Why Your Sliced Beef Brisket Turns out Tough: the Slicing Mistake Ruining Expensive Cuts
By James H. Sterling
Using a standard chef knife or a wedge-shaped carving blade ruins brisket before the first bite. A wide, thick blade acts as an axe, driving downward wedge pressure that compresses the meat. That downward force expels hot intra-muscular liquid onto the board, pooling valuable juice and leaving the interior dry.
Pitmasters rely on 12-inch to 14-inch hollow-ground granton slicing knives. The granton indentations along the blade create tiny air pockets between the steel and the meat, reducing drag and surface friction. The rounded nose prevents catching on the brittle exterior bark.
Slice using a drawing stroke rather than downward force. Rest the heel of the blade against the bark and pull smoothly through the meat in a single sweep, letting the edge sever the fibers. Sawing back and forth shatters delicate bark and tears the flat's structural edges into ragged shreds.
James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.
