After babysitting your smoker for many hours until you end up with a beautifully cooked brisket, the time comes to finally slice and serve the meat.
But if you are a newbie to smoking brisket, you may not know that the way you slice it before serving can have a massive impact not only on the overall presentation of your food but it can affect its taste as well.
This is why it is crucial to use a good brisket knife for the slicing.
Here are some of the top-recommended brisket knives on the market for 2022. We have also added some facts about the different types of knives, and the pros and cons of using manual and electric brisket knives.
Best overall
Victorinox Swiss Army Granton 12-inch Blade
- Material: High carbon stainless Steel
- Weight: 16 oz.
- Made in: Switzerland
This Swiss-made Swiss Army Granton 12-inch blade knife by Victorinox is the top-selling and top-rated brisket knife for this year.
Thanks to its long blade and the sharpness and friction created by its Granton edge and rounded tip, you will be able to cut thin and uniform slices with a single stroke, even if you are cutting through a particularly large-sized brisket with this knife. The Granton edge has hollow grooves on each side, which will hold the juices and fat from the meat allowing for perfectly even slicing.
The knife has an ergonomic and easy-to-grip Fibrox Pro handle that will not slip in your hands while you are performing the delicate task of slicing your perfectly smoked brisket or other fatty meat cuts, pork rib racks, and others.
With a knife like this one, you will not risk tearing the meat and destroying it or having to make multiple strokes and cuts for each slice.
The Victorinox Swiss Army 12-inch Granton blade knife is a must if you are dead serious about how your brisket is made and served – from start to finish, and it costs a fraction of what you will need to pay for a good quality Chef’s knife.
Top budget option
Dexter-Russell 12-inch Scalloped Slicer
- Material: DexSteel stain-free, high Carbon Steel
- Weight: 6.7-oz
- Made in the USA
Pitmaster Aaron Franklin himself recommends using a 12-inch slicing knife to slice the smoked brisket in his BBQ with Franklin videos for smoking a brisket.
The Dexter-Russell 12-inch Scalloped Slicer is an excellent choice if you want to follow Franklin’s professional advice for carving your brisket.
You can cut even slices of brisket against the grain with this tool’s large blade and scalloped serrations without ruining the delicate texture of the meat.
DexSteel, a unique high-carbon steel, is used to make the blade. For a steady hand that won’t get tired when carving and slicing your brisket, ribs, roast, soft veggies, and even bread, the handle offers a slip-resistant and pleasant grip.
It is reasonably priced, extremely sharp out of the box, keeps its edge, and will rapidly take over as your go-to kitchen and pit knife.
Top premium option
Wüsthof 14″ Brisket Slicer
- Material: a stain-resistant single piece of high-carbon stainless steel
- Weight: 7.2-oz.
- Made in Solingen, Germany
The Wusthof 14-inch Brisket Slicer with a Hollow Edge is the knife to opt for if you are willing to splurge out for a high-end slicing knife for smoked brisket.
It has a long stain-resistant high carbon stainless steel offset blade, a full tang for perfect balance, and a plastic handle with triple rivets.
The edge has been art laser cut with absolute precision, and it comes and stays super sharp.
This beautiful professional-looking knife will allow you to slice the brisket to perfection. It is backed by a lifetime warranty by Wusthof.
Greatest extra long
Mercer Culinary Millennia Granton 14-Inch Slicer
- Material: One-piece high carbon Japanese steel
- Weight: 6.7-oz
- Made in the USA
This bestselling knife by Mercer has a super long 14-inch blade and costs a fraction of what most other knives on this list do.
For a budget-friendly price, you will receive a fantastic knife with a blade made of one-piece high carbon Japanese steel, which is easy to maintain and allows for easy and efficient sharpening. The blade has a 17-degree bevel angle and is thin enough with Granton grooves, making the
slicing easy and without damaging the meat.
It is a knife that is suitable for those of you who are planning on slicing a lot of large meats such as brisket, turkey, and others.
The Santoprene and polypropylene handle provide comfort and is highly durable.
The Mercer Culinary Millennia Granton knife comes with a limited lifetime warranty.
Top shorter blade
Wüsthof Classic 10-inch Super Slicer
- Material: single block high carbon stainless steel, tempered to 58 degrees HRC
- Weight: 9.6-oz
- Made in Solingen, Germany
Since not everyone is comfortable using 12-14 inch blades, we have added this top shorter-blade brisket knife to our list.
Made in the city of blades Solingen in Germany, this premium quality 10-inch Super Slicer by Wusthof is, without doubt, one of the best shorter bladed brisket knives available on the market in 2022.
The blade is forged from a single block of high carbon stainless steel and tempered to 58-degree HRC. Thanks to the Wusthof Precision Edge technology used for making the blade, this Super Slicer has a blade that is 20% sharper and has twice the edge retention in comparison to older models made by the company.
The blade is slender with a rounded tip and has a scalloped edge making it easy to slice perfect slices of larger meat in one single swift movement. It is also perfect for cutting even the softest tomatoes and fresh bread without squashing and compressing them.
The full tang slicing knife has a synthetic propylene handle with a triple rivet.
It is a bestselling knife that is backed by a lifetime warranty by Wusthof.
Best trimming
Dexter-Russell Boning Knife
- Material: High Carbon Steel
- Weight: 4.8-oz.
- Made in the USA
If you need a great knife for trimming the brisket and cutting under its fat without removing the meat, we recommend this affordable Dexter-Russell Boning Knife.
Its curved and flexible blade made of high carbon steel is 6-inches in length and, along with the Grip-Tex handle, will make slicing and making deft cuts under the fat easier than ever.
It is a commercial-grade knife at a very reasonable price, and thanks to the hand-shaped and hones curved blade is perfect for trimming brisket and deboning fish.
Best Electric
American Angler PRO Professional Electric Knife
- Material: stainless steel
- Weight: 3 lbs.
- Made in the USA
If you prefer the convenience of an electric knife for slicing the brisket, we suggest that you opt for the top-rated American Angler Pro Professional Electric Knife Sportsmen’s Kit.
The 110-volt high-performance motorized handset comes with a set of five different stainless steel blades.
It has a 2x torque which will allow for smooth and even slicing and filleting of the brisket, fish, and others.
The blades included in the kit area 10-inch Saltwater blade, a 5.5-inch curved tip blade replacement, an 8-inch curved tip blade replacement, a 10-inch heavy-duty shark blade replacement, and an 8-inch heavy-duty shark blade replacement.
This electric brisket knife is backed by a 2-year guarantee and a limited lifetime warranty.
Slicing vs Carving Knife
If you are confused about whether the term slicing and carving brisket knives is the same thing, you are not alone. But these two types of knives are actually different.
The carving knives are thicker with a pointed tip and are less flexible than the thinner, more flexible slicing knives, which have rounded tips.
Slicing knives are a better choice for cutting thin and even brisket slices.
Manual Slicing Knife Pros and Cons
Pros
- Easier to control for perfect even and clean slices
- It doesn’t require a learning curve and a lot of practice
- There are no mechanical and electrical components that can break down
- Many quality knives are backed by lifetime warranties
- They are better long-term investments than electric knives
- No power outlet is required
Cons
- They are slower than using an electric knife for slicing a large brisket
- They do require the use of physical power
- Storage of the extra-long blades can be troublesome
Electric Slicing Knife Pros and Cons
Pros
- They require less effort than manual slicing knives
- The slicing of the brisket is faster
- They can pass through tougher spots without the use of physical power
- Most sets include different interchangeable blades suitable for various cutting jobs
Cons
- You need an electrical power outlet to use them
- They do have a learning curve, and you will need to practice before you can start making perfectly even thin slices
- They are not as durable as manual knives, which makes them more expensive in the long run
- They are noisy
- Old-school pitmasters do not appreciate using them
- Many electric knives are not powerful or good enough to be used for precision slicing of brisket, other meats, and fish
Types of blades
As you can see from our list, there are different types of knives and blades listed as suitable for slicing and trimming brisket.
It is essential to understand which blade is suitable for what job if you want to make the most of your knives and to end up with presentable and well-prepared, and served food.
Straight
Straight blade knives can be excellent slicing knives for brisket, but only if they are extremely sharp. A blunt straight knife is difficult to use for starting a cut and for smooth slicing through the meat. With a straight blade that is not sharp enough, you will risk destroying the brisket which you worked so hard to cook.
Serrated
The purpose of serrated blades is to tear through tougher foods. You should avoid using any serrated knife when slicing your brisket, or you risk tearing the fibers and ruining the texture of your perfectly cooked meat. Plus, it will be extremely difficult to achieve nice and even thin slices with a blade like this.
Scalloped
Scalloped blades combine the best of both straight and serrated edges. They have tiny teeth which will help you start a cut and get through the slice easily. At the same time, they are not as abrasive as the serrated blades, but you still need to proceed with care when slicing your brisket into thin slices with a scalloped blade.
Granton
Granton blades carry the name of the design, which was trademarked by the UK-based Granton Knives Company. Many other knife makers use this design to make Granton-style knives which typically have oval dimples along with the blades. These dimples help reduce the friction, capture the fat and juices and allow for cutting perfectly uniform thin slices.
The Granton-style knives are the best choice for brisket slicing if you are opting for a perfect presentation of your beautifully cooked meat.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you have found the best brisket knife for your needs and soon will be using it at the final stages of prepping delicious brisket and serving it as it should be done – thinly and evenly sliced.
A good quality brisket knife is also suitable for cutting other meats such as tri-tip, pork ribs, turkey, and other foods.
So, enjoy your new knife, and don’t be afraid to show it off to your friends next time you have a barbecue party!