Pink paper


 
BFletcher

BFletcher

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I am not an expert, as may be evidenced by this question, but where in your experience does butcher paper excel over aluminum foil, brisket or otherwise? Thx!
 
The butcher paper wrap started with Aaron Franklin who feels that the butcher paper "breathes" where foil simply "steams" the meat. He has a point. If you use the Texas Crutch (foil) for too long a period, you end up with pot roast, not barbecue.

Jeff
 
I just smoked a full packer brisket over the weekend and used pink butcher paper as a wrapping for the first time. My overall impression is that it wasn't too far off from the ones I normally wrap in foil or place in aluminum trays. I know with foiling them I'm able to save a lot more of the juice to make an au jus. But, since I have 145' of butcher paper left I'm sure I'll be able to tinker with it in future cooks.
 
M Bailey said:
I just smoked a full packer brisket over the weekend and used pink butcher paper as a wrapping for the first time. My overall impression is that it wasn't too far off from the ones I normally wrap in foil or place in aluminum trays. I know with foiling them I'm able to save a lot more of the juice to make an au jus. But, since I have 145' of butcher paper left I'm sure I'll be able to tinker with it in future cooks.
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I know. Foil does a great job of collecting the juices. The paper soaks it up so we can't use it. Placing a pan under it is not good, it just evaporates or burns.

We can pan it after wrapping, but then again the paper will get the better of it. I suppose it's back to the foil if we want the juices.

For my first packer I separated the flat from the point at their meeting place and cooked them separately. I think I'll do that again next time and paper the flat and foil the point for the juices.
 
I couldn't find the pink paper locally (Philly, PA area), but got a 24" x 250' roll of white butcher paper at the local restaurant supply place for about $18. That'll last me through a whole lot of cooks, I think. I've used it on brisket and butts with equally good results. Foil does do a better job of collecting the liquid, but I invariably end up poking a hole in or tearing it somewhere and letting all that goodness leak out. At least with the butcher paper, the bark retains its texture better.
 
Thanks for the replies and link. Of curiosity from you guys whom are experienced brisketeers do you wrap, or stay naked? I'm 50'ish, yet my first taste of brisket was last year at a local restaurant. We enjoy their grub but I wasn't impressed with the brisket. But being about 1 year into the world of smoking I felt it necessary to smoke one myself. I LOVED it! It was nothing more than beginner's luck, because I am not an experienced cook, but it was so enjoyable that I did another one recently. My wife does not like brisket--and held true to that conviction with the two that I smoked--but the other family and friends devoured them. I will confess that I did both on the PBC but I'm doing one on the WSM soon and I'm curious as to your opinion about a full smoke without a wrap. Thx!
 
My wife does not like brisket...
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sad.

I have had "Moses parted the Red Sea" success with the pink paper.
I have plenty of this magical pink paper and the day I run out will be the day I die.
 
BFletcher said:
... I'm doing one on the WSM soon and I'm curious as to your opinion about a full smoke without a wrap. Thx!
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I rarely wrap -- only when I need to "Crutch" to speed up a cook. Here is what I have noticed: You can cook without wrapping (water in the pan keeps a good level of humidity in the WSM). You will get a deeper bark and the burnt ends will be more naturally awesome. Franklin says that he wraps when the bark reaches his desired color/texture. Valid point. You will eventually get curious and try all the different techniques for yourself and decide which one wins the wife over.

Jeff
 
I rarely do a brisket (probably partly because I have a hard time finding a full packer and haven't nailed a brisket cook yet), so I use parchment paper, which my wife always has on hand for baking. Probably a bit more expensive per foot, but I don't use enough to make up for a full order.
 
JMurray said:
I use parchment paper, which my wife always has on hand for baking. Probably a bit more expensive per foot, but I don't use enough to make up for a full order.
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When I lived back east, I couldn't find full packers either, so I got them from a local butcher shop. Whenever I bought one, I asked him for about a 6' length of butcher paper to go along with it. He always obliged.
 
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