Recommendation? Best Meat Processing Steel

T

treillw

Joined
May 21, 2016
Messages
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Want to get a knife that will hold an edge incredibly well for meat processing. The knife will be used strictly to cut tendons and silver skin from large quantities of game meat. I'm currently using victorinox boning knives and the edges don't stay shaving sharp for too long. Washing the knives of to touch them up on my workshop "elite knife sharpener" is just a tremendous first world problem.

I was thinking S90V might be a good fit, but I really don't know much about the different steels.

I'm not worried about sharpening it - the worksharp does a great job of that for me and should chew through super steels with relative ease.

The edge shouldn't need to be too tough, since the hardest thing it is intended to encounter is tendon.

Steel suggestions?
Knife suggestions?

Thank you!
 
All steel will dull.

S90v is a popular steel.


The secret to getting it done. No interruption in processing the meat. Is to have more then one sharp knife. So as one gets dull, switch to the next knife.

Silver skin? When the meat is fresh, you can remove a lot of it with pliers. After it's aged and the rigor mortis relaxes, look up, 'Silver Skin Trimmer'. It's kinda like a potato peeler but for meat.
 
I cut up a fair number of deer, and I just use a Forschner flexible boning knife and a Forschner flexible fillet (fish) knife for most of it. I find that touching up the edge on some crock sticks, as well as de-fatting the blade as you go, help a lot. For some reason, the knives don't seem to cut as well when they're all greased up with fat (the exception to this being tuna fat, which seems to contain some kind of surfactant or emulsifier that makes the blades self-cleaning with nothing more than fresh water)...
 
eveled said:
Learn how to use a steel to realign the edge while you are working Then wash the steel after.
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Any good resources for this? Tons of YouTube videos, but I'm sure some aren't proper technique.

Do you need to match the angle which the knife was sharpened to with the steel?

Thanks!
 
I don’t know if I do it right or wrong.

Hold the steel in my left hand. Slicing motion away, flip the knife and slice back. Angle has to match or be a little steeper.
 
As long as you aren't hitting bone, S125V would be your best bet. S90V if you need some additional toughness.
 
I was a meat cutter for almost 30 years. We used Victorinox 6", 8", and 10" knives. The steel is "only" 4116, but it worked for our high volume, continuous use. As others have mentioned, a steel can be used for realigning the blade. We usually sharpened our knives daily and it only took a few swipes on the stones. Your mileage may vary.
 
I just use an F.Dick, Chicago Cutlery, or Wusthof boning knife and a steel to keep it decently sharp. If I have a problem I wash, give it a couple of swipes on a diamond plate, and get back to work.
 
1911bphil said:
I was a meat cutter for almost 30 years. We used Victorinox 6", 8", and 10" knives. The steel is "only" 4116, but it worked for our high volume, continuous use. As others have mentioned, a steel can be used for realigning the blade. We usually sharpened our knives daily and it only took a few swipes on the stones. Your mileage may vary.
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I'm using victorinox boning knives as well. After 2 or 3 hours, I can tell they are lagging.
 
Svord sporting deluxe range
SV677BB.1.1.jpg

​

Products » Deluxe Sporting Knives » Curved Skinner 5 3/4

Curved Skinner 5 3/4​

Spec Sheet​

Model:
677BB

Length of Blade:
5 3/4"

Over All Length:
10 3/4"

Blade Shape:
Upswept

Handle Material:
Mahogany and Brass

Steel Specs:
15N20

Blade Thickness:
2.2mm

Sheath:
Leather

Deluxe Sporting Knives » Svord Knives Limited

www.svord.com www.svord.com
 
THeres a reason why psofessionals stick to victorinox or something similar....you dont need supersteel to cut meat,and theyre super easy to sharpen and maintain,unlike these super steels
 
Dexter Russell makes professional butcher and kitchen knives for industry and restaurants. They are reasonably priced as well.
 
treillw said:
I'm using victorinox boning knives as well. After 2 or 3 hours, I can tell they are lagging.
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I think that If I could get 2 to 3 hours of boning before sharpening, I would be okay with it. Sharpening the knife to get another 2-3 hours of boning normally would be quick and easy,
 
A few days ago I processed two deer that we took on my son's property. I used several different knives to do just what the OP mentioned. Steel was O1, S30V, S35VN, D2, Magnacut, and A2. All of the knives did well. Slicing through silverskin and connective tissue hardly dulls a knife.
 
1911bphil said:
I was a meat cutter for almost 30 years. We used Victorinox 6", 8", and 10" knives.
Click to expand...
My brother worked in a Tyson Foods chicken slaughterhouse, and I think he said they used Victorinox/Forschner knives there, as well. (Also maybe some Dexter Russell.) They also use cut-resistant gloves, and I got one for cutting up deer. Very nice to have when you don't do this every day, because you can work a lot faster...
 
I kill and butcher a lot of animals every year. I’ve used everything from 15n20 to cpm m4. 3v is probably my most used steel. But currently I’m making an actual boning knife in magnucut. It’s .090 thick, and thin convex grind, and I’ll be running it around 62 rc. Just my opinion, but I don’t see the need for the extremely high wear resistant steels myself. M4 is probably the highest wear steel I’ve used! And probably the highest I need. We butcher pigs, deer and elk throughout the year. And I’ve never needed more.
 
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