Improve your grill game. Part 3
A knife may seem like a no brainer for outdoor cooking but there is more to it than you think. You can do many things in preparation and serving with one that you’d do right by treating yourself to a sharp knife well suited to the tasks ahead.
#3 A Sharp Knife
When you get to be known as a BBQ guy (or girl), you might find yourself helping out everytime you go to a friends house for their bbq. It's fun and I always appreciate the recognition and I love to share my craft. However, the worst thing is when you ask them for a knife and they dig out that one knife they use. A quick inspection reveals it is not only cheap, but flimsy and uncomfortable to hold. Not to mention the knife edge is rippled like a piece of cooked bacon. I just shake my head and then I remember not everybody is a meat snob. It's crazy when I remember all the stuff I bought or do just because I like to bbq. Like the time I bought a chop saw so I could make my own wood chunks. Or when I gave up my dream of getting a sleek BMW because instead I wanted a big truck to carry around bbq grills.
Anyway, I understand that it's hard to see the value of a good knife that may cost between $100 and $150 when there are so many cheap knives that look cool and sharp. However, a lot of knives are just not good. Even when you do get a good knife, you can't just let it ride for 20 years without some attention. People also don't realize that a good knife needs maintenance to keep that razor sharp edge. When using a good knife for the first time it is an eye opening event. You feel such power over the food. Like when He-Man raised his sword to the sky! By the power of grayskull, I have the power!
A good knife is a must have for anyone involved in cooking but especially in grilling and BBQ. Before you put proteins on the grill you really need to trim them first. Trim everything to the way you want it to come out. I used to think that I didn't need to trim certain meats that I bought from the store. The guys at the store are not personalizing your cuts and you should learn what you like and what you don't like. Yes it's a tremendous amount of power you possess that you can sculpt your meat like you would a piece of art.
Let me share one of the first times I started to really understand this. I was learning to cook a beef brisket. I was watching a video by the newly inducted 2020 BBQ hall of fame cook Aaron Franklin. Before he was a hall of famer, he was known for having the best brisket in America at his restaurant in Austin Texas. Buying and cooking a brisket can be extremely intimidating. It is an expensive and big piece of meat and just the time needed to cook is an investment. You really don't want to mess it up. Anyways, he starts to trim the brisket and then he cuts off a nice size flap of meat. Almost looked like a nice small steak or something. I was so shocked how he nonchalantly cut that piece off. Then he explained that the piece always burns and is ultimately wasted anyways. Then I saw the light, you don't have to accept the meat that comes out the package. You have the control to make the meat like you want. So you need to trim your meat, even the fat off of a chicken breast.
Growing up around my parents who both cooked a lot but weren't really chefs, I quickly learned to hate cutting stuff up when prepping. We typically just bought things that were already prepared and cut up or canned in pieces. Cutting things was always such a pain in the butt. What I realized as I grew older is that cutting things with a dull knife is not only dangerous but it is a real chore. Using a dull knife is dangerous because cutting with a dull knife causes the blade to slip or skip and can cut a finger. So do yourself and others a favor and invest in a good knife.
A good knife also comes in handy when preparing sides like veggies and potatoes. It makes easy work of the things that you need to do. It also helps when preparing the finished product like slicing cooked chicken breast or tri-tip. Without a good knife you could ruin a great protein that you spent so much time making it great.