September 12, 2021

So, you made it through the wait and you’re ready to break down your dry-aged subprimal. First of all - congratulations! Waiting is the hardest part and you’ve got the best steak of your life ahead of you. However, something that’s often ignored is just how important your carving knife is if you’re wanting perfect results. Aside from making the process that much easier, a good knife means less scraps and tears and more consistent steak sizes. Clean cut, consistently sized steaks are important to the cooking process: anything but can burn and be over/under cooked. Good news is, we’ve compiled some tips and recommendations so you know everything you need to for a perfect result. 

To get in touch with the Danby SteakAger team, give us a call at 800-768-0617 or write to us via email by filling out the short form on our contact page.

Tip #1: Sharpen Your Knives

The most basic and important piece of advice we can give is: keep your knives sharp! A dull knife will make the job of trimming harder and messier, but it’s easy to fix. We recommend sharpening your knives with a stone or grinder 1-2 times a year, depending on how you use your knives. 

Tip #2: Hone Your Knives

Sharpening’s equally-as-important sibling, honing, often goes ignored. But to get consistently great results, and maintain your knife’s quality over time and use, you have to maintain your knife’s edge by honing.We recommend using a ceramic honing tool, but steel works great as well and is a great accessible, affordable option. 

Tip #3: Use the Right Knives

Using the right knife is equally as important (if not more) than using a good knife. For this job, you’re going to need a few knives specifically designed for carving, cutting near bone (if necessary) and slicing. Specifically: 

  • An 8-10 inch chef’s blade (for multi-use purposes)
  • A butcher’s knife (for cutting beef)
  • A stiff boning knife (which is flexible for cutting near bone)
  • A slicer (nice to have, but not necessary)

Tip #4: Ask for Help (If Necessary)

While a stiff boning knife will probably help you to dig out round bones, if your bone-in ribeye has a chine bone, you’ll need to use a saw to cut through. Sometimes, the best thing to do is take your subprimal to your local butcher and ask them to remove it.

Tip #5: Don’t Be Fooled By Electric Knives

You’re going to find that breaking down a subprimal is just as easy with a normal knife as it is with an electric - don’t be fooled by the electric knife. They can actually tear the subprimal and damage your steaks!