Steak Paper Sheets

Paper sized for the meat case, not the smoker

Steak paper is butcher paper cut small. Where a smokehouse wants 24 x 36 in, a butcher wants 10 x 14 in to lay under two ribeyes in the display and 8 x 11 in to slip between ground beef patties.

Butcher shops, meat markets, grocery meat departments and the deli counters that run their own case are the buyers. So are sausage makers who stack links on paper in the cooler.

It is the same 40 lb stock as every other sheet on this site, in pink or white. The size and the job are what make it steak paper.

What does steak paper do in a meat case?

A stainless case tray collects drip. By mid-afternoon a bare tray has a red pool under the steaks, and the cut on the bottom looks wet and gray at the edge.

A sheet of steak paper under the meat takes that drip into the fiber. The tray stays clean, the meat sits dry, and at close you lift the paper, bin it and wipe the tray in one pass instead of scrubbing.

Delis that slice to order use the same sheet under the roast beef on the slicer tray, for the same reason: the tray stays dry and the first slice of the afternoon does not look like it sat in juice.

Between cuts, a sheet stops two steaks from bonding. Stack chops on paper and the customer gets one chop in one motion, not three stuck together.

Pink or white steak paper for the display?

Pink is the trade favorite for red meat because it flatters the color of the beef. Pick white if your case is bright white or the paper also wraps poultry and fish, where pink looks odd.

Which steak paper size fits the tray?

• 8 x 11 in: one steak, one chop, a stack of four patties with a sheet between each.
• 10 x 14 in: two steaks side by side, or a liner for a standard meat case tray. The usual pick.
• 12 x 18 in: a roast, a family pack of chops, a whole chicken on the tray.
• 15 x 20 in: a full case tray liner that reaches the lip on each side.

Measure the inside of the tray, not the outside rim. A liner that stops an inch short on each side looks fine; one that rides up the wall curls and catches the glass. Grocery meat departments often take 15 x 20 in for the back row and 10 x 14 in for the front, so the liner size follows the tray. Other sizes are a custom cut on the quote.

Does steak paper stick to the meat or tear when wet?

Uncoated 40 lb paper absorbs drip without going to mush. A sheet that has sat under steaks all day lifts out in one piece. It will be stained; it will not shred.

It does not stick. Meat releases from butcher paper cleanly, which is why patties stacked on paper separate without tearing the surface.

If you need the sheet to shed liquid rather than soak it up, ask for waxed white. That is the choice for a tray that gets hosed and wants the paper to come off dry.

Wrapping a single steak at the counter

1. Lay the 8 x 11 in sheet on the scale pan or the bench, long side toward you.
2. Set the steak in the middle, printed side of the paper down if it carries a logo.
3. Fold the near edge over the steak, then the far edge over that.
4. Fold the two ends under, flip, and the logo is on top.
5. A second sheet or a bag goes around it if the customer is traveling more than a few minutes.

The 8 x 11 in size is small enough that a single fold closes it. Go to 10 x 14 in for a thick-cut porterhouse or two steaks in one parcel.

Printing a butcher shop logo on steak paper

A printed liner under the case is advertising at eye level. One color, one logo, repeated across the sheet so some part of it shows no matter where the steaks sit. A second common layout is a single logo in one corner, which stays visible when the steaks are laid in rows down the center of the tray.

The photo on this page shows a sample pattern printed in one color on a lining sheet inside a take-out tray. Your version would carry your mark instead.

Keep the print light in coverage. Heavy solid ink under raw meat looks wrong and uses more ink than it needs. A Pantone solid-coated match keeps the color consistent from carton to carton. The guide to printing a logo covers artwork files and sizes.

Mistakes to avoid with steak paper in the case

• Lining the tray with one big sheet and then trying to lift it with the meat still on. Use two sheets and clear half the tray at a time.
• Using uncoated white under fatty cuts if you care about the look; the grease map shows by lunch.
• Buying 15 x 20 in for a 10 x 14 in tray and folding the extra under. The fold wicks drip to the edge.
• Leaving the day's liner in until the next morning. Fresh paper every morning is the whole point.

How to order steak paper sheets

Choose pink or white, pick a size, and give the number of 1,000-sheet cartons. For printed sheets attach the logo; for plain, say so.

The quote comes back in writing within one business day. Printed orders get a free proof to approve; plain orders skip it. Production runs 4 to 6 business days and delivery is free and tracked to any US address, 2 to 3 business days after that.

Send the sizes through the steak paper quote form, or call during Pacific business hours if the case tray is an odd size and you want to talk it through.