Meat dishes have a very special place on the dining table; they are meat pie, meatball, steak, sandwiches, or any other mouth-watering curry. Whatever the dish is, you require sliced meat. Slicing boneless beef, a chunk of pork or chicken in a perfect way is art with lots of benefits. And slicing meat thinly without a machine is an art, and the benefits of manual slicing are endless. It enhances the taste and also easy to chew. I am here to explain how to slice beef thin without a slicer. Here, I will discuss raw meat slicing as well as roasted ribs meat or any other roasted. Here, in this guide, you will find every information about meat slicing.
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What do You need to Slice Meat Thin Without a Slicer?
If cooking is your passion then you must be obsessed with innovational kitchen appliances. You love using different types of cutters and choppers to add creativity to your cuisines. Similarly, owning a meat slicer within the parameters of the kitchen is indeed a blessing. It helps slicing meat pieces with even thicknesses.
But the scenario may not be the same every time. Your meat slicer can be out of order or it may not be skillful enough to produce the required cut. Similarly, you can be short of budget to buy a meat slicer. But an urge to prepare a particular sliced meat recipe is pinching you deep inside. So, whatever the situation you are going through, don’t get upset. Because we’ll guide you on how to cut thin meat slices without a slicer.
Since meat slicer is no more important to slice meat. Therefore, let’s check what the alternatives are.
a-A good-quality and sharp knife:
Obviously, a knife replaces the need for a meat slicer but compulsion is its sharpness. A butcher’s knife with a stainless steel blade is the best option. You can sharpen the stainless steel knife if it goes blunt. Moreover, it is a heavy-duty and durable tool with a sharp edge. The sharp edge plays an important role in digging smoothly and deeper into the piece of meat. So, pick up the sharp knife, first of all.
b-A cutting board:
Secondly, take a cutting board. Cutting boards are normally available in the market in a wide variety of materials. But the most suitable material to be used for slicing a thin piece of meat with great ease is wood. So, take a wooden cutting board instead of plastic or glass.
Wooden surface grips the piece of meat in a much better way. It hinders slipping off the meat chunk and its moving around while cutting. As a result, you can cut the slice out of your meat very precisely.
Raw meat slicing without Slicer:
Raw meat becomes easier to slice if it undergoes the freezing temperature for a shorter span. Colder meat is not challenging to handle because it becomes stiff and doesn’t slide while cutting. Therefore, you get success in achieving thinly sliced meat with maximum accuracy. Your cut slices can easily compete slices produced by a meat slicer if you follow the instructions properly.
Make sure that your raw meat is not kept in the freezer for so long that it turns into hard rock. Otherwise, even the sharpest knife won’t go easily through it. so, a half-hour spent in the freezer is enough to make it firm for even slicing.
As your meat piece is ready for slicing, take a knife and sharpen it before proceeding ahead. obviously, the knife is in regular use therefore it may be dull for cutting meat. That’s why sharpening it right before the process will speed up and simplify the slicing.
Now, put the meat piece on your wooden cutting board. Observe the grains keenly. Place the chunk on the board accordingly so that you can start slicing at the right angle.
It’s time to run the sharp edge of your knife through the meat. Congratulate yourself for cutting uniform slices of meat without a meat slicer.
How do you cut cooked meat thin without a slicer?
Slicing cooked meat doesn’t hold a great difference from slicing raw meat. Only you have to skip putting it in the freezer and rest goes the same. Let’s describe briefly:
Once you are done with cooking the chunk of meat, let it rest for ten minutes. During this span, the meat will lock its flavor. It will also cool down to the extent that you can hold it without fear of burning your hand.
Afterwards, put it on the wooden cutting board, hold a stainless steel knife, sharpen it, and get set go. Most importantly, make sure that you put the meat in the right angle according to its grains. As moving a knife in a similar direction to the grains may ruin the entire process.
How do you slice a thin beef roast?
Preparing roast beef is not an intricate exercise. But cutting it into thin slices is the real challenge. Your whole effort to roast beef can go in vain if you fail to cut it into thin even slices. Following some instructions will help you cut uniform slices of roast very smoothly.
- First of all, bring into account that you need the following ingredients to slice thin pieces of beef roast:
- A very sharp knife
- A very large fork having 2 or 3 prongs. These prongs help in holding the roast in a steady position while cutting.
- Pre-heated serving dish.
- Take out the beef from the oven once it gets roasted completely. Let it rest for 15 minutes with a loose covering of foil. It will help in locking in juices, aroma, and flavors.
- Don’t hold the knife tightly but a lighter grip will work best. Place the fork on the beef in between you and knife for steady cutting.
- Now, start running the knife in the opposite direction to the grain. Let the knife do its job in a long slicing motion.
Grains are basically layers of muscle fibers. They lay in one direction and withhold a piece of meat. Cutting in the directions of grain result in chewy slices whereas slicing against grains produces tender cuts.
How do you slice a thin steak?
Preparing thin slices for steaks is a very easy process. Just perform the following steps and receive appreciation from your family around.
- Take a large freezer bag and put in the pieces of meat. Make sure that pieces don’t overlap with each other but are placed in a single layer.
- Vacuum seal the bag. You can also zip lock the bag after removing the air.
- Put the bag in the freezer for 1 to 1.5 hours. The span to be spent in the freezer also depends upon the thickness of the meat piece. Normally 1.5 hours are enough for 1 pound of meat.
- Now take a sharp knife. You can also sharpen it just before cutting steaks. Hold the piece in a position that your knife will move against the grain. Cutting against grain ensures tender cuts.
- Start moving the knife. If you feel that the knife is not going the meat chunk smoothly, stop right away. Put the piece in the freezer again so that it gets firm enough to be cut into even slices for steak.
- Once you sense the ideal firmness of meat, start slicing. Otherwise, if you keep on slicing a non-steady and soft meat piece, the results will be extremely embarrassing.
Remember! Putting a meat piece in the freezer doesn’t mean to freeze it. But the mission is to make it tighter for easy and even cutting.
What is thinly sliced beef called?
Thin slices of raw meat, fish, vegetables, and fruits are termed as carpaccio. This term holds a connection back to an Italian painter. He was famous for using bright reds in his portraits. And the red color in his artworks reflects the red color of raw beef.
Can I use a mandolin to slice meat?
No way! Never go for a mandoline for slicing meat as it’s just a wastage of time. Just a sharp knife, a wooden cutting board, and firm meat is the entire requirement. The meat must have just come out of the freezer after spending some time in it. Most importantly, practice and patience will truly produce perfect results. If you don’t want to risk your effort by manually slicing the meat, then go for a meat slicer. But a mandolin for slicing meat is a big no.
What is the best meat slicer for home use?
You cannot claim a meat slicer a best one if it lacks in either of the below properties:
- As meat slicers mean to process food in one way or the other. Therefore, they must be easy to clean at first hand. If the design doesn’t contribute to easy cleaning, you may end up with stuck meat particles in holes. Ultimately, resulting in the development of bacteria and infecting the yield and your stomach next time.
- Secondly, the availability of safety features makes a slicer the best one amongst its peers. Pushing the meat must be a safe and smooth practice. The blade must be easy to remove and should not be time-consuming regardless of the purpose. It must include a safety lock. Most importantly, the slicer must remain stable while performing rather shake constantly.
Although the best meat slicer must be easy to use and productivity should be up to the mark. But the above-listed traits are phenomenal. So, if you want to buy the best meat slicer, don’t overlook the cleaning and safety features.
How do you slice meat for bulgogi?
There are so many versions of bulgogi each uses thinly sliced meat as the basic ingredient. As far as the selection of the cut is concerned about preparing bulgogi, it’s very important to be précised. So, go for rib eye, brisket, or sirloin. As all enhance the flavor of this delicious cuisine.
Let’s address the beef slicing procedure for bulgogi. It is important to note that it doesn’t differ from beef slicing for steak. You have to semi-freeze the meat chunk and slicing against the grain is recommended. Follow the instructions about slicing meat for steak accurately. And you’ll end up achieving thin and uniform slices perfect for this tempting cuisine.