Have you ever noticed that in most beef recipes, you are told to cut your meat “against the grain”? Have you ever wondered why this step is so important? Do you wonder what the grain is and how to cut against it? And what are the best tools to do so?
To start, I am going to answer the question, “What is the grain?”
All meat, including beef, is made up of fiber bundles that make for a strong muscle in the animal. That muscle allows the animal to move as it needs. When the animal is butchered, the muscles are processed into cuts of meat to be consumed.
The grain is the alignment of the fiber bundles in that cut of meat. To ensure that you have palatable and easy to chew bites of meat, you need to cut against the natural alignment of those fiber bundles. If you cut with the grain, you end up giving your jaw an unnecessary workout.
Another reason that cutting against the grain is so important is how it fires up and starts the digestive process. By cutting those fibers down into smaller pieces, your teeth are better equipped to break down the meat in a safe form to swallow, allowing proper and maximum nutrient absorption.
Now that you know what the grain is, how exactly do you locate it on the cut of meat?
You only need two sharp objects. A sharp eye to find those fiber bundles and a sharp, non-serrated slicing knife.
And that is it!
By finding the grain of your cut of beef, and cutting against it, you are well on your way to enjoying a tender cut of beef, without worry of overworking those jaw muscles.
FUN FACT: Did you know finding the grain is very important when making beef jerky at home? If you want to learn how you can make beef jerky at home, click on this article!
Now that you know all about cutting your beef properly, head on over to the shop and purchase the best Nebraska-raised, dry aged beef.
So many articles and recipes remind us to cut against the grain. It seems none of them tell us the grain direction on cuts of meat that the direction should be the same on every cut you buy. For instance, a standing rib roast…the grain direction should never vary…why cant the “experts” tell us which direction this is? Does it run in the direction of the bones or perpendicular? This should be fairly common knowledge but no one seems to know it up front or at least tell us.
I will have to verify this myself when I salt the roast while it is raw. Then I will make that note on my recipe so I will not have to wonder about the question again. Searching the web for this simple answer is fruitless.
Cheri R
June 14, 2024
I agree with many of the things Kenny D said. Also explaining it is great but some people like myself read what you just wrote and go huh. I’m no slouch in the kitchen but the with the grain against the grain has always confused me. Pictures would be great then we know what we are looking at not trying to conjure a picture