Smoking a mouth-watering brisket is a long procedure requiring patience and attention. But what if you get to the very end of the process and realize that the only knife you have to cut it with is a bread knife. Is a bread knife good for cutting brisket, or do you need to invest in a different blade to get this job done? Luckily for you, we have searched around for you and have come to the following conclusion.
Due to its design, a bread knife is a good tool to use for cutting brisket. It has a long blade that allows you to cut your large brisket evenly without hacking it into smaller pieces. A bread knife typically features a scalloped or serrated blade, which are decent blades to cut meat quickly and with minimal effort.
If you have your cooked brisket resting on the cutting board, you might want to hurry off to slice it, but take a moment to read through the rest of this article. We are going to cover what is the best knife to use to cut a brisket, what type of knife Aaron Franklin uses to slice his brisket, and also what other uses you can get out of your bread knife.
The Best Knife To Cut Brisket
When choosing the best knife to cut brisket, there are a few key aspects to look for.
1. Type of Blade
There are three different types of blades that can be used for slicing brisket. First of all, there are serrated blades that have large pointed teeth that tear through the meat. Some people do not recommend using these knives as they can rip a tender brisket to shreds. Some bread knives have this type of blade, but we found a lot of people mistake the scalloped design of bread knives to be serrated knives. This is an easy mistake to make, as scalloped blades look very similar to serrated knives.
However, scalloped blades have smaller teeth and are more rounded. These are the type of blades used in most bread knife designs. We have found these knives to be a good choice for slicing brisket. Finally, there are Granton blade knives which have unique blades.
This type of blade has a straight edge that includes small divots along the side that help limit friction with the brisket. Many BBQ aficionados believe these are the best knives for cleanly slicing brisket. We have found that the type of knife you use to slice brisket mostly comes down to personal preference.
This Praxis 14-inch Granton Slicer is made with high-quality Japanese steel for easy sharpening for a razor-sharp edge. The knife contains a comfortable Rosewood handle. Click here to view this product on Amazon.
2. Sharp Blade
More than anything else, you want the knife you are using to be sharp. A dull knife will make your job of slicing brisket incredibly difficult. Also, using a dull knife will cause the slices of brisket to be uneven, possibly shred the meat, and can even cause a loss of moisture. Which is something you do not want, so make certain that your knife is incredibly sharp.
Due to the design of bread knife blades, they can be somewhat difficult to sharpen. You can send your knife off to be professionally sharpened, take the time to sharpen it yourself using a round honing rod, or you can simply purchase a new bread knife any time you find it getting dull.
This ceramic honing rod will help you sharpen any of your kitchen knives with ease. Click here to view this product on Amazon.
Not sure when you should be sharpening your knives? Check out this article that discusses "How Often To Sharpen Kitchen Knives."
3. Handle With A Good Grip
Safety is a top priority when handling knives. Therefore you will want to carefully choose a knife that fits comfortably in your hand, has a functional design, but most importantly, your knife handle needs a non-slip texture. Due to the fatty nature of a brisket, slicing it can become a slippery task. You definitely do not want a sharp knife slipping in your hand.
We recommend knives that have handles made of plastic, rubber, or wood, as these textures give you a good grip. Avoid knives with stainless steel handles as they can become very slippery.
4. Long Enough Blade
Brisket is an extra-large cut of meat, therefore, you will need a very large knife to cut it properly. Typically, you are going to look for a blade with a length of 12 inches all the way up to 16 inches. There are several important reasons for using a longer blade versus shorter knives when slicing a brisket.
If you use a shorter blade, your cuts will not be uniform, you can cause tearing, and it will take much more time and effort to slice the brisket. Using a longer blade allows you to make fewer cuts which reduce the time spent slicing the meat, as well as lessening the chance of off-center cuts, and uneven slices.
What Kind Of Knife Does Aaron Franklin Use To Slice Brisket?
If you don't know who Aaron Franklin is, you should. He is the king of brisket, specifically Texas-style brisket. People literally line up for hours to get a taste of his barbeque at his restaurant in Austin, Texas. So it is safe to say that this guy knows what he is talking about when he recommends what knife you should use to slice brisket.
In his book Franklin Barbeque: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto, he recommends the Dexter-Russell 12-inch scalloped knife. The high carbon steel blade attaches seamlessly to a polypropylene handle that gives you a good grip. A major selling point of this knife is its sanitary features. The handle is easy to clean, and the handle-to-blade seal is meant to be impenetrable, which means no harmful bacteria will grow in small gaps between the plastic and the metal.
It is also quite affordable, so it won't cost a lot to replace this knife when it becomes dull.
Click here to view this product on Amazon.
Watch the master at work in this 12-minute video. Aaron covers how to wrap your brisket, how to make a good barbeque sauce, as well as how to slice your brisket correctly.
Can You Use A Bread Knife To Cut Brisket?
To summarize, you can use a bread knife to slice brisket for a variety of reasons. First of all, the length of most bread knife blades makes them ideal for getting uniform slices of brisket. Also, bread knives typically feature either serrated or scalloped blades, which can easily cut through the meat. Finally, these knives are usually a low-cost addition to your knife collection, which allows you to replace them when they get dull without breaking the bank.
If you are still skeptical about using a bread knife, Aaron Franklin, who has won several awards for his barbeque, uses what he calls a bread knife himself. What more needs to be said?
What Else Can You Cut With A Bread Knife?
Obviously, you can use a bread knife to cut a variety of bread, but for what else can you use this knife to cut? Bread knives are actually a quite versatile tool, and are able to cut all of these foods:
- Tomatoes
- Melons
- Winter Squash
- Prime Rib
- Brisket
Final Thoughts
Now that you know what to look for in your brisket slicing knife, as well as having a few tips from pit-master Aaron Franklin, you can serve up a high-quality brisket your friends and family will be impressed by. We hope you found this article informative.
Do you have a man in your life who loves to barbeque? Check out this post that gives you plenty of gift ideas for him:
14 Luxury BBQ Gift Ideas For The Man Who Has It All
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