Pink butcher paper is all the rage in the barbeque world. It’s knocking popular tools such as foil out of the window.
BBQ experts are sticklers when it comes to using quality meats, maximizing smoky flavor and tools.
Who knew a pink butcher paper would put all of those essential parts of barbequing on the back burner.
BBQ is a pricey pastime. What’s so special about pink butcher paper that it’s highly sought after? Read on to find out.
Contents
- What Is Pink Butcher Paper?
- What Is Pink Butcher Paper For?
- Why Is Peach Paper So Popular?
- What Is the Difference Between Regular Butcher Paper and Pink Butcher Paper?
- When Do You Use Peach Paper?
- Why Use Butcher Paper Instead of Foil?
- Which Foods Should Can You Use Peach Butcher Paper When Smoking?
- Tips for Choosing Butcher Paper
- Final Thoughts
What Is Pink Butcher Paper?
Ever noticed how the butcher at your local meat market or grocery store wrap cuts of meat with paper.
The butcher uses pink butcher paper to wrap your meats.
Pink butcher paper, commonly known as peach paper, should not be confused with freezer paper, white butcher paper, or parchment paper.
These papers consist of different materials.
Dissimilar to white butcher paper, peach paper is unbleached, manufactured from pure pulp, FDA certified, and 100% food grade. White butcher paper.
Freezer paper is manufactured with a plastic coating on one side and is not compatible with high temperatures.
Parchment paper is glazed with silicone. Parchment paper can be bleached or unbleached, is nonstick, heat-poof, and waterproof.
What Is Pink Butcher Paper For?
Pink butcher paper or peach paper should simply be called BBQ paper.
It is used to wrap meat such as briskets that are prepared in a smoker.
Foil is non-porous. It creates a cloud of steam within the package ruining the crispy bark of the meat by turning it into a soggy mess.
Why Is Peach Paper So Popular?
Thanks to the legendary James Beard award-winning brisket guru Mr. Aaron Franklin’s influence, pink butcher paper has exploded.
Franklins’ restaurant is a popular phenomenon with a wait of 5 hours just to get in the door.
Franklin wraps his prepared briskets in butcher paper during service hours which is a trick he acquired from John Muller.
The brisket secret was passed down to Muller from his father, Bobby, of Louie Mueller Barbecue fame.
Franklin and his BBQ shack rose to fame when he began using peach paper instead of its counterpart.
This, of course, sparked curiosity in BBQ enthusiasts around the world and led to the popularity of pink butcher paper.
What Is the Difference Between Regular Butcher Paper and Pink Butcher Paper?
As we have stated earlier, many white butcher paper brands have wax coatings on one side.
We would advise against wrapping cooked meat with white butcher paper because you won’t be able to return it back to the smoker.
Pink butcher paper allows you to wrap cooked meat and place it back into the smoker.
Therefore, it is more cost-effective than butcher paper.
When Do You Use Peach Paper?
Peach paper is best for is the perfect alternative to aluminum foil.
BBQ enthusiasts use pink butcher paper to wrap meats such as briskets to seal in the moisture that is lost during the final hours or minutes of cooking.
Pink butcher paper is the way to go if you want your brisket tender and juicy.
Peach butcher paper can also be used for a technique known as a Texas Crutch.
This is where the meat is wrapped to prohibit a process called the BBQ stall from occurring.
The BBQ stall happens when smoking a large chunk of meat such as brisket is cooked at low temperatures for long periods.
The inside of the meat will peak at temperatures between 150°F-170°F and then plateau for up to a few hours.
The BBQ stall is a direct result of the moisture evaporating from the surface of the meat. Thus, pink meat prevents this process from occurring.
Furthermore, if you are pressed for time and need to cook brisket in a hurry, pink butcher paper will shorten the cooking time.
Wrapping your meat can also reduce the rate at which the bark develops on the meat’s exterior.
This neat trick works particularly well if you cook your meat too fast and the crust looks like it’s starting to burn.
However, if you wrap your meat too early, you risk preventing the bark from forming.
Why Use Butcher Paper Instead of Foil?
The main reason that peach paper had gained favoritism among BBQ enthusiasts is that it has several benefits that make aluminum foil irrelevant.
Encasing the meat in foil produces a temperature-resistant airtight package that results in an overproduction of steam.
Once too much steam is produced, there is nothing you can do to prevent the crispy bark from morphing into a sodden, texture-less brisket.
Unlike foil, peach paper is non-heat reflective.
Peach butcher paper can never be wrapped too tightly because it has a looser texture than foil paper.
Hence, you cook your meat without any worry that it will result in an over-saturated mess.
Which Foods Should Can You Use Peach Butcher Paper When Smoking?
You can wrap any smoker-friendly foods in peach butcher pepper.
Brisket is one of the more popular cuts of meat that is wrapped in peach paper.
However, there’s no reason why you cannot experiment with other foods.
Meats such as beef, pork, and ribs are the perfect foods to smoke packaged in butcher paper.
Additionally, cuts such as chuck roast or beef back ribs, pork butt pork ribs can be wrapped in butcher paper.
Tips for Choosing Butcher Paper
When purchasing butcher paper, ensure you are using food-grade paper.
The American FDA oversees the approval of certain papers for papers that can or cannot come into contact with food.
While you can use a cheaper paper than craft, you do not know what materials the paper is composed of.
Essentially you would be exposing your food to potentially dangerous chemicals.
Food grade does not mean that the paper is safe to use in a smoker. For example, freezer paper is a food-grade material.
However, it is manufactured with a wax coating of polyethylene plastic that melts at a temperature of 180°F.
Final Thoughts
We have discussed pink butcher paper, its uses as well as its benefits.
Now you can save your brisket and other smoked meats by wrapping them in butcher paper.
Happy Barbecuing!
Feature Image Credit: Amazon
I have been smoking and grilling meat from an early age and enjoy sharing my knowledge and expertise through the hundreds of articles I have written about BBQ. I hope to make everyone’s BBQ journey that little bit easier.