Best Knives for Cutting Meat

If you are looking for the best knives for cutting meat, here is a list that we’ve compiled to help navigate the different uses for a variety of knives.

For Trimming/Sectioning Meat

Trimmer (utility knife): Use it to trim fat from steaks and roasts, and remove silver skin from tenderloins.

Boning Knife: Use it also to trim fat, and remove meat from bones and butterfly boneless roasts and steaks.

Santoku-Style Trimmer: Use it similar to a Trimmer to trim fat and cube raw meat.

Butcher Knife: Use it to cut larger cuts of meat down into convenient smaller pieces, like large beef tenderloin and sectioning ribs.

For Carving Meat

9" Carver (carving knife): Use it to carve medium to large bone-in meat like turkey, ham and roasts.

6-3/4" Petite Carver: Use it to carve smaller cuts of bone-in meat like whole chicken or turkey breast.

Santoku-Style 8" Carver: Similar to the 9" Carver, it is another option for carving medium to large bone-in meat.

For Slicing Meat

9" Slicer (slicing knife): Use it to slice boneless beef, ham or pork roasts. 

7-3/4" Petite Slicer: Use it to slice smaller boneless meat, like a small ham, or to make thin slices of flank steak, sirloin or London broil.

Salmon Knife: Use it to remove skin from salmon and other fish, and to thinly slice.

Santoku-Style 10" Slicer: Use it to slice larger cuts of boneless meat, like brisket or tri-tip.

This is our list of the best knives for cutting meat – what knives do you like to use?

If you’re looking for tips on how to use the knives, visit the Knife Skills section of our Learning Center. Happy trimming, carving and slicing!