is aluminum foil advisable for cooking meat inside barbeque pits?

Question

is there any toxic **** that can get in the meat from the foil?

Answer 1

Yes, they work great! Also good to use on grilling vegetables. May not be too good on tomatoes and other acidic foods since it might change the taste of the food.

Answer 2

The purist answer is no. Not being a purist, I'll give you my take.

If you're going to foil meat in a pit, it needs to be done once you know you've got a good smoke ring and good bark (the crunchy outer layer). When and where that point is depends a lot on your own personal taste, i.e. How much smoke flavor do you like, do you like a lot of bark, a little? Keep in mind that foiling *will* cause that nice crunchy bark to soften up, as the meat will be steaming inside the foil.

I cook on a Webber Smokey Mountain, and don't foil any of my long cooks. The recommendations that I've heard are around 160 F internal for brisket, 140-150 F for pork butt/shoulder/picnic. Never heard of anyone foiling ribs, though I suppose it could be done.

My routine is to pull the meat off the pit when it's done (190-200 for pork, fork tender for brisket), wrap it in a couple of layers of saran wrap, then wrap it in foil. Finally, wrap it in an old towel, and place it in a cooler for a couple of hours. No complaints so far.

Answer 3

most definitely, you can also put a little marinade in the foil and the meat will absorb it up and it stays juicy. Try putting some wrapped potatos in the pit too.

Answer 4

Yes, I find it is the best way to cook meat in a BBQ pit.