After all the effort of finding and cooking the perfect steak, the last thing you want is to mess it up when it’s time to cut it. Cutting it incorrectly can cause some cuts to lose their tenderness. That’s right: How you cut the steak is just as key as how you cook it. But don’t worry, I’ve got your back. Here’s a quick guide to help you cut your steak right, keeping it as tender as possible.
How to Cut Steak the Right Way?
When it comes to slicing steak, there’s a golden rule: cut the steak always against the grain. This isn’t just steak snobbery – it ensures your steak is as tender as it can be when it hits your palate. This technique is a game-changer for tougher steaks like skirt, hanger, and flank.
Tender steak cuts such as ribeye, filet mignon, or strip steak present a different case. Their grain is much finer, sometimes hardly noticeable, because their muscle fibers are thinner and don’t create a noticeable grain. So, while you can slice tender steaks against the grain, it’s unnecessary. It’s really up to your texture preference. I like to slice low-graded strip steak against the grain and suggest you try both ways to see what you like best.
And just to drive the point home, let’s take flank steak as our test subject. Watch what happens when you cut it with the grain and then against it – the difference might surprise you.
What Is the Grain in Meat?
Grain in meat is all about how the muscle fibers line up. These fibers are pretty tough — just try stretching one out, and you’ll see what I mean. When I talk about the grain in a steak, I talk about the direction in which these fibers run.
Take a look at the pictures below to see how the grain varies across raw and cooked steak:
How to Identify the Direction of the Grain in Steak?
Lean and tough steaks like flank or hanger come from the more active muscle areas. The grain, or the direction the muscle fibers run, is pretty easy to spot in these cuts. But the task gets trickier when you’re dealing with tender cuts like ribeye or filet mignon. Since these come from less worked muscles, their fibers are finer, and the grain isn’t as pronounced.
Below are some photos that will help you see the grain in various raw steak cuts.
Looking at a raw or cooked steak, you’ll notice the lines where the muscle fibers align; this is the grain. When you slice against it, the muscle fibers are cut short, visible on the steak’s cross-section – that’s your ticket to tenderness. If you slice along these grains, your knife will follow the muscle fibers, making the steak tougher to chew.
Remember, though, that the direction of the grain can change from one steak to another, depending on how it was butchered. You’ll have to play detective and figure out the grain direction for each piece.
Pro tip: To get it right every time, take a quick snapshot of your steak before you get to cooking, or look for a guide on your particular cut.
Why Should You Cut Steak Against the Grain?
When you cut the steak against the grain, you shorten the muscle fibers, ensuring each bite is tender. It’s easier for your teeth to break apart the steak as you chew because you’re slicing through the fibers, not alongside them. On the other hand, if you cut a steak along the grain, you’ll end up with long, tough fibers that are harder to chew. That’s why it’s essential to slice against the grain, especially with tougher steaks.
Let’s compare the two steak slices below: one is cut along the grain, while the other is cut against the grain. The difference in tenderness is clear.
Let’s now do a test together. Take a flank steak and slice it up—first along the grain, then against, like in the photo. Now, take the piece cut along the grain and hold it between your hands, with the grain running from hand to hand. Try pulling it apart. Nothing much happens, right? Now, turn that slice 90 degrees and pull again.
See the difference? This quick experiment underscores a key point: cutting along the grain leaves the muscle fibers long and intact, making the meat tough to pull apart. But when you cut against the grain, those long fibers are shortened, making the meat much easier to tear.
Remembering this technique when slicing your steak can dramatically enhance its tenderness and overall enjoyment.
How To Cut Steak FAQs
Do grill marks show where the grain of the meat is?
No, grill marks aren’t a reliable way to determine the meat’s grain. Sometimes, they might line up, but that’s just a happy accident.
How long to let the steak rest before slicing it?
It depends on the steak’s thickness and how you like it cooked, but a good rule of thumb for a 1.5-inch (3.8 cm) steak is to let it rest for 5 to 7 minutes. To learn more, see my full guide on How Long to Rest Steak After Cooking.
What’s the best knife for cutting steak?
A sharp, comfy, well-balanced knife is best for cutting steak. There are serrated and non-serrated options. Serrated ones are great for tough cuts but can be a pain to sharpen and might shred your steak a bit. Non-serrated knives are great for a clean slice, and you can sharpen them up anytime. Daily steak-eating doesn’t need fancy knives, but a top-notch knife can make a difference for those special dinners.