The Best Butcher Paper for Smoking Meat

There are a ton of (very confusing) butcher paper options on Amazon that come in many sizes (18/24″), colors (pink, brown, white), and prices – all the way from 3 to 15 cents a square inch.

When you land on one of the butcher paper pages, you’ll be presented with something like the following options…with little guidance on which one is the best deal and which size to get.

This post is here to help you decide which one to buy.

Videos!

@backyahdbbq Trying to find the best butcher paper for smoking meat can be a bit overwhelming. There are so many butcher paper options on Amazon with different prices, widths, lengths, and colors. You’ll definitely want paper that is unwaxed, unbleached, and uncoated. I’d also stick with paper that is FDA approved and Made in the USA. You have three color options: brown, pink and white. Brown is the most natural, pink is the same as brown with color added, and white is bleached. Most people use pink because it helps mask the pink myoglobin that some people think is blood. I prefer not to use white because, although likely harmless, I don’t want my meat to touch anything that has been bleached. You have two size options: 18 inch or 24 inch. I go with 18 inch because 24 is sometimes not wide enough for larger briskets and I end up having to use two sheets anyway. You’re going to need a way to cut the paper, you can just use a knife or scissors, but most butcher paper companies now have dispenser boxes that have a sharp edge. It’s only about a dollar more for the box, so definitely worth the time savings. All things considered, @Bryco Goods 18” pink butcher paper with the box is a good way go. Check my gear page for a link to blog that goes into the options in detail. Also, check my feed for a how to wrap a brisket and paper vs foil videos. #sponsored #bbq #bbqtips #bbqhacks #howto #learn #smokedmeat #brisket #smokedbrisket #cooking #barbeque #brisketprep #briskettrim #learnontiktok @backyahdbbq @backyahdbbq @backyahdbbq ♬ original sound – Jonny, Backyahd BBQ

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Best Butcher Paper

A lot of analysis went into generating the data for this post, which you can read below. But let’s cut to the chase and lead off this post with my top choices for butcher paper.

All of the following options are good options and are:

1. Pink
2. 18″ wide
3. Lowest price (about 3-5 cents a square inch)

Meat Hugger	Bryco	Reynolds
18″x225′	18″x175′	18″x225′
https://amzn.to/32EXbP3	https://amzn.to/3eotS5F	https://amzn.to/3EpEcoB

You could stop reading here and get any of those…or continue reading for more thoughts and analysis that went into those recommendations.

What width?

Go with 18″, here’s why:

Butcher paper comes in two widths:

• 18″
• 24″

When you wrap a brisket, you’re usually going to overlap two pieces of butcher paper because both 18″ and 24″ isn’t wide enough to wrap around the whole brisket.

I prefer 18″ because a single piece of 24″ isn’t wide enough to fit anything over a 10-pound brisket, so you end up needing two pieces anyway – and two pieces of 18″ is cheaper than 2 pieces of 24″

The only reason to go with 24″ is if you smoke small briskets (under 10 pounds) or you cook very large briskets and doubling 18″ isn’t enough.

What color?

Go with Pink or Brown, here’s why:

Butcher paper comes in 3 colors:

1. Brown (natural – no color/no bleach)
2. Pink (aka peach – pink color is added to brown)
3. White (bleached)

You want to look for a paper that is:

1. Unwaxed
2. Unbleached
3. Uncoated

Also, make sure it is made for smoking meats, not crafts or freezer paper

Pink is the most common, because it disguises the “pink” juices that will sometimes leak from the meat.

I don’t recommend white as it is bleached.

If you want the most natural and aren’t concerned with the “pink” juice issue, then here’s a good brown option.

https://amzn.to/30Zkx19

How to cut it?

You can obviously just rip it, but if you want clean cuts, then you’ll want to use scissors, get one that comes with a box, or get a roll dispenser.

Butcher paper with box and cutter

The following options come with a box:

Meat Hugger	Bryco	Reynolds
18″x225′	18″x175′	18″x225′
https://amzn.to/3JkmjLK	https://amzn.to/3HugEBd	https://amzn.to/3EpEcoB

Butcher paper dispenser and cutter

Here’s a good dispenser, but you’ll only really need this if you do a lot of butcher paper cutting.

https://amzn.to/3qmdyYU

What grade?

Make sure the paper you order is FDA approved and food grade paper. Not craft or freezer paper.

Where is it made?

I buy “Made in USA” whenever possible. Bryco, Meat Hugger, and Reynolds are all Made in the USA.

Longest Roll of Butcher Paper

If you want the absolute longest roll of butcher paper, then consider these 1000ft options from IDL Packaging for roughly 4 cents a square inch. Just be warned that this is a LOT of paper.

Pink 18″x1000ft

https://amzn.to/3puUQ2b

Conclusion

I hope this post helped you figure out what butcher paper is right for you. Let me know in the comments if you have other thoughts or recommendations.

Jonny