[quote="Larry Wolfe":3r78f8ut]Brian I foil briskets and ribs because it gives me a consistent tender, moist finished product everytime. You can do this without foil as well, but I have better luck foiling them. If you have a good layer of rub that contains a good amount of sugar and salt you should have a nice bark even with foiling. Won't be as crunchy as it will without foiling, but it'll still be good. Foiling also cuts down on the time variables. Like the saying goes, "it's don when it's done", but you can get a pretty good time frame on the length of your cook as well when foiling.