Adam Perry Lang's theory on wrapping

[Saiko]

Was reading through Adam Perry Lang's "Serious Barbeque" book. I've always thought this guy was a little too fancy shmancy for me, but he does know a lot about BBQ. Anyway, this is what he says about wrapping meat:

"Look, if you pack your smoker with meat, you get this beautiful humidity inside the cooker that will lead to insanely tender ribs, pork shoulder and brisket. What what if you're just cooking a few racks of ribs? Or a single pork shoulder in a largely unfilled smoker? Sorry purists - this means you need to wrap your meat in foil. I find that wrapping creates a sort of micro-climate inside the foil that approximates the environment of a full smoker".

You know, this makes a little sense to me. If you pack some huge smoker full of 20-30 briskets, it's going to produce a hell of a lot of humidity inside the chamber. But if you're just doing a single brisky or shoulder, you aren't going to get nearly the amount of total moisture coming out of the meat. His theory is that you are just recreating the environment of a fully packed smoker by foiling. Thoughts?

Edit: I should also add that I have a newfound respect for him after reading through this book. Yes, he does use a LOT of ingredients, but he knows his chit.

[MilitantSquatter]

there could be some merit to his theory....but foiling has been linked to Alzheimer's.. or so I've read

if it's true the question then becomes at what point is the threshold passed where foil is not needed ? 25% , 50% , 75% capacity ?

[BigAl]

I get better results (I like better) when I foil.

[nmayeux]

I have had the thought in the back of my mind that a full smoker produced better Q. However, I was thinking that it had something to do with the amount of smoke that the meat was exposed to, and never thought about humidity. With that said, I have been very happy with the results of wrapping my butts, ribs, and brisket to finish.

On another note, we will be cooking at the Pigs and Peaches contest. Why don't you stop by for a beer?

[seattlepitboss]

Originally Posted by MilitantSquatter

there could be some merit to his theory....but foiling has been linked to Alzheimer's.. or so I've read

The supposed link between aluminum and Alzheimer's has been completely debunked by the American Medical Association. All that is left of it is mere urban legend.

seattlepitboss

[BigAl]

Originally Posted by MilitantSquatter

there could be some merit to his theory....but foiling has been linked to Alzheimer's.. or so I've read

My Mom never foiled anything and she had Alzhemier's

[Saiko]

Originally Posted by nmayeux

On another note, we will be cooking at the Pigs and Peaches contest. Why don't you stop by for a beer?

Oh I'm there brother!

[landarc]

I kinda figured that the two cans of water that I add for each smoke add moisture. I am not even sure it works in a smoker, old habits die hard.

[firecracker jack]

Having just picked up a Diamondplate pit 60, ten times larger than the old Chargriller, and only doing several smaller (One or two item) cooks, trying to get familiar with it....I was wondering what would happen to chamber temps, and cooking times when you filled the thing up?(supposin' a guy could afford to). I thought that maybe more mass would mean more heat retention and quicker cook times? But it never came into mind that humidity levels would change as well......Thanks for the post. Great idea.

Firecrackerjack
____________
Dpp 60
Chargriller pro/sfb

[Big George's BBQ]

Everyone has diffferant theories on how to do it. Foiling does allow you to add more flavors to the food while cooking

[SmokeInDaEye]

I am a huge fan of this book despite having a similar opinion of APL for several years for no real reason. It's not for beginners or people rushing to get something cooked but everything I've made has impressed me. And the photos are awesome!

[Kubbie]

On the foiling subject, do you go with a goot-n-tite wrap?

I've seen just loose foil "caps" on top, all the way to a tight seal, double layer... help an apprentice brethen learn what you mean by foiling.

[BBQWildcat]

Kubbie,
I just get a good snug wrap on it. Tight but try not to tear it. Baste with a little apple juice or beer or whatever for about1-2 hours then back on the smoker for 30-45 mins just to firm it up.
If you leave in foil too long they will break apart if you try to move them.


Tuck

[Bamabuzzard]

Not to piss on anybody's fire but I cook only one or two racks on many occasions and don't foil and my ribs turn out just as tender as using foil. I used to foil (years ago) but got away from it when I found I could produce the same results (actually better results) without foil.

[Cliff H.]

There is enough humidity produced in wm's, uds's to justify not using foil. If I ever get me a big offset I will have to fill it up and cook on it.......Just to see.