Competition knives

[cmohr74]

Once again the kid has questions. I have a set of knives at home that are my kitchen knives, but that's where they stay. If I were to go out and get a set of knives to bring with me for competition...or just for backyard q'ing, what would you recommend and what purpose do they serve you when competing?

[cmohr74]

One of the reasons I ask is I saw the recent Smoke Signals talking about mad cow cutlery and the mundial style. The have quite a sale going on at 60% off some decent knives. Just curious on experienced Brethrens opinions.

[PorkQPine]

I am still using the Victornox knives that were used by my grandfather who was a butcher and that was 50 years ago. I bought some of them to fill out what I needed over the last few years and they are the best for the price.

[Ron_L]

Here are some recent threads on knives...

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...d.php?t=123313
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...d.php?t=122170
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...d.php?t=122879

Also, here is a thread on a custom brisket slicer that is great!

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...d.php?t=111704

[lcbateman3]

I use the Mad Cow Cutlery and am very impressed with them. Now I would love to have one of those fancy brisket slicers, but wife won't let me pull the trigger on it.

[Slamdunkpro]

We had a big discussion on this at a class this weekend. My Opinion FWIW:

You can do an entire KCBS event with an 8 inch chef's knife if you have some knife skills. You can acquire some knife skills by taking a class and spending a little time practicing on a bag of potatoes and some chicken thighs. If you are comfortable with your knife and it's sharp you can do it. Does a slicer (especially mine) make it easier? You bet. I would happily only take 3 sharp knives to an event: An 8 inch chef's, a 6 inch flexible utility(also mine, but hey) a slicer and a pair of kitchen scissors. In fact that's what I carry with the addition on a 7 inch flat bladed Nakiri style vegetable knife for trimming and scraping chicken (yeah, it's a vegetable knife but don't knock it until you've tried it. The blade configuration makes trimming and scraping chicken a breeze.

Add a good ceramic hone"steel" to that package and you have a great KCBS kit that won't break the bank. I use Wusthofs, but any good grade will do. I choose the German knives over the Japanese partially on price and partially on the face that I can catch a bone or a splinter with the German blades and not have to worry about chipping it. I want a blade that easy to sharpen and hard enough to hold a good edge for 5 or 6 events.

[big brother smoke]

I use Forschners for trimming all four meats and Shuns for slicing, but other knives work as well. Knives being sharp and your comfort with them is key.

[Crash]

We have used the Victorinox/Forschner product for many years and have no complaints. A 6" Chef's, 8" Chef's, and a Granton Edge 12" slicer work perfect for us at competitions. Doesnt break the bank either.

Slamdunk brings up a great point though, it really can all be done with one 8" Chef's knife.

[Smokin Hoggz]

I've been using a set of Victorinox/Forschner for the past couple of years, my first knife from this set was the 14" slicer/graton edge and a 7" santuko, the rest of the set I got about a year later and it includes: 3-1/4-inch Parer, 5-inch Curved Boning, 8-inch Bread, 10-inch Meat Slicer, 10-inch Chef's, 10-inch Honing Steel, Canvas Knife Roll. Do I need all of these knives? No, but it's nice to know that I have them. These knives in my opinion are very good, they are actually better than the ones use every day at home, which is going to change very soon!!

[rksylves]

Three knives are my core set for comps. Cuisinart 8" Chefs, 3" Paring (don't remember brand), and 12" Forschner for slicing.

I do have a Santuko (never use it), an extra paring (spare), and I just bought a 6" Chef's knife but I don't think I like it as much as the 8". I'm looking seriously at a Messermeister boning knife.

Great book on the subject, "An Edge in the Kitchen".

Russ

[smokeyw]

I agree with all of the above choices but I use a knife often that has not been mentioned and I'm a little surprised. One of my go to knives is an 8" boning knife that I keep razor sharp. Does anyone use a boning knife besides me for trimming meat?

[Slamdunkpro]

Originally Posted by smokeyw

I agree with all of the above choices but I use a knife often that has not been mentioned and I'm a little surprised. One of my go to knives is an 8" boning knife that I keep razor sharp. Does anyone use a boning knife besides me for trimming meat?

I used to before I did the flex knife.

[Alexa RnQ]

We are still using the same set of Forschners that I got for VQ after our very first class with QN4U: granton-edged slicer, santoku, boning knife, paring knife. We also keep a pair of poultry shears for doing odd jobs.

As mentioned above, it's not about how many different knives you have; it's about the knife being impeccably sharp, and you having a lot of practice under your belt, and a steady hand.

[ique]

Originally Posted by smokeyw

I agree with all of the above choices but I use a knife often that has not been mentioned and I'm a little surprised. One of my go to knives is an 8" boning knife that I keep razor sharp. Does anyone use a boning knife besides me for trimming meat?

Yeah, thats one of my go-to knifes especially for trimming briskets. I use:

-10" chefs knife
- 8" flexible boning knife
- 12" Slicing knife - the MABBQ knife is great
- Kitchen Shears

[El Pistolero]

Originally Posted by lcbateman3

I use the Mad Cow Cutlery and am very impressed with them. Now I would love to have one of those fancy brisket slicers, but wife won't let me pull the trigger on it.

Does anyone know if Mad Cow Cutlery is still around? They let their domain expire.