Tin foil

Why is barbecuing various items in a sealed tin foil container considered barbecuing?

Egon. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

And in spite of calling it "tin foil", it's usually (if not always) aluminum foil. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

Aluminum foil it is! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Egon

Egon, "barbecue" means different things to different people. The Merriam-Webster dictionary says:
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1 : to roast or broil on a rack or revolving spit over or before a source of heat (as hot coals)
2 : to cook in a highly seasoned vinegar sauce

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Us Texans "barbecue" all kinds of stuff, but I think, in Texas, when you think of barbecue, you first think of beef brisket, while in the southeast part of the country, they usually think of pork.

Some foods, regardless of whether "barbecued" or not, need moist heat to cook properly; beef brisket being one of those things. Some folks, such as my next door neighbor, put a brisket in the smoker for a couple of hours, then wrap it in aluminum foil and put it back for several more hours. That works quite well. I get the same result by putting mine in the smoker a couple of hours, then putting it in a roasting pan with lid in the oven in the house to finish cooking it.

You can do the entire cooking on a rack in a smoker if the temperature is kept low enough long enough, but you risk drying it out and making it tough. Of course, even a little bit tough may not be noticeable if you slice it thin enough across grain.

At any rate, the simple answer to your question (I always did talk too much) is that the food is wrapped in foil to keep it from drying out too much.

Bird said, "(I always did talk too much)", yet another strong parallel in our lives.

Egon, I have had the same questiion in my mind off and on for years. If the heat is the same and the food is wrapped in foil (I try to say foil rather than a longer name as there is a good chance I will show my age and say tin foil, or icebox, or... a host of other anachronistic terms, some learned from my parents and not directly in my personal experience) then the results should be the same.

In most Chinese cooking (DIY, not in China) papered chicken or papered beef is not prepared with paper any more it is wrapped in foil.

Papered beef or chicken: trim the fat and put moderately generous mouth full size pieces of meat on a piece of foil. Wet it well with soy sauce (I use reduced sodium type lately) wrap and seal it and put in fairly strong radiant heat such as broiler, charcoal grill or... Chicken firms up when it cooks so make a couple extra to open tentatively after they firm up to test doneness. If you are careful you can reseal for more time if needed.

With beef either slice really thin or use tender cut of meat, or other technique to avoid a tough chew. Soaking relatively think slices of beef in pineapple juice tenderizes it and gives a good flavor. I use 2-3 think slices in a packet. These are unwrapped when barely cool enough to handle and eaten as finger food (each makes 1..3 bites, typically.)

Variations on spices and flavorings to augment or replace the soy sauce run the gamut of your imagination. Lemon zest and juice on chicken, BBQ sauce on either chicken or beef or whatever. I have even made a big pile of these in beef, chicken, and fish with various spice and flavorings for each type. Put a heap of these in front of some eager eaters and it is like watching kids at an Easter egg hunt and Christmas morning all at the same time. Add sides and call it a feast.

I personally suggest that BBQ sauce with tomato in it NOT be used over direct heat. The tomato breaks down badly and you can get an "off taste." I like tomato in my BBQ as well as the next 'un but it should be applied after the meat is removed from the fire or immediately before and certainly after the meat is turned for the last time.

Egon, barbecued and grilled tend to be mushed together as concepts. What is grilled food to one is called BBQ'ed by another. What the heck. Lets give the poor ignorant unwashed the benefit of our gentle nature and let then call it anything so long as we are invited, it tastes good, and we get plenty.

Pat