Who Uses The Crutch?

Depends on what I am cooking, and the timing factor, but for the most part I use the mighty foil. I know for a fact that it has turned past cooks into good cooks even when I spent too much time with the beer instead of remembering the meat.

Not considered a crutch at all--it is a tool.

Foiling speeds cooking time, helps lock in moisture, and has a dozen other benefits.

Do some reading about "3-2-1" for recreational (fall off the bone) ribs and foiling at about 160 degrees or so for Butts, Briskets, Chuck, etc.
The RoadMap at the top of Q-Talk has the "classic" threads.

Lots of material on the site.

Some use foil a lot, others a little.
Some foil individual parts, some foil a "pan" of stuff.

But, it is a tool--not a crutch.

TIM

Foil is allowed around here. uts not a dirty word, but is a tool, just like a basting brush, a sprayer and tongs. I do ribs with an without.. totally depends on my mood, Same with brisket. Pork butts aloways get foiled. dont care what who says, foil takes a few hours off the cooking time, does no harm and as long as your technique and abilities can control what goes on inside the foil, your home free. Sounds like your brisket got awya fom you at 205. I try to stay as close to 180 as possible. I always say, temp and time are gauges of when to START checking for doneness, not when to determine they are done. I brisket can be finished at 185 and if you wait for the thermometer to hit 195 becase u read somewhere thats the "perfect" temp, then you will have a dried out brisket.

If my brisket offers no resistance to a probe test at 181, u better believed its coming off that cooker.. getting foiled, wrapped in a towel and then getting happy in a cooler somewhere.

foiling, although somewhat steams the meat, it also helps tenderize without drying out. It also speeds up the breakdown of the connective tissue. i have used foil to break thru the hang time barrier on butts and briskets, then remove them and finish without foil.. other times I leave it on.. its case by case.


When the times up, I remove the meat from the foil and return it to the smoke to dry off and carmelise the outsides. Who cares if its called the Texas Crutch. If someone calls any my tools a crutch, I'll pick them up and limp away.. hopefully to the first place podium.

BBQ is all about the flavor and not the tools

I always keep foil handy, and when I judge that it will help I am quick to use it. Never had anybody tell me that my BBQ tasted a little too foiled.

I guess I'm like everyone else-- sometimes I use foil, sometimes I don't. It's been a while since I've done ribs without it. Usually, I don't like to mess with it for a brisket or butt, so I try to make sure I have enough time to cook without it even if I get hung up. I have seen some bbq sites around the 'net where foil is a dirty word, but not here!

Call me a part-time cripple then.

I use foil often, on ribs it is part of the technique, but 3-2-1 is to general to take as a guide.
I also use on brisket but I try not to cook while wrapped, only during the hold, same for butts.

I use foil sometimes. I never used to, considered it a crutch or a cheat to "real BBQ". After lurking on this forum for a while and learning from these guys, I decided to try some of the foiling techniques. It is a tool, and like all tools, it is very helpful when used properly. I have been Q'ing for 50 years, and if I had never learned or changed, I would still be doing only whole hog on an open pit with burned down oak shoveled into the pit by me and a couple of other drunk guys. Times and techiques change, we change with them, for the better, I think.

Times and techiques change, we change with them, for the better, I think.

AMEN.

Not just on this topic, but all of them!

"An open mind is too precious to waste"---or something like that :grin:

I love to learn something new every day!

TIM

When I lose, I say "Curses Foiled Again"

kapndsl said:

We love our TK!

TIM

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We like to "rub" him sometimes just to get him going :mrgreen:

spicewine said:

When I lose, I say "Curses Foiled Again"

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Now thats funny Spicewine...True but funny

You can cook without foil?... Seriously, foil is one of my favorite tools, along with the therms, gloves, chimney, and beer mug.

I use foil to line the bottom of the Fast Eddy and the "cookie sheet", I do wrap butts and briskets after cooking for holding in the cooler.

I never used to use foil but these guys here got me in the habit. I always hold my brisket and butts in foil. Oh by the way cooked at my local bar this weekend and made up some fatties and biscuits for them to snack on while the cook was going on. Made some new friends fast. Heh! Heh!

jminion said:

I use foil often, on ribs it is part of the technique, but 3-2-1 is to general to take as a guide.

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Jim,

Couldnt agree with you more. I am a big advocate of the 3-2-1, but I rarely follow it (Are you Catholic? I sure am. Did you go to church on Sunday? Doh!)

I actually follow the Wait till it starts to pull back a bit from the bone-2-cooler

I never am one to glaze. Spares you can sit on for 6 hours before they pull back.

BBacks can pull back in 2 hours. So for me, 3-2-1 is a guideline where 3 means check 3 times per hour to see if its pulling back

Edit: Oops, yes foil is the 2 in this method and its used alot

Wayne said:

I always keep foil handy, and when I judge that it will help I am quick to use it. Never had anybody tell me that my BBQ tasted a little too foiled.

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Good one!