I truly believe it is genetically impossible for two men to stand in close proximity to each other while one of them is cooking at a grill, campfire or smoker. Think about it, it always drives the guy not cooking nuts because the other person is doing it "wrong". Sometimes "wrong" is just different but I think foil is wrong. If you take offense to the following you need to seek professional help, I am just trying to make a point from my perspective.
So I do kinda have a strong opinion on foil. I believe it is fantastic for after the cooking is complete. But my opinion is foil does not belong on food in a smoker while it's cooking. The entire point of having a smoker is to taste SMOKE. Yes your beloved foil will trap moisture in and around your meat, but it blocks ALL smoke from getting to the meat.
COMMON ARGUMENTS AND ANSWERS
"I need to keep everything moist!" - Use brine's, a flavor-savor attachment or a water/juice pan in the bottom of the smoker. If your using a drafty smoker of another brand make a flavorful "mop" and splash it on when you adjust your fire.
"It makes clean up easier!" - Yes it does that's why it goes on the BOTTOM of the smoker.
""This is how I have always done it!" - Seriously? You sound stupid, don't repeat that again.
"I like smoke but just not a lot of it" - yea pretty complex problem, try using LESS wood.
"I always foil and do the 5-2-2 or the 3-2-1" - Truly I do not know what you are talking about with this stuff, I just made those numbers up, that's how little attention I pay to it. All that stuff sounds like work. Work is not something I enjoy. Work interrupts my lounging and beer drinking while watching beautiful smoke curls coming out of my #3. It's an SI Smoker, flavor the meat, add moisture in the SMOKER, then shut the door. Your food will be juicy and flavorful, really it will.
"I wrap the cooked meat in foil and keep it in my smoker set on 100 to keep it warm, because my friends are always late" This is an acceptable excuse to foil meat in a smoker What is unacceptable, is either our friends suck or your Q is not as good as you think. Perhaps they are stopping for a burger on the way to your house.
Have you not been hit in the face with a burst of steam and smoke when up open your SI smoker? Yea that's your wake-up slap to loose the foil, IT'S MOIST IN THERE!
Foil is for the leftovers to keep the flies off and hide food from your mooching neighbor.
*The above listed opinions are that of the writer and not of Smokin-It or any Smokin-It representative. The use of "man or guy" is not meant as a sexist reference, the writer understands women do cook. The writer further understands that some readers may have their feelings hurt but has little empathy for their lack of a sense of humor.
