BBQ Brisket-cutting knife

I'm gonna get crap for this but my wife sold Cutco in college a decade ago. I have a double set of everything handled in white and black. I use their large serrated carver as well as the bread knife. Does short work of any roasted meats. Wonderful serrations and I havn't had to sharpen any of them in the decade that I've had them, I'm pretty sure I could saw through an elbow joint a la civil war style if I had to with these things.
 
Thanks AntDog. It is obvious that you know your way around a pit and you know just how that serrated knife will perform and know just how much pressure to apply to get a nice clean slice because you have spent a lot of time doing it. I think an often overlooked factor in slicing brisket is technique and experience and that trumps knife choice IMO. As you know, clean slicing a tough brisket is easy but clean slicing a low and slow smoked brisket that is fork tender is not quite as easy. All the BBQ talk is making me hungry!
 
I smoked a big (10lb) brisket this weekend, and I cook brisket pretty regularly. I can get some very nice thin slices with my F. Dick Competition 9". I really think that knife is just amazing. It was actually one of the three kitchen knives my wife had when we got together, and she doesn't like knives. She bought the knife when she enrolled in a culinary school, that she quickly decided was not for her, but she had the knife.

The Competition was too big and too sharp for her, so she would never use it. I had a decent set of Henckels, but the F. Dick Competition totally wowed me. I had never heard of the brand until I started using the knife, because I guess they pretty much just market to schools. But the steel performance had been absolutely superb. It takes and keeps an excellent edge with ease. It's big, but manageable. It even has a 5" ruler etched by the spine on one side.

It's pretty much my everything in the kitchen, and you can find them new for just north of $100. I heartily, enthusiastically, and positively recommend getting a F. Dick Competition 9".

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The F. Dick is in the middle.

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I know it's cheating to cut up a chunk of cold brisket, but I had a chunk lying around and couldn't help myself. I really like this knife.
 
I always thought that F. Dick Competition 9 was a great design with the etched scale & cutting guide.
 
Also if you're looking to retire the 7" wusto, consider the 8 1/2" or 9 1/2" Mac Pro Mighty chefs knives. Probably one of the best working knives I've ever owned. Will definitely make short work of some good size brisket. Thinner, and easier to strop keep the edge. Not sure what you're thinking in terms of budget though.
 
Busto said:
Here is the knife you need watch the short video....I sent one to my brother couple years ago so it would be there when we go fishing....this is a crazy tuff blade....I know its guys processing big tuna but
this will slice brisket nice and thin....we use it to shave tuna "Sashimi" style paper thin!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUaDnMK3wPM
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Exactly what I would recommend! Bubba Blade 9in STIFFIE... I live in Central Texas and smoke brisket about 6 times a month, my go to slicer is the Bubba....
 
alright guys, some of you asked for photos, so this is the photo of my most recent try (the one referred to in the original post, with the sloppy cutting):

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antdog and cchu518, I've actually tried a cutco serrated on a previous (tougher) brisket, it did OK but did require quite a few passes, and it seemed like the thinness of the blade caused it to flex and snag. that might have been due to that particular brisket not being smoked right and being tougher in general, so perhaps I just need to practice with that blade more. sure cuts through hard-crusted french country style bread just fine.

tdkfm, I'm definitely considering the Dexters, their value proposition seems pretty incredible, and it will be nice to make a knife purchase that doesn't alarm the wife for once.

busto and bohawg, that Bubba blade is running a close second in my consideration, sweet video and just a fun-looking blade, price seems pretty reasonable. my wife was asking for something that could cut midline down through salmon heads, I'm guessing this would do the job just fine.

abbydaddy and Brisket, I've noticed that on your briskets and the competition-grade briskets that I see, the internal meat is still relatively light-colored with a clear pink smoke ring. Now, I can get my ribs to look just like that, but in my brisket, even though I'm pretty sure I can see a pink smoke ring portion, the rest of the meat is much darker colored. You guys have any ideas as to why that might be?

Thanks again to everyone who's contributed, I really appreciate all the great information in the thread, and I'm happy to have folks critique my brisket since I know there's tons of learning for me to do.
 
That brisket actually looks really good. Could maybe use a little more coarse ground pepper, but looks tasty. Good luck worn the purchase.
 
kubelik said:
abbydaddy and Brisket, I've noticed that on your briskets and the competition-grade briskets that I see, the internal meat is still relatively light-colored with a clear pink smoke ring. Now, I can get my ribs to look just like that, but in my brisket, even though I'm pretty sure I can see a pink smoke ring portion, the rest of the meat is much darker colored. You guys have any ideas as to why that might be?
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The smoke ring thing is purely due to a reaction of NO and CO to the myoglobin just under the "bark". It's a balance of NO and CO at a low and slow pace, and depending on what you're smoking with. Other than that it's just aesthetic. It used to be a general mark that the meat hadn't been overcooked, but adds nothing to flavor or compisition of the rest of the cut.
 
Smoke rings are easy - low and slow, and plenty of smoke early in the process. Just so we don't turn this into a BBQ thread, If you'd like to know a few tips, feel free to send me an email. And let me know what size briskets you usually work with.
 
BOHAWG said:
Exactly what I would recommend! Bubba Blade 9in STIFFIE... I live in Central Texas and smoke brisket about 6 times a month, my go to slicer is the Bubba....
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Another vote for the Bubba - brisket is a food group around here in Central Texas.
 
I don't know the science of smoke rings, but my approach is essentially to try to have lots of smoke and as little heat as possible for the first hour or so.
 
This is my Dexter Russell Chinese chef knife, it's $35. I reach for it more often than any of the other major brands I have currently global, henckels, cutco.

As you can see the flat portion works like a spatula. It looks like a cleaver but was designed for slicing and it's what the Chinese bbq shops in NYC use.
 
Either of these would work well. These (or similar) are what major chain BBQ restaurants here in central Texas use.

Wusthof 4859-7/28 Pro Series 11" Roast Slicer Knife

Dexter 40D-12-PCP Connoisseur 12" Duo-Edge Roast Slicer Knife

The Dexter is more expensive, but it is an inch longer. :D

In smaller, hole-in-the-wall or small-town BBQ shops, the usual culprit is what ever the owner prefers. I've seen slicers like above, but I've also seen butcher knives, serrated bread knives and turkey carvers used. It boils down to what you get used to AND how sharp it is. Serrated and plain blades both work fine, but plain blade usage demands a VERY sharp edge.
 
I do a lot of BBQing and i second the Victorinox Forschner slicing knife. I have the 12 inch and it does a great job.
 
B34NS said:
Also if you're looking to retire the 7" wusto, consider the 8 1/2" or 9 1/2" Mac Pro Mighty chefs knives. Probably one of the best working knives I've ever owned. Will definitely make short work of some good size brisket. Thinner, and easier to strop keep the edge. Not sure what you're thinking in terms of budget though.
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Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but it’s right on point to my recent foray into brisket. Any updated suggestions? I am fine with many of those recommended, but also welcome any custom options (within reason - a few hundred and some beauty, if possible).
 
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