The butcher wax paper was a fail. I repeat: The butcher was paper was a fail…
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I think what you needed was parchment paper, which is a lot more non-stick-to-it-ish.
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Thanx for reporting that. Knowing what doesn’t work is as important as what does. I won’t waste my time trying it.
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yeah, that’s silicone infused
That was the Cabela’s stuff? Is the word “wax” on the package anywhere? I only ask because it seems like “butcher paper” might not actually be the same as “wax paper”.
It looks like…
Parchment paper = silicone
Wax paper = paraffin wax
Butcher paper (maybe also called “freezer paper”) = polyethylene
There’s apparently PTFE (“Teflon”) paper too…
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I dunno; the paper I was testing is really slippery & very waxy.
Ahh, wait a minute, it might be a plastic coating, and that’s why it failed…
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Yep, butcher paper…seems they don’t carry it anymore, but I think you nailed it; probably plastic
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I was going to suggest the wax/paraffin coating and mold release. I’ve used plastic food wrap as a sacrificial cover before but it take a lot of clean up after.
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Definitely two different things.
I use butcher paper to wrap brisket in the smoker (the “Texas crutch” 
). It is just paper - high density and clean but just paper. It’s good for BBQ because it is permeable so the 'cue doesn’t sit in its own juices and steam like it would in foil - water vapor escapes but most grease/etc won’t. It’s definitely not waxed or plasticized. With brisket, wrapping it in foil ends up softening the bark that is so much a part of good brisket. OTOH, ribs go in foil with apple cider for an hour after the smoke so it tenderizes & steams them before going back on the grill to tighten up a bit.
Teachers use butcher paper as cheap coloring paper for their students - it comes in several hundred foot rolls and is cheap (I think I pay $15 for an 18" wide roll that is a couple hundred feet long).
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Ooooo, I wanna drop by your house when you are smoking brisket! I’ve tried it and it was okay but not great, and a lot of work.
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I’m heading to WV to do 100lbs (and a dozen racks of baby backs) for Memorial Day weekend for some motorcycling friends 
Brisket is easier (for me) to do than pork. I get much more flavor out of it. Pork tends to be mostly a carrier for bbq sauce. Brisket you need to do long enough to render the fat but not so long as to get overdone & falling apart. With brisket you only need sauce to make burnt ends (Brisket is a long day’s smoke, pork is often a 20-24hr smoke so it’s less convenient too.)
In addition to butchers paper the other secret to brisket is to get a proper knife for slicing it. Most people use the wrong kind. You need a long granton edge blade - it reduces friction and the blade is pulled once thru the meat per slice. You see people with serrated ones or short blades and they saw back & forth and that chunks up the meat.
The spices, rubs, sauce, injections and smoke are all important but the butchers paper and the knife make all the difference 
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Had to look it up, so that’s today’s new knowledge.
Thanks.
I’ll try and impress swmbo 
Then tell her that you’re going to take that $75 knife and only use it for bbq brisket 
. (there are cheaper ones - and more expensive too - but 60-75 gets you a really good one and if you’re going to go for it, might as well dive all the way in)
My wife only appreciates the smell of bbq. She’s a vegetarian (except for the bacon thing). Some of this is wasted on her
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yea, was helping some guys a while back, not only did they buy “packer cut” briskets and not trim any of the excess fat, but they weren’t even really careful how they sliced it. It’s amazing how you can take a mediocre brisket and but it cross grain at a 45 degree bias and end up with something decent. Needless to say, theirs wasn’t what I would call “decent” but they seemed happy with the fat, chewy stuff. Go figure.
Ick! There’s a layer of hard fat between the point & the flat that will not render and that’s just nasty. That has to get removed (sometimes I’ll split the flat & point so I can cook the pieces separately and just take out the whole layer). The top cap needs to be trimmed to about 1/4" - more and it doesn’t render all the way and leaves a very fatty layer; less and it can leave the brisket dry. But that’s like brisket 101
Cutting it properly is brisket 102 The knife trick isn’t one that most pitmasters mention. But it keeps the brisket from tearing. The whole with/against the grain cutting is basic with any meat though. Shame on them for wasting a good brisket
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Thems fightin’ words. I really think that pork has a better ability to play with the different varieties of wood smoke than brisket. Beef is such a stronger flavor in my opinion.
However, a brisket that doesn’t require sauce is a great treat. So often they are just dried out crumbles around here. But I haven’t done a brisket in a couple years. Can’t stand paying fifty to sixty dollars even for an untrimmed one.
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The obvious resolution to this debate is for @marmak3261 and @jamesdhatch to send me 4 lbs (each) of steak and pork brisket so I can give a full weeks worth of lunches/review to the matter and write a comprehensive report to share with the thread. Please include extra sauce and napkins.
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Maybe Glowforge 3k will include the matter transmit option for you?
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Since you asked for sauce you can’t provide an unbiased review - brisket doesn’t need sauce (except burnt ends have a nice sauce glaze usually 
). I make my own killer bourbon BBQ sauce though for people who must eat it wet.
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Even if I’m just doing a chopped beef (brisket) sandwich, please, hold the sauce. It’s kind of like a steak - the meat oughta hold up on its own without some kinda steak sauce!
You are definitely correct about the knife!
I think the “Texas crutch” actually refers to wrapping the brisket in foil once you get to the stall point, or a little while into the stall. It’s actually more of a braise than a steam.