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Competition Quality Slicing Knives

BasicPatrick

BasicPatrick

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The more I compete the more I realize the importance of knife skills in competition BBQ.

Being a professional angler I have intimate knowledge of how a good knife in the right hands is truely a precision instrament. I was happily suprised this past season when my many years of being able to separate the delicate skin of a Haddock from the filet was mere preparation for removing the layer of fat from the underside of a Chicken thigh. Yes, I filet the fat layer from the true opaque skin. :crazy:

I may know exactly what knife I want to skin fish and prep thighs; but my experience of slicing is that of a true rookie.

I have used all kinds of filet knives ranging from $5 to $500. I choose a good old fashioned sani handled Dexter Russell. Perfect flex in the right places, durable, easy to sharpen to the needed edge and affordable.

Today I am shopping for a knife (or knives) to make the needed tear free razors edge slices of Brisket and Ribs.

What knives are youl using to perform these tasks?

Is there a difference between the $20 wholesale 14" Granton slicers vs the Forschner for $67 vs the Wustof being sold by FBA on this site vs the higher end knives?

Inform Me...Please
 
There is a new knife made by Wustoff and sold by MABA that has a lot of people excited. It's a bit too pricey for me personally (~$150 I think), but you can go to their website to see it. I believe it's 14" long.

A lot of ppl around here like the 12" slicer from Victronox with the Fibrox handle. It used cost around $40, but Amazon now has it for about $46. I'm not sure if that's an across the board increase. Local restraunt supply also used to have it for $40 + tax.

Personally, I have a similar knife with a Sofgrip handle from Next Day Gourmet. It's still $39, and I've never had a problem with it. I haven't really had the opportunity to compare the Victronox to the NDG, but the NDG slices brisket and ribs fine.

Some teams also use an electric slicer. I don't, but keep that in mind. If you go the electric slicer route, I think it's important that you think about one with a long enough blade to get through a brisket, and you would probably want enough extra blades to cut everything. As a non-user of those though, you'd have to ask others.

dmp
 
I want that MABA knife, but, I am using either a 10" sushi knife, or an old Flint slicer with a weird thin blade that makes perfect slices.
 
Dexter-Russel or Wusthof scalloped edge slicer....I carry two, both of them only cut brisket or mm
 
Let me take a shot at this:heh:
(In case you don't know, I designed the Wusthof slicer, and it's MABA not FBA that's distributing them)

Is there a difference other than blade shape, yeah. The Wusthof is thinner, a little more flexible and harder than the DR or the Forschner. I have a DR and a Forschner, when I started the Wusthof project I used those two as a benchmark. I spent a lot of time cutting the edges on the two slicers with my Edgepro and these were my findings:


  • I had trouble keeping a satisfactory slicing edge on the DR - it just rolled over too easily. I'd have to steel it 2 or 3 times when cutting down one brisket and it didn't last that long between actual sharpenings.It also had a lot of drag and tore the edges of the brisket more than the Forschner.
  • The Forschner kept a better edge at a shallower angle but the blade was almost 3mm thick causing some tearing when I got down into the brisket. It was easier to sharpen than the DR but there was still some stainless steel "rebound" on the edge.
The blade shape is still the biggest difference - I wanted a blade where I could cut a full brisket slice with one stroke, not drag my knuckles on the table and not tear the edges of the brisket. The Wusthof is easier to sharpen to a keener edge and doesn't require as much steeling as the other two (and, for the price difference I would expect that)


Hope this helps



BasicPatrick said:
The more I compete the more I realize the importance of knife skills in competition BBQ.

Being a professional angler I have intimate knowledge of how a good knife in the right hands is truely a precision instrament. I was happily suprised this past season when my many years of being able to separate the delicate skin of a Haddock from the filet was mere preparation for removing the layer of fat from the underside of a Chicken thigh. Yes, I filet the fat layer from the true opaque skin. :crazy:

I may know exactly what knife I want to skin fish and prep thighs; but my experience of slicing is that of a true rookie.

I have used all kinds of filet knives ranging from $5 to $500. I choose a good old fashioned sani handled Dexter Russell. Perfect flex in the right places, durable, easy to sharpen to the needed edge and affordable.

Today I am shopping for a knife (or knives) to make the needed tear free razors edge slices of Brisket and Ribs.

What knives are youl using to perform these tasks?

Is there a difference between the $20 wholesale 14" Granton slicers vs the Forschner for $67 vs the Wustof being sold by FBA on this site vs the higher end knives?

Inform Me...Please
Click to expand...
 
I use Mundial, great hand weight and IMO of very good quality. I will be adding a couple Kyocera ceramics to my knife bag here shortly also.

Hope this helps,
J
 
I'm currently using that 12" Victorinox granton w/Fibrox handle that dmprantz mentioned and it's suiting my needs...for now. As soon as I can justify the expense, I'm really hoping to get one of Slamdunkpro's brisket slicers.
 
Thanks for chiming in. Mould you mind comparing it to the Victronix as well? Is it significantly thinner?
 
And a minor hijack... any comments on best option to sharpen these scalloped type slicers?
 
ique said:
And a minor hijack... any comments on best option to sharpen these scalloped type slicers?
Click to expand...

If you're asking about your Glestain beef slicer use a flat stone on the back then you have to do each cut with a 3/8" square or triangular stone, then knock the burr off the back with a light pass from the flat stone.
 
Chris, the man that was at Lexington in March from Boston did an awesome job of cleaning up and sharping all of my knives, even the scalloped edge samom slicer i use on the ribs. I think the company was Stoddards ?



ique said:
And a minor hijack... any comments on best option to sharpen these scalloped type slicers?
Click to expand...
 
We use the Forschner. It also is the slicing knife that Americas Test Kitchen found to be the best after extensive testing.
 
Bought a Gunter Wilhelm 12" slicer from Costco last year, really pleased with it so far, nice weight and balance. Feels durable enough to endure beating that they take at comps.
 
We have both the Forstners and the $15 generic 14 inch slicer from www.webstaurantstore.com and to be honest we usually grab the generic.
It needs to be sharpened a little more often, but it takes an edge just as well and has less drag going thru brisket because the blade is half as thick (tall?).
 
Sorry to hijack but............."Yes, I filet the fat layer from the true opaque skin. :crazy:"
How does one do this??
 
I started using these knives this season, and I have been extremely happy with the performance and price! They are a titanium alloy, and NSF approved. The filet knife works great for brisket detail trimming, and the smaller chef knife works well for fat removal from chicken skins. I "scrape" as opposed to trying to "filet" the fat off the backside.

Amazon.com: Clauss Kitchen Knife and Shear Set With Carrying Case, Contains Six Pieces: Kitchen & Dining@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41MA8l-paLL.@@AMEPARAM@@41MA8l-paLL
 
I use these from Costco...Montana Knife Works they are inexpensive and hold an edge very well...:p

On a side note...I was fortunate enough to test drive one of Mike's (Slamdunkpro) brisket knives at the Jack last October...and if I had any extra cash available at the time I would have taken it home! :thumb: It was very well balanced...sharp as a razor...and sliced through my brisket with one smooth stroke..I highly recommend it! :becky: Thanks again Mike!
 
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