How to Slice Raw Meat. 4 Easy Ways to Master the Art of Slicing Meat!

By Eric Mitchell •  Updated: Nov 18, 2022 •  4 min read

Slicing raw steak of meat isn’t a skill you will develop overnight. Ask your favorite butcher and they will tell you that it took them years to perfect their cutting skills. It’s a tough skill that requires observing certain details for you to make solid-looking and clean cuts.

In the majority of instances, for you to cut thin and cookable pieces of meat, you will need to master the art of slicing raw meat precisely and expertly. Here are the simple and easy tricks to slicing raw meat like a pro to get the best meat cuts.

How To Slice Raw Meat the right way

1. Place The Meat Properly On The Cutting Board

The accuracy and efficiency of the cuts you make on the raw meat will depend on how the meat is placed on the cutting block. It’s against the law of expert meat cutting to place the meat steak on a block with the fat on the top. Meat fat is always denser and harder than the steak so cutting through it demands more effort.

For you to efficiently cut the meat with the fat on the top, you will need to apply more energy which translates to sloppy and edge-less cuts. Study your meat first to understand its structuring in order to place it properly on the cutting block.

2. Cut Against The Grains

Carefully study the way the grain of the muscle fibers of your steak run. I’ve explained in detail why you should cut your meat against the grain here. But generally, cutting meat across the grain offers tenderer and faster cuts.

However, meat cut across the muscle fibers is a bit harder to chew. When you cut your meat steak against the grain, you will separate the strong muscle fibers hence creating more palatable thin meat pieces.

Cutting meat against grains is simpler and fun too. To know the way the grains go on a meat steak, you will need to identify the rows of parallel lines. These are essentially the muscle fibers forming the grain.

In case you find it hard locating the flow of the grains, you may need to cut off a small portion first to get a clearer visual cue. Meat cut against the grain has a differing texture from meat cut across the grain.

3. Use A Sharp Meat Cutter

Whether you use a manual meat slicer or a knife, you must ensure that the blade is sharp. Cutting meat steak using a kitchen knife with a dull blade is quite dangerous. Don’t forget that for a dull knife to cut through any meat steak, you must exert lots of force on it which increases the odds of the knife slipping with maximum force before it.

Unless you are very lucky, when the knife slips out, it will end up cutting through your meat instead. As with very sharp knives, they hold on to the meat strongly and steadily. You don’t need to apply lots of force on it to make smooth and fast cuts. The chances of being injured in the process are very few hence.

4. Partially Freeze The Meat

Putting your raw steak of meat in a freezer and allowing it to partially freeze for about 30 minutes before cutting lessens the cutting work and streamlines the process. Partially frozen meat is somehow firm and easier to cut through. Freezing raw meat partially before cutting makes it easier for you to make smooth and thin slices and strips.

When placed in a freezer, the meat will be converted into a semi-solid piece that has a firmer structure. When freezing your steak of meat, make sure it’s firm not touched. Don’t allow it to turn rock-hard solid.

However, this is not the best meat-cutting trick for people who don’t like frozen meat. It would be better if you invest in a better quality knife or a good meat slicer.

Conclusion

If you have ever tried slicing raw meat before, you know it is not an easy task. The worst situation is when you have to use a knife or meat slicing machine with a blunt blade. No matter how small or big you want to slice your meat, you have to understand the rules and master the art.

Test several raw meat cutting tricks to know which one works for you. Cut different kinds of meat as well to know which technique works best for different meat types. Make sure to invest in the right equipment for cutting raw meat also and don’t forget to clean the meat slicer afterwards, very important.

Eric Mitchell

Eric is the owner, author, content director and founder of dehydratorlab.com. He is the lead architect and the main man in matters concerning dehydrators, their accessories, guides, reviews and all the accompaniments.Whenever he is not figuring out simple solutions (hacks) involving cookery and their eventual storage, you will find him testing out the different types of dehydrators, to bring us the juicy details regarding these devices.He is a foodie enthusiast, pasionate about making jerky has a knack for healthy and tasty food and won't hesitate to share out any ideas that might be of value around this subject.

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