Glitchy started a thread in the Memphis sub-forum, and since Memphis has a different drip tray design than Blaz'n and most other manufacturers, I thought I'd ask the question here.

I've been running my Grid Iron pretty heavily for the past 6 months and have been diligent about foiling the drip tray.  I've been strongly considering ditching the foil and scraping when necessary.  What's your experience regarding this?

nope....i used to on my first pellet grill the traeger...then determined it was too much of a pain to foil and unfoil and the cost of it was unnecessary

i scrape and vacuum periodically

I may be off topic here as this is a Blaz'n question. I can only suggest you try it sans foil.

I have a bottom of the line Traeger that's 4 years old.  I started by foiling as the roll fit perfectly 'inside' the pan.
The result was that grease still escaped the outer edges, and I still had to scrape.

When I went to foiling around the edges, I had to overlap the foil to complete the coverage. I still got grease on the pan, and the temp control was compromised. I went from 80 deg swings to 120. And I still had to scrape. 3 and out. No foil for me.

It's up to you.
 

I have been foiling my drip tray. Honestly I don't think it makes a difference one way or the other.

The only problem I ever had with using foil was, depending on the unit, it could cause performance issues!

The only problem I ever had with using foil was, depending on the unit, it could cause performance issues!

What performance issues does foiling cause?

I had trouble with temperature control when I did it on some of the units that were Performance Tested...

That's interesting.  I have a big temperature difference between the left and right sides of the cooker.  Foil can't affect that, can it?

That's interesting.  I have a big temperature difference between the left and right sides of the cooker.  Foil can't affect that, can it?

Try it and report back.

I have to concur with Bobitis...It was hit and miss from unit to unit, so I just stopped doing it to give the Manufactures a fair shake!

I have had Members tell me over the years that shiny side up or down can make a difference in performance!

When we picked up the GS from the factory they told us to foil. I have done it since day one. So far I have not noticed any temp swings, I use a Smoke to monitor pit temps. When I do a cleaning I will put 4-5 layers on the drip pan, when I need a clean one I just remove the top layer. The commercial aluminum foil from Sam’s is thick and wide enough to wrap around the sides, no problems at all with grease getting under it. Reynolds brand is a different story, it’s thinner and not as wide, always had grease under it.   

I foil, easy cleanup, no grease under the foil. I use the HD foil from costco. I've checked the temperatures with the smoke and no difference with foil or no foil. I make sure the foil is wrapped around the right side and tucked in so i have no air restrictions.

Like some I haven't notice any difference in performance with or without foil on my Grid Iron.

I use the heavy duty foil and fold it tight to the drip tray.  I don't expect there to be a difference, but I'll skip the foil on my meatloaf cook today and monitor the temps.

I already had fresh foil on the drip tray so the meatloaf is cooking over foil.  When the foil comes off, I'll do another biscuit test and report back.