Some folks will tell you that you should never use aluminum foil on your grill. Others say that they almost always use aluminum foil to BBQ.
When some folks say that grilling with aluminum foil isn’t natural and that all of your grilled food should have direct contact with your grill’s grates, remember that aluminum foil, like you grill’s grates, is made of metal. Indoors, we cook our food in direct contact with pans made of cast iron, copper, aluminum, and steel. We can use the same materials outside at our grill as we do inside.
The truth is that aluminum foil is a very convenient gas grill accessory, but it’s neither a cure-all nor an essential. Aluminum foil is one more grilling tool to keep in your BBQ toolbox. Aluminum foil can be used to cook food on it or wrapped inside it. Foil can also serve as a drip pan and heat deflector.
Vegetables cook best when wrapped in foil. Foil holds in natural liquids, and foods cook moist and tenderly.
Delicate foods like fish fillets and seafood can be cooked on foil placed directly on your grill’s grates. When spit-cooking foods of uneven shape, smaller parts that may cook too fast, can be wrapped in foil so they cook more slowly.
Foil is also great to use when cleaning your gas grill. For stubborn grease or sauce build-up that is not removed during your normal cleaning process, place a sheet of aluminum foil across your grill grates or grids. With the lid open, turn the control to HIGH and ignite, close lid. After about 25 minutes the residue will be reduced to a white powder, which is easily brushed or wiped off after the grill has cooled.