Best Knife for trimming Brisket

[Boater]

I've only used their polypropylene handled knives, and those grips work great.  And yes, they're great, inexpensive knives.  The boner, paring, and fillet knives are all solid.  My only issue with my paring knife is that you have to pay a bit more attention than you should have to, to make sure you're not trying to cut with the back of the blade.  Obvious with first cut, but a bit too symmetrical blade shape unless you're watching for it.  So if you're tired when you pick it up, that's when it'll happen.

[keeperovdeflame]

I use a Global 7" boning knife, but any sharp knife will work. I like using a boning knife because it's thin profile and light weight  makes it easy to wield. One thing I learned about brisket trimming is that when it comes to flavor, fat is actually your friend. It is easy to get into your trimming mode and end up with very little fat left on the outside of your brisket.  I like about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch fat cap. When I plate my brisket I trim any excess fat off each slice, after leaving it on during the cook. 

[JeffieBoy]

I have been following this topic for six months now and had come to the decision that I needed a boning knife.  That said, I must advise that I am cheap.  Do I really need to drop $60-100 on a knife that I might use a dozen times a year?  Flip - flop, flip - flop.

 

So yesterday we made a drop off at our local charity thrift store.  As usual we take a walk through and I check out the kitchen goods and the “wall of abused utensils”.  Nothing.  As I walk away from the wall, i see a small group of knife blocks with no-name knives.  One catches my eye as there is a smaller knife with three rivets showing.  Pull it out and bingo, Henckels 5.5 inch boning knife.  It looked a bit dirty and dull, but essentially unused.  Entire block price? $3.99 CAD.  I run for the till, pay, head out the door and drop everything (sans boning knife) into the donation bin outside.

 

Spent 5 minutes when I got home with my sharpener and steel.  A good washing and now I have quite a nice, sharp and flexible boning knife!  Perfect for my needs.

 

 

[JohnnyAppetizer]

26 minutes ago, JeffieBoy said:

Henckels 5.5 inch boning knife

That’s the one I use. Bought it on clearance. I do have some others in rotation. That one is good for the membrane on baby backs, and silver skin. Good for skinning fish, too.

[Paul in AZ]

2 hours ago, JeffieBoy said:

 Do I really need to drop $60-100 on a knife that I might use a dozen times a year?  Flip - flop, flip - flop.

No.  

Find a Victoriaknox boning knife.   These are only about $30.  I got mine at a restaurant supply store but Bed Bath etc and others sell them.

They are what a local specialty knife shop owner calls 'commercial or restaurant grade'.   Not fancy but outstanding.  German stainless steel sharpened to a 15 degree edge like Japanese sacura chef knives.  Wicked sharp.

It is my favorite knife.

[John Setzler]

[Jack.]

An old Weber high carbon slicer (from back when Weber marketed such things under their brand name) with a rosewood handle, about $10 @ a yard sale.  Gets shaving sharp. 

 

[JeffieBoy]

Both those slicers look gorgeous!  I especially like the red guard locking pin.  I do have a good “Grohmann” 10” Chef’s knife (made here in Canada) that I use for a lot of slicing work.  The smaller blade will be used around bones, etc.  I am happy so far with this purchase!

[JeffieBoy]

@Paul in AZ A $30.00 USD knife in the USA would typically run $50-60 CAD here in Canada.  Maybe I will look when in HHI next spring.  I am happy with spending $3.99 for now…

 

 

[RoodyPooBBQ]

Victorinox Fibrox FLEXIBLE fillet knife changed my life when it comes to trimming briskets and other meats.  I have a Zwilling pro version that's really stiff, and while it should be a "better" knife, I find the flex in the Victorinox to be a big advantage.

 

On the other hand, I also have the Victorinox Fibrox 12" brisket slicing knife, and really dislike it.  I'm not sure if it just came dull or what, but it really doesn't do a great job and I've resorted to using my 10" Zwilling Pro chef's knife on my last brisket (an excellent knife, but does require sharpening at least once / year).  

 

I'm sure a Dexter slicer is fine - if that's what the pros use then I'm sure it's good enough for me - but I might get a Dalstrong Shogun 12" slicer instead since I'm a sucker for the look of it and having something with a full tang.  I have a couple of their other knives and absolutely love them - the only problem is that their quality control must not be good, because I've had to exchange a few due to them coming either with chips or other blemishes.  But once you get a good one, it's great.

[Boater]

14 minutes ago, RoodyPooBBQ said:

I'm sure a Dexter slicer is fine - if that's what the pros use then I'm sure it's good enough for me -

The biggest point for me with the Dexter knives is that they have (for me at least) a good balance between maintaining a sharp blade and ease of resharpening.  If I was looking for a knife that I didn't want to sharpen, I'd look elsewhere.  Other than something like a bread knife, that will never see hard use, all the knives I use regularly will need touchup regularly and sharpening after a heavy job (filleting a lot of fish with heavy scales, for instance).  

[RoodyPooBBQ]

1 hour ago, Boater said:

The biggest point for me with the Dexter knives is that they have (for me at least) a good balance between maintaining a sharp blade and ease of resharpening.  If I was looking for a knife that I didn't want to sharpen, I'd look elsewhere.  Other than something like a bread knife, that will never see hard use, all the knives I use regularly will need touchup regularly and sharpening after a heavy job (filleting a lot of fish with heavy scales, for instance).  

 

Makes sense.  I use mine much less - maybe a brisket per month, and just typical home BBQ stuff.  Rarely going through bone, but I have a heavy-### Dexter cleaver for super tough stuff.

 

My favorite knife ever is the Dalstrong Raptor, which admittedly I got just because I thought it looked cool, but it's super versatile and probably the sharpest out-of-the-box knife I've ever had.