Butcher Paper vs Aluminum Foil
Which Is Better for Wrapping BBQ: Butcher Paper vs Aluminum Foil?
When you are smoking meat, it’s common practice to wrap the meat about halfway through your smoke.
Wrapping helps to lock in moisture and keep your meat tender during the final hours of cooking and can also speed up the cooking process.
Some people like to wrap in aluminum foil, and others swear by butcher paper – but what is the difference?
Why do we wrap meat?
Wrapping is a popular barbecue technique used by both professional pitmasters and backyard cookers alike.
It is pretty much exactly what it sounds like – you literally wrap your meat in either aluminum foil or butcher paper.
Generally, you let the meat smoke unwrapped for the first portion of the cook while the bark develops and the meat soaks up that delicious smoky flavor.
Then you wrap the meat up tight to speed up the rest of the cook, and lock in as much moisture as you can to prevent your meat from drying out.
Most rib recipes call for wrapping at some point during the cooking.
Some people like to wrap meat when it reaches a certain temperature.
When you know it’s time to wrap, your bark needs to be fully set. By that, I mean that you need to be able to have a solid bark that won’t peel away from the wrap.
This is true whether you’re wrapping in foil or wrapping in butcher paper.
You want to make sure that you can’t just scrape the bark away with your temp probe before you even think about wrapping it.
Aluminum foil: “The Texas Crutch”
Now, this is where the debate comes into play. It’s time to wrap your meat – are you reaching for the butcher paper or the aluminum foil?
Aluminum foil, also known as the “Texas Crutch”, is a popular choice because it’s far more easily accessible than butcher paper.
Most American households keep aluminum foil around all the time, but they may not be so quick to keep a roll of butcher paper on hand.
Foil is relatively cheap and easy to use, plus it can really help speed up your cooking.
The foil acts as a heat insulator in the smoker and will trap the moisture in the meat, allowing the meat to steam as it finishes cooking.
The “Texas Crutch” is kind of a jab towards Texan pitmasters. People call it the “crutch” because it speeds up the cook and will help get you through a stall when you’re smoking low a slow.
The “Texas Crutch” can help when you’re trying to get your meat through the roughest part of a cook!
Another great thing about foil is that it doesn’t soak up any of the juices from the meat, so the meat can sit there and braise in its juices while it finishes cooking.
The biggest argument AGAINST using aluminum foil is definitely the fact that it can compromise your bark. If you wrap with foil too early, that bark can get steamed and end up sliding right off your brisket.
If you are going to use aluminum foil to wrap, then you should make sure your bark is nice and set before you wrap.
This could happen around 165°F or not until 185°F internal, but it takes a bit of an experienced eye.
One final tip: invest in a big roll of heavy-duty foil. It’s great for wrapping things like pork ribs that have sharp bones that can puncture your foil.
Butcher paper is made from wood pulp. You can find it in a variety of colors, and the different colors generally have different uses.
When you are wrapping barbecue, you want to look for peach or pink butcher paper.
Some brands have transitioned to brown paper with their logo across the paper in black instead of the traditional peach color.
If it is labeled for use while barbecuing, then you’ll be good to go, no matter what the color is.
Butcher paper will protect the bark and help to keep a lot of the moisture inside the meat. The paper will absorb some moisture, but it doesn’t allow nearly as much liquid to evaporate as aluminum foil does.
The most common argument AGAINST the use of butcher paper is that it can slow down your cook, especially if you’re smoking a brisket and you hit a stall.
Aluminum foil insulates the meat and helps keep a steady temperature, but butcher paper is not nearly as forgiving when it comes to letting heat escape.
Butcher paper vs foil: pros & cons
BUTCHER PAPER PROS BUTCHER PAPER CONS
Protects your bark. Allows heat to pass through, so if you have a temperature swing, the meat won’t be protected
Fat soaks into the paper and braises your meat, potentially requiring longer cooking time
Stronger, more pronounced smoke flavor. You may have to partially unwrap to check the temperature
ALUMINUM FOIL PROS ALUMINUM FOIL CONS
Faster cook time, keeps smoke away from your meat, resulting in less smoke flavor
Allows the meat to braise in its juices, creates steam, and can compromise your bark
Helps maintain a consistent temperature
Easy to check the temperature by piercing the foil
Brisket: both
It maintains a beautiful bark and allows the amazing smoke flavor to penetrate the meat for the duration of the smoke.
Pork ribs: aluminum foil
Aluminum foil is perfect for pork ribs. It allows the ribs to cook in their juices.
With pork ribs, you’re not generally concerned about a “bark”, so the steam created by the use of aluminum foil doesn’t cause any issues.
If you choose to wrap your ribs, just be aware that the aluminum foil will insulate the ribs and inevitably speed up the cook.
If you are used to smoking your ribs unwrapped and you decide to use foil for the first time, just keep in mind that you want to start checking them a little earlier because they are going to cook faster than you would expect.
Pork shoulder: aluminum foil + an aluminum tray
After the first 6 to 8 hours of our smoke on a pork butt, it should have a beautiful bark and plenty of smoky flavor. At that point, transfer the butt to a metal tray and wrap it in aluminum foil.
Beef ribs: butcher paper
The key to a great Texas-style beef rib is the beautiful bark that is created during the smoking process.
The butcher paper allows all of the delicious smoky flavor to penetrate the meat and really kicks the flavor of the ribs up a notch, plus it allows the glorious bark to remain intact.
Do you even have to wrap BBQ?
It can help speed up your cook, protect your bark, and keep your meat from drying out.
You just spent anywhere from 12 to 18 hours smoking a brisket. It’s probe-tender, the bark is beautiful, and you are ready to slice and admire your work – but there is one more crucial step.
The Rest. Resting the brisket is the final step of the cooking process, and it is essential.
