The fundamental difference between freezer paper and butcher paper is freezer paper has a polyethylene coating on one side that provides extra strength when it's exposed to moisture and protects against freezer burn. Freezer paper is usually more expensive than butcher paper, which lacks the polyethylene coating.
Butcher paper should not be used to store foods in the freezer. It is not non-stick and could adhere to the food while also allowing air to penetrate the paper and cause freezer burn.
Parchment Paper: Parchment paper is a non-stick, heat-resistant paper that can be used as an alternative to butcher paper. It helps to create a moist, tender texture in the meat, but may not produce the same level of bark as butcher paper.
It is important to note that waxed butcher paper, wax paper, and freezer paper should never go in your smoker or grill. It can catch fire and the wax will emit toxic fumes at high heat.
Wax paper can be used to wrap and freeze meat, can tape and label it up with freezer tape. Freezer paper uses a little bit less plastic than a plastic bag, but protects better than wax paper. A more expensive option would be some sort of stainless steel container.
Freezer paper starts out like butcher paper, simple uncoated paper on rolls, but then it is poly coated on one side. This poly coating provides a moisture and vapor barrier that is perfect for containing liquids and grease. They're also great for lining baskets that will hold French fries and chips.
Food grade materials, such as aluminum foil, heavy freezer-weight plastic bags, heavy plastic wrap and parchment or freezer paper are excellent choices. It is safe to freeze meat or poultry directly in its supermarket wrapping, but this type of wrap is thin and lets air in.
Unlike foil, using pink butcher paper lets moisture escape, preventing over steaming, while still protecting the meat from the full impact of the smoker, allowing in a more smoky flavour. Pick some up today and impress your friends with a new BBQ technique designed to give you perfect results.
Butcher paper isn't always the easiest product to find. You might find it in a grocery store, or in a barbecue specialty store, but the easiest way is to buy online.
Butcher paper not only prevents over-steaming but also protects the meat from the full impact of the smoker. Butcher paper will soak up the grease from a brisket as well, and since it's breathable, it allows more smoke to pass through than foil, leaving the meat with even more flavor.
Oklahoma Joe's Paper Butcher Paper in the Grilling Tools & Utensils department at Lowes.com.
BBQ experts wrap their brisket in either aluminum foil or butcher paper.
Plastic Wrap - If you need to wrap a sub sandwich or a customer's purchase of raw meat, plastic wrap can be used as a butcher paper substitute in a pinch.
While all Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil products are grill-safe and smoker-safe , we recommend Reynold's Wrap® Pitmaster's Choice as a substitute for when you don't have butcher paper on hand.
Both freezer paper and heavy-duty foil are used to wrap meat and other items for the freezer, but which is best? Well, it's close to a tie. Both are moisture resistant and help prevent freezer burn.
While butcher paper is not specifically designed for freezer storage, it can be used for short-term freezing. However, for long-term storage, it's recommended to use freezer paper, which provides a better barrier against moisture and air.
Pink Butcher Paper (aka Peach Paper) has become especially popular among barbecue enthusiasts in recent years. While they may look different, Kraft Paper and Butcher Paper start out as identical twins. Both are made from the same raw materials, sharing the same wood pulp base.
De Luxe Kraft Red Butcher Paper 18 in x 1,050 ft | Costco. De Luxe Kraft Red Butcher Paper 18 in x 1,050 ft 3.0 out of 5 stars, average rating value. Read 6 Reviews.
Butcher paper — or even freezer safe zipper locking bags — are still great options for freezing beef. They're cost effective and will give you a solid three to six months in the freezer. When wrapping beef in butcher paper, it's important to get as much of an airtight seal as possible.
Alternatively, some use butcher paper to wrap their briskets. This technique is extremely popular with Texas-style barbecue. Butcher paper is more porous than foil, which allows some additional smoke to seep in creating more flavor and allowing moisture to leak out and preserve a crunchier bark.
The pink or peach tone of the paper comes from the natural color of the Southern Pine wood pulp used to produce it. Like the original kraft butcher paper, the pink or peach variety is suitable for wrapping raw meats because it is thick and strong enough to prevent leakages.
The ribs wrapped in foil had the most moisture, followed by the ribs wrapped in butcher paper. The no-wrap ribs were crunchy and honestly could have been cooked at a lower texture, as the outside was a little darker than the others.
Wrap Your Meat When Freezing
The most important thing is to avoid exposing frozen meat to outside air. While a vacuum-sealer is ideal for ensuring that meats are packaged correctly, you can get by just fine with double wrapping cuts of meat with freezer paper, aluminum foil or airtight zip-loc bags.
Do not ever use parchment or wax paper in the broiler. Despite its heat resistance, parchment paper can't handle the heat of any broiler, which can reach temperatures upward of 500°F. And wax paper? It should never come near the high heat of the oven or broiler.
Wrap each chicken part (or whole bird, if you bought it whole) in plastic wrap, as tightly as possible. Place those wrapped parts in a zipper-lock freezer bag in a single layer. Better yet, vacuum-seal them in a plastic bag, if you have a vacuum sealer. (Our favorite is this one from NESCO.)