My uncle swore by aluminum foil under charcoal, ruined a whole brisket

My uncle Earl comes over for my Fourth of July cook every year, always critiquing everything. Last summer he insisted I line my Weber kettle with heavy duty foil before dumping the briquettes in. Said it would direct heat better and make cleanup a snap. I followed his advice to the letter, fired up the grill, and put on a 14 pound brisket I had dry brined for 24 hours. About two hours in I noticed the smoke looked weird and thin, then the temp gauge shot way past 300 degrees because the foil stopped air from flowing under the coals. The brisket came out dry as sawdust on one end and raw on the other, I had to pick up a rack of ribs from a local shop for the party. Has anyone else had a well-meaning relative share a tip that just does not work on standard gear?

3 comments

3 Comments

spencerl321mo ago

Uncle Earl owes you a brisket... foil under coals is just asking for trouble.

casey_barnes1mo ago

Told my dad the same trick was garbage. Foil blocks the airflow every time. Your coals need oxygen to burn right. Dry brisket hurts my soul just thinking about it.

mason7981mo ago

Feel you on that dry brisket thing, man. I watched my buddy ruin a whole packer last summer with this exact setup (he thought he was being clever) and it was just sad when we cut into it. All that work and money just to get shoe leather on the inside. You gotta let those coals breathe, otherwise you're basically smothering your fire before it even gets going. Solidarity from a guy who's seen way too many good meats go bad from bad airflow choices.