I have a baked quail recipe that says to cover the bacon wrapped quail with a paper towel while they bake in the oven; doesn't seem safe to m

i agree w/ all of cv's points. One addition- a beloved 52er, kukla, made a great roast chicken thighs in a paper bag. I bet a quail would equal a chicken thigh for the same treatment. Kukla's recipe has been in my 'Must Cook Soon' pile for a long time!

https://food52.com/recipes/12700-herbed-chicken-thighs-roasted-in-a-paper-bag

In that case, I'd forget the paper towel. Let the grease splatter. I've cooked bacon wrapped items in the oven before. Not a big deal.

If you are a compulsive cleaner, go ahead and run a self-cleaning cycle soon.

I forgot to mention that the recipe indicated that the paper towel would reduce greasy oven splatter. Thanks to both of you who responded so quickly.

I don't see why not. Plain old paper has a combustion point around 450 degrees, but that's around an open flame. We already know that parchment paper has been used extensively in baking for over a century.

That said, my reluctance to use a paper towel would be because they are typically manufactured with a bunch of things I'm not sure I'd want to eat: animal glue, bleach, other chemicals, etc.

Rather than wrapping it in a paper towel, I would elevate the quail on a metal rack or find a different recipe.

Good luck.