Foil or No Foil? (specifically Boston Butt / smoking for pulled pork)

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To foil or not to foil, that is the question...

  • YES - it's the right way to do it

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • NO - it's an utter waste of time and effort

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • SHRUG - I've done it both ways, same diff

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0
  • Poll closed .
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That's how it works. Though I was able to convert my wife from a well done type to a medium rare type. It took some doing, but I no longer have to turn her steaks into leather.
I too converted the wife to med rare from well done.  It was a process!  She used to hate pulled pork, but now she loves it if I pile it up on a skillet, add some sauce and cover the pile to brown/steam.  Put that on a roll with some cole slaw and she thinks it's wonderful.  A work in progress.

Mike
 
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I too converted the wife to med rare from well done.  It was a process!  She used to hate pulled pork, but now she loves it if I pile it up on a skillet, add some sauce and cover the pile to brown/steam.  Put that on a roll with some cole slaw and she thinks it's wonderful.  A work in progress.

Mike
Marriage is a lifetime of compromises that your heart tells you to do.... It appears you have a very successful one! b

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My reason for not using foil is pretty simple....I'm a lazy smoker and since there is no real need to foil I don't. Especially butts and packers.....put it on at night and it's done by the time I get moving in the morning......which is usually pretty late 'cause the weekends are for sleeping in as far as I'm concerned! 
 
I used to never foil but the last one I did to help get it through the stall. My wife really raved about the moistness and said she thinks I foil from now on soooo
 
I've only made one pulled pork and I didn't foil it and got really bitter bark. Had to toss the bark no saving it. I'm planning on making my next one in foil.
 
I've only made one pulled pork and I didn't foil it and got really bitter bark. Had to toss the bark no saving it. I'm planning on making my next one in foil.
No foil should give you thicker Bark, but not Bitter Bark.

Sounds like your smoke was too heavy.  A nice light smoke for many hours is Great, but a Thick Heavy Smoke is bad even for a short time.

Bear
 
One of the best ones I ever did, I covered in Kosher salt, smoked with red oak in a side firebox smoker for 4 hours, then foiled and finished in my electric ECB overnight. Both smokers never went above 250. The butt was 8-9lbs and spent about 12-13 hours cooking total. It came out perfect.
 
LOL----I Love to see this!!

Looking at the current results of the Poll Votes, we can see there is no right way or wrong way. to smoke a Butt.

At this time we have:

Foil your Butt----------------8

No Foil------------------------7

Doesn't matter--------------6

Kinda hard to get much closer than that.

So this proves---Everybody is Right !!
icon14.gif


Bear
 
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LOL----I Love to see this!!

Looking at the current results of the Poll Votes, we can see there is no right way or wrong way. to smoke a Butt.

At this time we have:

Foil your Butt----------------8

No Foil------------------------7

Doesn't matter--------------6

Kinda hard to get much closer than that.

So this proves---Everybody is Right !!
icon14.gif


Bear
IDK Bear you are being pretty optimistic. Maybe everybody is wrong!?!?!?
 
My way is right. Everyone else's butt is just a variation of my rightness? Or maybe I'm wrong about being right. Whatever, it just doesn't matter.
 
I personally don't foil, but that's just me ! Maybe one day I'll give the foil a try ! But agree with what has been said up above on no right or wrong way ! I'd just add, find the way YOU & YOUR FAM like the Q ! Then it's the right way for you !
 
Why can't you do both?  Put it on the smoker till about 160. Foil it to help get it through the stall.  Then unwrap it at about 180 till done to harden up the bark a little.....if you don't want a soft bark.
 
 
Why can't you do both?  Put it on the smoker till about 160. Foil it to help get it through the stall.  Then unwrap it at about 180 till done to harden up the bark a little.....if you don't want a soft bark.
Absolutely!!

I've done similar to that & it's Great too!!

More than one way to skin a cat or smoke a Butt.

Bear
 
OK  here is my secret !!   I smoke un-foiled for about 6-7 hours, then wrap for another 4 -5 the un-wrap to finish and firm up the bark.   Sometimes I don't wrap at all,  Depend's on the mood I'm in.

Mostly the foil helps speed up the cooking.  I like a good bark, because when you pull it and mix it up that is where you are going to get Most of your flavor.

So I Foil, I don't Foil     just flip a coin   works great both ways  , Anyway for Me.

Gary 
 
Follow up to my earlier post.   I like good bark, not crunchy or to dry, that is why most of the time I do the no foil, foil, then un-foil method  I have smoked hundreds of butts and is pretty much second nature, They turn out exactly Like We Like Them. so you decide, do some both ways see which one you like best. everybody's taste is a little different. When I do ribs I do them 3 different ways to please everybody.

And by the way, when you foil, save that juice and mix some in when you pull. 

Gary
 
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