Adam Perry Lang's theory on wrapping

Saiko · Jul 20, 2009

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 · Jul 20, 2009

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

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 · Jul 20, 2009

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

nmayeux · Jul 20, 2009

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 · Jul 20, 2009

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

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 · Jul 20, 2009

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

My Mom never foiled anything and she had Alzhemier's:!:

Saiko · Jul 20, 2009

nmayeux said:
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 · Jul 20, 2009

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 · Jul 20, 2009

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 · Jul 20, 2009

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

SmokeInDaEye · Jul 20, 2009

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 · Jul 20, 2009

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 · Jul 20, 2009

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 · Jul 20, 2009

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. · Jul 20, 2009

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.

ZILLA · Jul 20, 2009

I agree that a pit full of meat cooks differently than one brisket does.

Jorge · Jul 20, 2009

If he's talking, I'll make the time to listen. He's forgotten more about meat than most of us will ever know.

leanza · Jul 21, 2009

It would make sense that the humidity % would go up when you add more meat. Also seems like temps flux more, as well in, a heavily loaded cooker. If I'm cooking a lite load temps always seem more steady throughout the cook.

snoqualmiesmoker · Jul 21, 2009

Great cookbook. Got it for Father's Day!

Rick's Tropical Delight · Jul 21, 2009

foiling is boiling :biggrin:

that theory seems to make sense. it's also why smoking in a bge (or any ceramic cooker) has its advantages. small, quality batches of smoked meat in a "vertical" configuration directly over the fire. a huge smoker is going to have to burn more fuel and run more dry heat over the meat to maintain the same smoking temps over a smaller cooker.

Adam Perry Lang's theory on wrapping

is One Chatty Farker

Moderator

is One Chatty Farker

Babbling Farker

is one Smokin' Farker

is One Chatty Farker

is One Chatty Farker

somebody shut me the fark up.

is one Smokin' Farker

somebody shut me the fark up.

SmokeInDaEye

Guest

Knows what a fatty is.

Knows what a fatty is.

is Blowin Smoke!

is Blowin Smoke!

is One Chatty Farker

somebody shut me the fark up.

Babbling Farker

is one Smokin' Farker

Rick's Tropical Delight

Guest

Similar threads