Thinking of using parchment paper for your grill? Find out everything you need to know and learn the best solutions to prevent meat from sticking to the grill.
If you’re tired of potatoes sticking to the inside of the foil, you might be looking for other types of wraps you can use.
This is where parchment paper comes into play.
Parchment paper is known for providing a non-stick surface for food in the oven while also helping to reduce bottom browning.
But does that use extend to grilling?
There are a number of foods that are known for their annoying ability to stick to the grill . Chicken, as much as I love it, can be a nightmare when it starts to burn on the cooking grates.
Also, what if we could get around that by using parchment paper? Can we use it effectively to prevent meat or vegetables from sticking to the grill? And can we do it safely?
Soon…. nope
Look, while it might seem like it could work in theory, parchment paper is actually silicone-coated paper. This coating has a maximum temperature of around 230°C (450°F), making it not ideal for the high temperatures we use for most types of grilling.
For general use in the oven, where temperatures aren’t that high, it’s fine, but on the grill, where we’re likely to get temperatures in excess of 400°F, we’d avoid it.
What is the best solution?
Personally, I just use aluminum foil to place the meat on it after cooking. This will leave the juice behind and the meat will slowly cool. When grilling or roasting, I tend to avoid it.
In general, a good indirect grill or gentle and slow smoking along with using a pot of water is more than enough to cook meat and vegetables effectively.
If sticking is a problem, I recommend brushing the food with a very light coating of cooking oil before placing it on the grill.
Also, make sure your grill is seasoned before using it. Also use salt on meat and vegetables to preserve the juice.
With many types of food to be grilled, you can do without baking paper or aluminum foil altogether.
For potatoes, you can use oil and salt to keep them from sticking to the grill.
A layer of oil on the chicken helps keep it from sticking to the grill.
You can use nonstick film to preserve veggies during cooking, like this film on Amazon.
What can I fry with parchment paper?
When using parchment paper on the grill, here are some important tips to keep in mind.
Do not cook above 350°F. As previously mentioned, parchment paper has a firing temperature of 450°F. To avoid this I would use 350°F as a rule of thumb.
This means that high-temperature grilling is off-limits for both parchment and butcher paper , but long-form grilling or smoking is still fine in most cases.
Keep the paper away from fire. I know it’s quick to get insulting to say paper burns, stating the obvious, but when you’re fixing your grill, keep this in mind. That means anything wrapped or placed on parchment paper is kept away from the heat source.
This means setting up your charcoal grill for indirect grilling or positioning your smoker so the paper isn’t over the heat source.
The same rule applies to the gas grill, so make sure the burner you are activating is not under the grilled food.
With every type of meat I would do without the foil and stick with the aluminum foil. It’s much better at retaining heat, allowing it to heat meat better while retaining juices. Also, the time the flesh takes is too long for parchment paper to remain effective.
However, there are reasons for using parchment paper over foil in some cases. Recent research in the International Journal of Electrochemical Sciences suggests that the most famous use of aluminum foil poses a risk of aluminum leaching into food. The likelihood of this leaching increases when higher temperatures are used.
Extremely high levels of aluminum intake have been linked to nervous system and nervous system disorders.
Some aluminum in the diet is unavoidable but understandable if some people want to take steps to minimize their intake of the metal.
Writer & content creator. BBQ fanatic!
