A little late to the party, but here is an article I wrote a few years back for Smoke Signals before it ended. I'm not sure if the links still exist.
Butcher paper will allow the meat to breath while it speeds up cooking time and keeps the nice firm bark you desire. While the paper creates somewhat of a moisture barrier to slow the meat sweating, it does not completely stop evaporation, some of the moisture still escapes as the paper can breathe. You get the benefit of overcoming the stall with a balanced moisture content in the finished product due to controlled evaporation.
White butcher paper is made of bleached white Kraft paper that provides a clean appearance as a meat packaging material. Additionally, white butcher paper can used in casual dining settings, white butcher paper can be used as a disposable table-covers. Peach treated butcher paper is designed to so that the dark orange coloring discretely hides any juices that happen to leak from your meats.
Some butcher papers have a coating on one side, some think it is merely a wax coating. The coating may not be wax, but could more likely be a thin polyethylene coating. Either way, wax or plastic coated papers are not really suited for cooking food in them. They are designed to seal the meat in a manner to prevent the loss of moisture for short term storage and/or freezing. You do not want to use coated paper, not just because the coating could cook into the surface of the meat, but coated papers will trap the steam the same as foil. So if your only choice is coated paper, stay with foil because they will cook in the same manner.
However, do not confuse the term "treated" or "sizing" with the term "coating". Treated butcher paper is usually in reference to a process called sizing. Sizing is a starch-based product added in the last step of manufacturing the paper. It is added for strength when the paper gets wet, and also provides a slight leak resistance. Sizing is more commonly found in some 12", 15", and 18" rolls of paper, as they are more commonly used for raw meat wrapping, where most 24", 30", and 36" rolls of butcher paper are usually not "treated" or "sized". The "treated/sized" paper is still rated for direct contact with food and they still breath in the same manner as non-treated, the starch merely gives it a little more strength. Most importantly, it is a food grade starch, so you do not have to be worried about petrochemicals, wax, or plastics on this paper. The preferred butcher paper has no coating of any type and is thicker, denser, and heavier in weight. Uncoated butcher paper will allow the meat to breath while it speeds up cooking time and keeps that bark nice and firm.
Then there is parchment paper, modern parchment paper is made by running sheets of paper pulp through a bath of sulfuric acid (a method similar to how tracing paper is made) or sometimes zinc chloride. This process partially dissolves or gelatinizes the paper. This treatment forms a sulfured cross-linked material with high density, stability, and heat resistance, and low surface energy – thereby imparting good non-stick or release properties. The treated paper has an appearance similar to that of traditional parchment, and because of its stability is sometimes used for legal purposes where traditional parchment was used. The manufacturing process for parchment paper is costly and very harmful to the environment, this paper is not made in North America anymore due to environmental issues. However, don't confuse Parchment paper with Bakery release paper, bakery release paper employs a coating which is deposited onto the paper's surface. The coating is silicone which is then cured with a suitable catalyst. Both of these papers are rated safe for direct contact with food, and are made for use at high temperatures. However they do not allow the meat to breath like butcher paper.
Some people will tell you to get paper from Home Depot that they cover new floors and counter tops to prevent marring and damage, but some of these papers are treated with rosin. Rosin is made from distilled turpentine and also contains abietic acid and other hydrocarbons. Others will also recommend the use of kraft paper or even the use of paper bags. The issue here is that because of production standards/processes these papers are not rated safe for direct contact with food. The USDA also states that grocery bags are not safe for use in cooking. (
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal...3ARmTtNo6TC9J3Hev9Os5nRPx0m0Sm34DoNUAbw!!/#12 ) It's not just the issue of the chemicals of the glue, but the manufacturing process that uses chemicals that are not safe for food and may be present at higher than acceptable limits and will migrate into the food. Then there is the issue of warehousing, transportation, and storage of the paper bags at the final destination. These bags may not be sanitary, particularly since they may be shipped and stored under a variety of conditions.
Many will tell you that these are ok to use because they have used them for years, they don't get sick when using them, they haven't grown a third eye, and all is well. In the same sense, some people will pick dropped food up off the ground and claim the 3-5 second rule and eat it, while others are more comfortable letting the dog have it or just throwing it away.
The bottom line is: you will be the one using the paper and only you can choose your level of comfort in using these different papers. If you are comfortable using paper bags or kraft paper, then you are free to use it as you want. It is not a matter of being right or wrong with the paper of your choice, but more about an individual's comfort level with the product they choose. It is simply a matter of your comfort level with an approved or non-approved product. Similar to the way some do not use aluminum for fear of absorption into the brain cells, while others may not consider the idea. This is part of our human nature that makes us individuals, otherwise we would all be robots.
Yes, uncoated butcher paper is rated safe for direct contact with food, and yes it is safe to cook in the paper in a hot smoker. Paper unless modified by other chemicals doesn't burn by itself until about 450 degrees Fahrenheit. As long as the paper isn't exposed directly to the flame, hot charcoal, hot embers, the paper should be fine in a smoker under 380 degrees.
I have cooked with foil as well as butcher paper in the past, but now I prefer to cook without them. It's merely a personal choice which revolves around your level of comfort and your time schedules. There are occasions when target times have to be changed or times that do not permit a lengthy cook and I have to use the paper.
In the end, paper and foil are just tools that can be used for the cook to achieve the product you are comfortable serving to others. Don't do something because others do it, but rather because the end result is what you desire.
Using Butcher Paper for BBQ . . .
http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/166086/PinkButcherPaper_Layout.pdf?t=1473960590695
