Best Knives for Cutting and Preparing Meat: A Guide To Building Your Meat Knife Set

Here’s our guide to the best knives for cutting and preparing meat like a pro.

When mastering preparing, cutting, butchering, or boning, having the right tools can make a massive difference to your meat-cooking experience.  

In this guide, we cover the best knives for meat and the materials these knives are available in.  

Whether you're a grilling enthusiast or just looking to level up your meat cooking, the right knife can elevate your experience for sure!

Key Knives for Meat Cutting and Handling

When it comes to preparing and working with meats, here are all the top types of knives and their particular purpose:

Chef's Knife

The Chef’s knife is the kitchen's workhorse – it’s an all-rounder for sure, and for some, the knife they reach for most often.

A Chef’s knife is not purely designed for cutting meat – it's also used for slicing vegetables, fruit, and herbs, so it’s a good investment and starter knife.

Of all the knives, it can handle most meat-cutting tasks – from trimming fat to portioning meat and more.

Here are the features of a good Chef’s knife:

• Suitable for a variety of kitchen tasks.
• Has good balance and stability.
• It has a long blade that slices and cuts precisely.

Material

The different materials used to craft Chef knives impact their durability, how easy they are to care for, and how sharp they are.

High-carbon stainless steel is one of the most popular materials due to its fantastic edge retention and resistance to corrosion. It has a reputation for being rust and stain-resistant.

Another broadly used material is Damascus. Damascus kitchen knives have wavy patterns created by layering different kinds of steel. Take a look at our beautiful 8-inch Damascus Chef’s Knife with this warm, cherry-red wooden handle. It’s so comfortable to hold, and the handle gives the feeling of homemade chef’s knives of days gone by—pure quality.

Damascus is not a type of steel but rather a technique and result of forging. You know the old story about the Sword in the Stone? Yup, we are talking about King Arthur and sword-making times—that is where Damascus comes from. The multiple layers give the blade incredible durability and strength.

In addition to steel, modern chef's knives may incorporate other materials such as:

• Ceramic
• Titanium
• Composite materials (e.g., carbon fiber)
• Resin

Each material has its own set of characteristics. Ultimately, the choice of material depends on factors such as cutting style, maintenance preferences, and desired aesthetic appeal.

For a slightly larger Chef’s knife, our Nomad Series 8-inch Chef’s knife is a must. Check out its draw-dropping epoxy-resin handle; it is just incredible. For an outdoorsy cook, this Messermeister 6-inch Folding Chef’s Knife is perfect. We love that this knife has the feel of traditional pocket knives!

Note: Holding a chef’s knife can take some time to get used to. Some people find the handle heavy, to begin with. You will soon get used to the feeling of holding, rocking, and slicing with your blade.

Meat Cleaver

A cleaver is also known as a butcher’s knife. This blade is designed explicitly for meat-related tasks, unlike the Chef’s knife, which can be used for non-meat-related processes.

Its wide, sturdy blade is perfect for splitting, cleaving, and chopping through bones and chunky cuts of meat. This is a great knife if you need to work with large cuts of meat or plan to do any butchering.

What’s not to love about this 7-inch Damascus Cleaver Knife with a classic wooden handle? The 7-inch Kai Cleaver is a reliable option, while this Nomad Series Cleaver, with its epoxy handle, will be a talking point in your kitchen.

Here’s a quick summary of these knives:

• They are specifically for meat-cutting.
• Have a wide blade for easier chopping and cutting up.
• It is great for butchering larger cuts of meat.

It's a handy tool for separating ribs and cleaving poultry.

Boning Knife

A boning knife is specifically designed for meat trimming, deboning, and filleting.

It has a thin, bendy blade is great for “wriggling” around bones and joints. Another bonus is that this knife is designed to minimize wastage. Our 6-inch Damascus Boning Knife will do the trick.

Note: Be careful when you start using this knife. Because of its bendy nature, the knife can easily wriggle and slip, causing you to slice into your finger. Make sure to use it with clean, dry hands.

Pros:

• Designed for precision boning, trimming, and filleting.
• A thin, flexible blade allows for intricate cuts.
• It is ideal for deboning and trimming meat.

Carving Knife

The name pretty much says it all – this meat is specifically made to cut cooked meat into slices and serving portions. The design of the blade delivers evenly cut slices of meat.

Here are the key features of a classic carving knife:

• A long, slim blade that is great for cutting neat slices of cooked meat.
• It gives you clean, even slices – great for presentation and serving.
• Slice the meat super thin – make sure you get loads of slices out of your roast. Great for feeding big groups.

Note: A carving knife solves the challenge of achieving clean, uniform slices of meat, whether you're carving a roast turkey or a beef tenderloin.

Fillet Knife

A fillet knife is typically used to fillet fish but is also great for meat-related tasks like removing excess skin. Two incredible boning knives to consider are the Williams In Shore Fillet Knife  and the Kai Professional flexible fillet knife.

Here’s why you will love a fillet knife in your collection:

• It has a flexible blade that is great for filleting with.
• It is perfect for delicate tasks like removing skin.
• It is designed to reduce meat wastage.

General Maintenance and Care Tips for Meat Knives

Whichever knife or knives you choose to invest in, good maintenance and proper care are critical to keeping your investment around for as long as possible.

Here are some top tips to keep your knives in good order for as long as possible. We have also included some safety handling tips.

• Sharpening as a habit: Get a good-quality sharpening tool, such as a honing rod or sharpening stone. Use this tool to sharpen your knives regularly. As soon as the blade starts feeling blunt, sharpen it. You can also send your knives to a professional sharpener once or twice a year if you’d like.
  
  Note: A sharp knife is safer than a blunt one.

• Washing by hand: To keep your meat knives in tip-top shape, wash them with soap and warm water rather than putting them in the dishwasher.

A quick safety tip: do not leave knives in a sink of soapy water. The reality is someone might accidentally reach in and cut themselves.

 Wrapping It Up

Whether you're a seasoned foodie or a newbie in the kitchen, investing in quality knives will take your meat-cutting and cooking skills to another level.

Be sure to browse through our collection of knives and reach to us on 305-835-7570 should you have any questions.