Aluminum Foil In The Bradley

[Habanero Smoker]

I have used Reynolds non-stick Grill Foil in my BS in the past with no problems. This foil comes in sheets 12"x18"; is made to be placed over grill grates, and has slots cut into the foil to allow the charcoal flavor to flow thru to penetrate the food, and allow grease to flow out. The foil is thick, and the size is almost perfect to line a BS tray, and it is great for lining the trays when smoking nuts.

About a month ago I saw this product in a Dollar Store and decided to stock up. Being in a hurry I didn't notice that Reynolds change the design. Yesterday I decided to make individual meatloaves, and thought (at the time) it would be a great idea to line the tray I was using for the meatloaves with the Grill Foil. When I got the package I then noticed the change in the design. Instead of slots, the foil was now perforated with 1/8" holes.

Well for some reason I decided to use it. I lined the tray and placed the meatloaves on it. I then loaded the BS; placing a tray of pepperoni and salami on the second position from the top, and the meatloaves directly below. Hooked up the Raptor/Guru, put the meat probe in the salami, and the cabinet sensor below the meatloaves. I monitored this for the first hour or so, the cabinet temperature never got above the 210°F, and the smoke was freely coming out of the vent, no smoke was backing out of the generator.

I then started a home repair project that was in an area I could easily hear the alarm warnings from the Guru. So at this point I felt pretty confident. Well I got involve in the project and three hours latter (this is now 4 total hours of smoking/cooking), I remembered the food in the smoker. When I checked, the cabinet temperature was 210°F, and the meat probe was showing 145°F. I got my instant read thermometer to check the temps of the food. The instant read was showing that the salami (3" diameter); pepperoni (1 1/2" diameter); meatloaves (2" high); were all reading 145°F. I thought that was odd, but I left everything in.

An hour latter, the meat probe was still registering 145°F. I then stuck my instant read thermometer through the vent, and that read 148°F. I then check the thermometer gauge on the BS (something I rarely do), that was showing 150°F. I then realized that the foil was blocking the heat from circulating. Fortunately, the Guru did its job in maintaining the area beneath the foil at 210°F. If I did not have the Raptor/Guru hooked up, I may have had a disaster on my hands.

Just thought I would post this, so others would know about this potential problem. Why the smoke move freely through the BS, and the heat didn't is a mystery to me.

On the positive side; I topped the meatloaves with a chipotle raspberry sauce, and finished them off under the oven broiler. They came out great. As far as the salami and pepperoni; well that is like eating meat that is incased in a 1/8" casing of jerky. :)

[BigSmoker]

I've used the old style stuff in my Bradley many times(normally when I smoke almonds or pecans) with no adverse affects.  haven't been able to find it recently. I don't have an answer for ya thats for sure :-\.