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Old 09-20-2010, 10:28 AM   #1
Southern Home Boy
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Default RIBS: Foil vs. non-foil experiment

So, my local Costco had Spares on sale for $1.79 lb this weekend. Figured I couldn't pass that up and with a competition looming next weekend, I thought I'd try something a little different.

I always foil my ribs for at least an hour during the cook, but this time, I decided to see what the difference really was between foiled and non-foiled ribs.

I bought one cryovac of two slabs of Spares, trimmed them down to a St. Louis cut and rubbed 'em with my rub blend. I covered 'em with plastic wrap on a 1/2 sheet pan and stuck 'em in the fridge for two hours.

When they were about ready, I got the UDS up to temp using the last 3# of regular Kingsford I had laying around and a couple of hickory chunks. While the drum was getting up to temp, I pulled the slabs and let them come up to close to room temp and then dusted one more time with the rub.

Onto the drum at ~235-240 degrees.

Both smoked unfoiled for 3.5 hours and looked similar. At that point I foiled one slab and left the other alone. Cooked for another hour and unfoiled the second slab. At this point, they were radically different. The unfoiled slab had a nice mahogany bark with beautiful bits of spices spread over the outer layer. The foiled slab looked grey and slightly "sickly". However, as I mentioned, I've been foiling ribs for a long time and knew that wouldn't last long. Another 45 minutes to firm up and color up with a third and final dusting of rub.

I also added a second variable into the mix: I glazed the foiled slab the last 10 minutes on the smoker and left the unfoiled slab sans sauce.

I didn't start snapping pics untill I was about ready to pull them off the drum.

Here's what they looked like at that point:
Top slab is unfoiled, bottom slab has glaze and was foiled:


Next I pulled 'em to the cutting board and let them sit for about 10 minutes:


Then, I sliced 'em up and chose a couple of bones I thought were most representative of the two different slabs. The one thing I noticed the most difference in was how the foiled ribs seemed to pull up the bones more than the unfoiled slab and seemed a little more "plump". Both were quite moist and had a good smoke ring though:


Finally, the Bite test:

Both ribs came away cleanly from the bone, but the foiled ribs were slightly more "stringy" in the meat than the unfoiled ones. Both were moist and had a very similar flavor, though the glaze definitely had an impact I liked.

In the end, the test was inconclusive for me. As for the comp. next weekend, I'll stick with my Texas Crutch, but I may play without foil for a while at home.

Thanks for lookin'.
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Old 09-20-2010, 10:37 AM   #2
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Nice experiment and documentation.
I personally never foil ribs. Not saying it's wrong, I just prefer not to use it.

Would really like to take a bite of one of yours right now!
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Old 09-20-2010, 11:07 AM   #3
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Only one problem with the experiement. the temp and even process of a non-foil/foiled product is entirely different to get the best results.

Would I NOT use foil if I smoked at 225? Hell no! I'd use every trick in the book.

Would I smoke with green wood low ans slow? Hell no, but do people smoke using green wood effectively at higher temps or with foil (to reduce exposure)? Hell yeah!

Do I trim at 225? Do trim at 350? Do I go fat down on a kettle" How about on a roller? How about on a smoker with a static diverter plate?



Quote:
Originally Posted by Southern Home Boy View Post
So, my local Costco had Spares on sale for $1.79 lb this weekend. Figured I couldn't pass that up and with a competition looming next weekend, I thought I'd try something a little different.

I always foil my ribs for at least an hour during the cook, but this time, I decided to see what the difference really was between foiled and non-foiled ribs.

I bought one cryovac of two slabs of Spares, trimmed them down to a St. Louis cut and rubbed 'em with my rub blend. I covered 'em with plastic wrap on a 1/2 sheet pan and stuck 'em in the fridge for two hours.

When they were about ready, I got the UDS up to temp using the last 3# of regular Kingsford I had laying around and a couple of hickory chunks. While the drum was getting up to temp, I pulled the slabs and let them come up to close to room temp and then dusted one more time with the rub.

Onto the drum at ~235-240 degrees.

Both smoked unfoiled for 3.5 hours and looked similar. At that point I foiled one slab and left the other alone. Cooked for another hour and unfoiled the second slab. At this point, they were radically different. The unfoiled slab had a nice mahogany bark with beautiful bits of spices spread over the outer layer. The foiled slab looked grey and slightly "sickly". However, as I mentioned, I've been foiling ribs for a long time and knew that wouldn't last long. Another 45 minutes to firm up and color up with a third and final dusting of rub.

I also added a second variable into the mix: I glazed the foiled slab the last 10 minutes on the smoker and left the unfoiled slab sans sauce.

I didn't start snapping pics untill I was about ready to pull them off the drum.

Here's what they looked like at that point:
Top slab is unfoiled, bottom slab has glaze and was foiled:


Next I pulled 'em to the cutting board and let them sit for about 10 minutes:


Then, I sliced 'em up and chose a couple of bones I thought were most representative of the two different slabs. The one thing I noticed the most difference in was how the foiled ribs seemed to pull up the bones more than the unfoiled slab and seemed a little more "plump". Both were quite moist and had a good smoke ring though:


Finally, the Bite test:

Both ribs came away cleanly from the bone, but the foiled ribs were slightly more "stringy" in the meat than the unfoiled ones. Both were moist and had a very similar flavor, though the glaze definitely had an impact I liked.

In the end, the test was inconclusive for me. As for the comp. next weekend, I'll stick with my Texas Crutch, but I may play without foil for a while at home.

Thanks for lookin'.
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Old 09-20-2010, 11:19 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by barbefunkoramaque View Post
Only one problem with the experiement. the temp and even process of a non-foil/foiled product is entirely different to get the best results.

Would I NOT use foil if I smoked at 225? Hell no! I'd use every trick in the book.

Would I smoke with green wood low ans slow? Hell no, but do people smoke using green wood effectively at higher temps or with foil (to reduce exposure)? Hell yeah!

Do I trim at 225? Do trim at 350? Do I go fat down on a kettle" How about on a roller? How about on a smoker with a static diverter plate?
So, what do you do differently for foiled vs. non-foiled ribs? Help me out? What am I missing?
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Old 09-20-2010, 12:29 PM   #5
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I'm trying my damnest to cook good ribs without foiling. Nice post.
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Old 09-20-2010, 04:44 PM   #6
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First time I made ribs I just cooked them in Smokey the WSM at about 250F - they were good.

Since I believe in the KISS, I never added the foiling step - and SHB seems to show that foiling isn't necessary. Gonna get some spares from Dierbergs cook them Memphis Style on Walter the WBS and see how they compare to Pappy's.
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Old 09-20-2010, 09:54 PM   #7
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They both look great and I'm sure both were tasty. I suggest testing without any other variables (the sauce). As soon as you added the sauce, it ceased to be a comparison between foiled and not-foiled ribs. You compete so obviously you know what you're doing. I would be interested in knowing what you thought about the difference when foil was the only variable - I'm always eager to learn!
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Old 09-20-2010, 09:58 PM   #8
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Personally, I prefer ribs that haven't been foiled. However, most competition cooks use foil. I think it's because foiling makes the cook more predictable. To me, the only advantage of foil is the fact that it speeds up the cook. That's about it. It makes things a little more predictable, and that's important in competitions.

But, at home, my goal is no foil at a low enough temp/sugar content to prevent a stringy outside. When I get that part right, no foil ribs are heaven.
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Old 09-20-2010, 10:16 PM   #9
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Without the foil, what holds the parkay, brown sugar and honey on the ribs?
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Old 09-20-2010, 10:22 PM   #10
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Not to mention the Williams Rib Tickler.
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Old 09-21-2010, 08:11 AM   #11
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SHB,

There are generally 2 reasons to foil:

1- You are not getting high enough heat to cook and need to augment (like putting a lid on a pan) - and/or - to speed up the cooking process.

2- The outside of your meat is becoming overdone.

IMHO- there is no "one way" to cook ribs. Yours look great, and I'd ask for seconds.

One thing: you mentioned a final addition of rub. I don't do that. I'll rub initially, but not again. Just goes to show that there are a lot of methods that will turn out good Q.

Do the experiment again and report back: it was interesting.
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Old 09-21-2010, 08:32 AM   #12
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Thanks for the comparison, always good information.
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Old 09-21-2010, 10:00 AM   #13
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You did what I'm prone to do: take bbq a little too seriously (in my wife's eyes) but then go and add a third variable, the sauce. I say it's the "third" variable since the two different slabs is a variable.

I'd suggest if you regularly sauce, then sauce both, and why not try cutting the slabs in half and cook all four halves with the two methods, foil or not. Just make sure each respective end is done differently. It might be a tad more conclusive, at least.
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Old 09-21-2010, 10:08 AM   #14
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Good post. Nice documentation. Lots of information.

I've done ribs both ways. I prefer non-foiled, but that's just me.
Do what you like. That's what counts.


Unless you're competing........then you have to do what the JUDGES want.
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Old 09-21-2010, 12:33 PM   #15
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IMHO Foil vs not foil - somewhat depends on the Smoker you're using.

When I cook on my MeadowCreek TS250 I don't really find a need to foil. I can regulate temp and moisture just fine to not need foiling for anything.

When I cook on my UDS smokers I tend to foil because I don't use a diffuser and if I cook completely unfoiled my ribs can dry out and/or get a touch crunchy.
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