Thoughts on Foiling Butts

[Mitch]

I do to speed things up and keep the bark from being too black/crusty.

[Wampus]

I like this thread. I've wondered the same thing in recent butt smokes.

When I started out a couple of summers ago, I always foiled about 1/2 way through or when the bark was JUST starting to darken. Loved em.

Then over the last year, I started just letting them go, but basted/spritzed them. Loved that too. Nice bark, moisture, etc.

In the two most recent butt smokes, I just let them go and didn't spritz, didn't baste, only flipped once about 1/2 way through. Actually ended up with the prettiest mahagony bark color I've ever had, but the meat seemed dryer. Different rub on these last 2 though, and they were picnics, not butts.

Here I thought I was figuring out it was just impossible to NOT book a great shoulder and it turns out I just need to keep practicing.



......SHUCKS!



Didn't really answer any questions I know.....but I'll keep reading the other replies.

[YokeUp]

hey, total rookie here and headed to my first KCBS in May, so this was helpful.. I've been taught that more than 4 hours will put a bitter taste into the bark, so in my practice sessions, I always foil and it comes out very tender... I am also planning on re-barking for 30 minutes before pulling to box... we'll see how it all turns out, but thanks for all the input.

[Cook]

Originally Posted by YokeUp

I've been taught that more than 4 hours will put a bitter taste into the bark

It never ceases to amaze me the amount of misinformation out there. More than 4 hours of smoke WILL NOT make your bark bitter. Who in the heck taught you that? Let me guess...someone who had no "real" clue as to what they are doing. The type of smoke you are getting might make for a bitter taste, but what you have been taught is a complete fallacy. You can cook a brisket for 20-24 hours in the proper smoke and it will not be bitter. To be honest, I've never smoked anything I consider bitter...to include 12-14 hour butts.

Foiling will indeed yield moist meat...the moisture has no where to go. It ends up being steamed and steamed food tends to be inherently moist. But exactly how much moisture is enough? I won't argue the use of foil...just that it isn't necessary to have moist, flavorful bbq.

[mikeTRON]

Very interesting to say the least.

What do you guys think about having a water pan in the smoker vs no water pan?

I smoked some ribs the other day without a water in my waterpan (used foil balls instead) and the ribs turned out a bit dry... thoughts?

Also I have only foiled ONCE and it was to speed things along for an earlier than expected dinner. The ribs I foiled were the most moist I had ever had, BUT I also glazed the ribs for the first time so I am not sure what to think O_o

[NorthwestBBQ]

I say, "Do it Til You're Satisfied."

YouTube - B.T. Express - Do It 'Til You're Satisfied (Long Version)

Actually, it get's the meat through the stall faster. It's a must in competition.

[Bama Q]

I'm a fan of foiling the butts, It's the way I was taught, Moist and juicy, tender, I do believe in letting the butts rest after cooking.

[Wampus]

Originally Posted by YokeUp

hey, total rookie here and headed to my first KCBS in May, so this was helpful.. I've been taught that more than 4 hours will put a bitter taste into the bark, so in my practice sessions, I always foil and it comes out very tender... I am also planning on re-barking for 30 minutes before pulling to box... we'll see how it all turns out, but thanks for all the input.

I do have to agre with Cook on this one.
4 hours in BAD SMOKE will sure make the meat taste bitter, but not good smoke. I'm no expert, but WAY too many people doing briskets and butts for 10-12+ hours with no foil and great results to believe this.

Plus, the bitter taste and tenderness (at least to me) don't necessarily have anything to do with one another.


You may have gotten some bad intel.

[Q-Dat]

I foil butts to get the fat and juices to render out so that I can pour it back into the meat after pulling.

[Stoke&Smoke]

FWIW, I never foil them, except once they're done before tossing in the carlisle for a rest. Could your "burnt" bark be cased by the type of sugar in your rub? I like using turbinado, no issues with black, bitter bark. I believe it tolerates a higher temp than white or brown

[jas25120]

Perhaps a dumb question, but are you simply foiling or are you placing the butts in an oven bag, and then foiling?

[hamiltont]

Originally Posted by jas25120

Perhaps a dumb question, but are you simply foiling or are you placing the butts in an oven bag, and then foiling?

When I foil (50/50) I just put the butt in the foil with some AJ & seal it up the best I can. Cheers!!!

[Lake Dogs]

I think a lot of the results of no foil has as much to do with the type of smoker you're using, and frankly how well it's being used. Any smoker billowing white smoke would suck ala. grande. Lets assume sweet blue most of the time.

I know from ours, and some of this is personal taste, that in the Lang (reverse flow offset smoker) using hickory and/or oak (which even sweet blue puts a very strong flavor on the meat) we've found that on smoke for more than 5 hours only darkens the meat and it begins to taste over-smoked and a tendency to be bitter. This
would be on beef and pork. For ribs we foil at the 1.5 hour mark not because of darkness of the bark but because of that much hickory smoke, to me, just becomes consuming and you no longer taste the meat flavor (ala. it no longer enhances the meat flavor but becomes the dominant flavor).

Each smoker will vary, the variance can be quite great. So can the type of pellets you use in a pellet smoker, etc.

Some smokers, always sweet blue the whole way, and thinner smoke at that (thinner than you'd get on average with a stick burner [where the logs aren't pre-burned to coals]) can go much longer on straight smoke maintain that nice mahogany color and not get black and/or bitter.

However, I did read somewhere (a few years back) about the science of meat, and smoke, and how much it can "take in". After some time the smoke flavors only accumulate on the outside (per this stuff). I'm not a scientist, but the point I came away with is that after 4-6 hours there's no reason to keep the smoke going....

[deepsouth]

Originally Posted by Groundhog66

I am such a rookie, I have never injected anything I have smoked.

me either..... oh wait, a ham one time. that was an experience. stuff shooting out all over the place!

on butts.... i don't trim, fat cap down. foil after i pull them off and put them in a cooler for a couple hours. i've always found the meat to be very juicy and full of flavor and have never gotten too much bark or bark that was too hard/unedible.

[WineMaster]

Originally Posted by Q-Dat

I foil butts to get the fat and juices to render out so that I can pour it back into the meat after pulling.

Bingo