If you’re a fan of Wagyu beef, you’ve probably learned about various right and wrong ways to cook the meat, and the most tender cut of steak, and you may be able to describe in detail your favorite and least favorite ways to season it, etc. But what you may not know is that chefs, food critics and steak experts believe there is a right and a wrong way to cut a steak.
If you’re like most people, your parents taught you the basics of cutting a piece of meat when you were a kid, and this just involved how to hold the knife and fork. Maybe they also taught you how to carve a turkey or a ham. Most parents don’t go beyond that, but culinary schools do. They will teach you that the best way to cut meat is against the grain.
Why is this important? The grain of a piece of meat pertains to how the muscle fibers are aligned. If you cut with the grain, you’ll be eating long muscle fibers, which can be a bit stringy and hard to chew. If you cut against the grain you’ll be eating shorter muscle fibers. This breaks apart more easily and gives you more of that “melt in your mouth” feel.
Culinary teachers don’t stop there. Here are a few more professional tips.
- Cut thinly. This lets your hands do the work more than your jaw, and allows your mouth to relax and enjoy the steak. Also, with a fine and marbled steak like Wagyu, thinner cuts of steak are prefered. This helps that marbled fat melt more quickly.
- Use a sharp knife. You don’t want the steak to get cold while you saw at it with a dull knife. It’s simply uncivilized.
- Use a clean knife, as opposed to a knife you’ve used to cut other foods. Don’t bring in flavors that don’t belong in your steak.
- Don’t confuse grill lines with grain lines.
- Learn the various cuts of the meat. Cutting against the grain is most important with the flank, brisket, flat iron and skirt cuts.
For top-quality American Wagyu Beef, you can trust Triple T Ranch. Located in south Alabama, our small, family-owned-and-operated ranch is a place where practicing proven husbandry techniques ensures the health and prosperity of the herd. Our cattle are well cared-for and registered through the American Wagyu Association. Call (251)732-5160 or contact us through our website for more information.