Wall-to-wall BBQ shows this past week on Food TV. I enjoyed watching and
would love to be able to give up working and just cook BBQ all summer
(never going to happen 8-)

Anyways, I noticed that more than a few of the cooking teams used foil
on the meat during their competitions. As a matter of fact, a winning
person said her cooking method was 2 hours cooking without then 2 hours
with foil. (And then lots of sauce to boot).

Is this just an aberation of competition BBQing? Most of the folks here
seem to be against foiling the meat while cooking (maybe just wrapping
up after cooking to keep warm). Is this some defect in BBQ judging that
requires overly tender meat and very saucy?

"SpikeDad" wrote in message
...
Anyways, I noticed that more than a few of the cooking teams used foil
on the meat during their competitions. As a matter of fact, a winning
person said her cooking method was 2 hours cooking without then 2 hours
with foil. (And then lots of sauce to boot).

Is this just an aberation of competition BBQing? Most of the folks here
seem to be against foiling the meat while cooking (maybe just wrapping
up after cooking to keep warm). Is this some defect in BBQ judging that
requires overly tender meat and very saucy?

All a matter of preference, no "one" best way to do it.

Personally I'm against foil since if I wanted to steam my meat I can think
of better ways to do it then put it in foil in my smoker. My thought is that
foil is merely an accelerative in that the meat sits in juice and steam and
thus cooks more rapidly then if it were simply bathed in hot smokey air.
Actually in tat regard it's a combination of braising and steaming ... but
definitely not smoking.

But in the end if you achieve your goals then more power to ya.

SpikeDad wrote:

Anyways, I noticed that more than a few of the cooking teams used foil
on the meat during their competitions. As a matter of fact, a winning
person said her cooking method was 2 hours cooking without then 2 hours
with foil. (And then lots of sauce to boot).

I assume you're talking about ribs...

Google for something called the 3-2-1 method. It basically 3 hours
of no foil, 2 hours with foil, 1 hour without. I don't use it (or much
like it) so I won't expound further. The ideal in BBQ is to never use
foil for anything other than holding after cooking. Keep pursuing
that ideal and you'll find your cooking skills are improving along
with it.

Is this just an aberation of competition BBQing? Most of the folks here
seem to be against foiling the meat while cooking (maybe just wrapping
up after cooking to keep warm). Is this some defect in BBQ judging that
requires overly tender meat and very saucy?

One of the good things AFB is that there's not much discussion of
competition techniques. A lot of the stuff competition judges look for is
rather arbitrary, bordering on silly (no bubbles in the sauce, etc),
so it's not really info I'm looking for.

If you are interested in competition cooking here's a great forum

http://www.rbjb.com/rbjb/rbjbboard/

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

Jason in Dallas wrote:

Personally I'm against foil since if I wanted to steam my meat I can
think of better ways to do it then put it in foil in my smoker. My
thought is that foil is merely an accelerative in that the meat sits
in juice and steam and thus cooks more rapidly then if it were simply
bathed in hot smokey air. Actually in tat regard it's a combination
of braising and steaming ... but definitely not smoking.

But in the end if you achieve your goals then more power to ya.

What Jason said...
Dave

Dave Bugg wrote:
Jason in Dallas wrote:

Personally I'm against foil since if I wanted to steam my meat I can
think of better ways to do it then put it in foil in my smoker. My
thought is that foil is merely an accelerative in that the meat sits
in juice and steam and thus cooks more rapidly then if it were simply
bathed in hot smokey air. Actually in tat regard it's a combination
of braising and steaming ... but definitely not smoking.

But in the end if you achieve your goals then more power to ya.

What Jason said...
Dave

Ditto

BOB

BOB wrote in alt.food.barbecue


Jason in Dallas wrote:

Personally I'm against foil since if I wanted to steam my meat I can
think of better ways to do it then put it in foil in my smoker.


What Jason said...
Dave

Ditto

BOB

Double ditto. Nya, Nya

--
BigDog
To E-mail me, you know what to do.

In article , BigDog
wrote:

BOB wrote in alt.food.barbecue


Jason in Dallas wrote:

Personally I'm against foil since if I wanted to steam my meat I can
think of better ways to do it then put it in foil in my smoker.


What Jason said...
Dave

Ditto

BOB

Double ditto. Nya, Nya

Triple trips megadittles in spades guys-neener neener neener

monroe(should we Xpost this to the rushlimbaugh NGs?)

Dave Bugg wrote:

Jason in Dallas wrote:

Personally I'm against foil since if I wanted to steam my meat I can
think of better ways to do it then put it in foil in my smoker. My
thought is that foil is merely an accelerative in that the meat sits
in juice and steam and thus cooks more rapidly then if it were simply
bathed in hot smokey air. Actually in tat regard it's a combination
of braising and steaming ... but definitely not smoking.

But in the end if you achieve your goals then more power to ya.

What Jason said...
Dave


Don't you guys claim the Ks produce superior results due to the greater
moisture retention? I guess mopping/spraying doesn't cause a steaming or
poaching effect either.

Why then is it bad to wrap the meat after the surface moisture is long
gone (and bark developed)? After you have gotten the maximum smoke
penetration all you have left is bring the rest of the meat/bones up to
temperature and soften the bark before glazing. If you like your ribs
to be crunchy or resemble jerky in texture then foil is not for you.

-CAL (doppler radar has picked up the echo of a shit storm coming)

cl wrote:

Don't you guys claim the Ks produce superior results due to the greater
moisture retention?

If it's *maximum* moisture retention you're after then you'll want to
poach your meat, not Q it. *Maximum* moisture retention in not one
of my criteria. Life's a tradeoff.

I guess mopping/spraying doesn't cause a steaming or
poaching effect either.

Who cares? You make it sound like everyone mops. Not true. The minimal
effect it may have is far outweighed by the amount of cooking time it
adds.

Why then is it bad to wrap the meat after the surface moisture is long
gone (and bark developed)? After you have gotten the maximum smoke
penetration all you have left is bring the rest of the meat/bones up to
temperature and soften the bark before glazing.

It's a myth that meat does not take up smoke above a particular
temperature (frequently cited as 140 F). If something is repeated
often enough some will mistakenly accept it as established fact.

If you like your ribs to be crunchy or resemble jerky in texture
then foil is not for you.

It's quite simple to cook meat low and slow without foil and not dry
it out. Just because you haven't figured out how to do it doesn't mean
it can't be done.

-CAL (doppler radar has picked up the echo of a shit storm coming)

yawn

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

Reg wrote:

cl wrote:

If you like your ribs to be crunchy or resemble jerky in texture
then foil is not for you.

It's quite simple to cook meat low and slow without foil and not dry
it out. Just because you haven't figured out how to do it doesn't mean
it can't be done.

yawn

Sure it can be done but:

1) The outside texture is different with foil vs no foil (foil will
always be softer)
2) I never said that your ribs would be dry, just a different texture
3) I don't foil my ribs so you are speaking out of your ass. I actally
like a little 'meat' to my ribs

so Reg go back to sleep now.

-CAL

Steve Wertz wrote:

On Tue, 08 Jun 2004 14:29:16 GMT, cl
wrote:

cl wrote:

If you like your ribs to be crunchy or resemble jerky in texture
then foil is not for you.

2) I never said that your ribs would be dry, just a different texture

"crunchy" or "jerky" don't describe dry?

Only the crust or do you consider meat with a good bark dry?
This is the outside texture I'm discussing, not the complete slab thru
and thru.

-CAL

Reg wrote:
The ideal in BBQ is to never use foil for anything other than
holding after cooking.

But:
1) If the O.P. is correct that most competition BBQers do it
and
2) _Most_ competition BBQers, at least in the big events,
are better cooks than _most_ home BBQers
then
Why do they do it?


A lot of the stuff competition judges look for is rather arbitrary,
bordering on silly (no bubbles in the sauce, etc)

I'm skeptical of that _as a generalized statement_ as you have made it.

Can you find some competition somewhere where some of the judges
have some oddball crierteria? Sure. "Local" events, sure.

But in big events where there is prize money involved, not common.

Steve Wertz wrote:

On Tue, 08 Jun 2004 15:21:11 GMT, cl
wrote:

Steve Wertz wrote:

On Tue, 08 Jun 2004 14:29:16 GMT, cl
wrote:

cl wrote:

If you like your ribs to be crunchy or resemble jerky in texture
then foil is not for you.

2) I never said that your ribs would be dry, just a different texture

"crunchy" or "jerky" don't describe dry?

Only the crust or do you consider meat with a good bark dry?
This is the outside texture I'm discussing, not the complete slab thru
and thru.

Doesn't matter which part you were describing in this context.
You could apply your comments to a pair of hiking boots and you
still would contradicted yourself.

You seem to have a problem connecting your words with what you
actually mean.

-sw

Your rhetoric is a perfect example of trolling. How sad it is for you to
need an excuse for someone to acknowledge you. This statement is pretty
accurate: "Anybody who's depressed needs to stop buy Usenet and see the
pathetic lives other people live." Thanks for showing giving us insight
on your pathetic life. PS nice usage of the word "buy".



Ok onto business:

Steven, your the only one with a problem as Dry and crunchy are not
analougous.

In your ignorance you incorrectly made the connection between "crunchy
or resemble jerky in texture" and dry. The word dry wasn't even
mentioned in the initial post that Reg replied to yet in your folly you
decided to conjure up that truth. In no way is there an inconsitancy in
the statement "If you like your ribs to be crunchy or resemble jerky in
texture then foil is not for you"

I guess you would also confuse Creme Brulee with being dry because of
the surface texture being 'crunchy'. Then again you must have skipped
the period of childhood development when abstract thought is developed
and discrete is replaced by the fuzzy.

Get a clue and a life dude. (I'm wishing for alot there I know ... but I
have a little hope)

-CAL

ll wrote:
Reg wrote:

The ideal in BBQ is to never use foil for anything other than
holding after cooking.


But:
1) If the O.P. is correct that most competition BBQers do it
and
2) _Most_ competition BBQers, at least in the big events,
are better cooks than _most_ home BBQers
then
Why do they do it?

I would disagree with the second statement. At the competitions I have
attended, I have not been impressed wtih the quality of the BBQ from the
competitors. I've been able to produce far superior food to the
often-times slimey (from being steamed rather than smoked), over-sauced
meats available from those who are proclaimed as "best".

Beth


--
The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or
cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men
who can dream of things that never were. --John F. Kennedy
our home page: http://www.IsleOfSky.net

Steve Wertz wrote:

yawn

Wow, Chris, You sure told me. I'm gonna have to go lay down and
think about your post, while and reconsidering my whole existence.

Thank you for your insight. I will treasure it like all the other
kook-wisdom I've received over the years.

-sw


And which voice in your head is Chris? Just another example of your
ability to make up stuff.


-CAL