or a lot about yourself. Make sure and tell us where ya hang your hat at night. Its helps a lot in discussions and questions knowing your geography and climate so we don't feel stupid telling you about making a crawfish sauce when you live in Montana. LOL

Thanks.

 

[pellet]

Foamheart is right. It adds moisture. I foil my ribs using the 3-2-1 method and they turn out great and I have some bark on them. I know some have foiled briskets but I haven't yet but intend to try it because brisket is the hardest thing for me to get it as tender as I like it. FWIW, my goal is to get the meat to the proper IT and let the bark take care of itself naturally.  

 

[parman]

It really depends on what your cooking. Butts, I've done both. I foil at about 165 and pull of the pit at 200. I then wrap it in towels and stick it in an ice chest till it falls to 165. Then I'll pull it a part. I use the maverick sensors so I can be consistent with the temps.To reach the 165 the first time takes quite a few hours so the bark is established. Shoulders you almost have to foil as the fat content is low. Butts you can do either way. For me its about time. If I have to shave some time I'll foil the butt. If time is not a factor, I'll wrap and rest after it reaches temp..

Ribs, I use the 3-2-1 system and the bark again is done. The last hour firms things up and you can sauce or not. If doing loin or baby backs I use the 2-1-1 system. Tonight I used the latter and used juice from canned peaches and dry rub when I wrapped. Awesome!

I've foiled brisket but only when its reached temp. Then I'll use the "texas crutch" and foil it and then wrap in towels and let it continue to simmer it its own juices. Again I let it fall to 165 which can take up to 4 hours before I'll start to slice. The juices are used to marinate the cut pieces and also added to my home made bbq sauce.

Try adding grated and juice from asian pears before wrapping. This adds a great sweetness to the ribs and butts.

I hope this is helpful.

 

[kcpigman84]

I'll foil ribs.  I did some chuck roast and foiled that, too.  I never foil butts.  I've only done one brisket so far, and I didn't foil that and got good results.  Doubt I'll foil in the future.  My smoker retains a lot of the moisture that cooks out of the meat in the cook chamber, so my meat stays pretty moist without a water pan or foil.  I like a textured bark on pork butt, so not foiling is a no-brainer for me.  Just have to stay patient through the stall on butts.  I've noticed that keeping the meat tender and moist for me tends to be more about controlling the cook temperature than anything else.