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Slicing Beef Against the Grain

   Meat should be sliced so that the most fibers are exposed in each cut. In American butchering techniques, the fibers run through the cuts, not along their surface planes. Sometimes you can see the fibers on the outside of the cut. If so, slice 90 degrees to their direction. 

   At other times, run your fingers along the surface of the meat to tell which way the fibers are running. Once in a while, it’s just trial and error: slice a small piece off the end of the meat and look at the fibers. Thinner cuts like steaks should also be sliced “on the bias” - that is, into wider strips. 

   At other times, run your fingers along the surface of the meat to tell which way the fibers are running. Once in a while, it’s just trial and error: slice a small piece off the end of the meat and look at the fibers. Thinner cuts like steaks should also be sliced “on the bias” that is, into wider strips.   

   To get the most width out of the strips, tilt your knife so that the blade angles slightly and is thereby held on a diagonal to the meat itself. Slice across the meat, removing a wider cut than you would have if you’d sliced straight down.