Master Butcher Shows How to Slice Steak for Maximum Tenderness

While culinary professionals dedicate immense energy to sourcing, aging, and cooking steak to perfection, the final step before the guest takes a bite is often left to chance. In this tutorial by ChefSteps, master butcher Kevin Smith of Seattle’s Beast and Cleaver demonstrates how precision carving can dramatically lift the eating quality of premium beef. By understanding the anatomical layout of different muscle groups, chefs and front-of-house teams can transform the dining experience.

Decoding Muscle Structure and Grain Direction

The primary pitfall in steak service is slicing with the grain, which leaves muscle fibres intact and results in a tough, chewy texture. Smith focuses on three classic cuts: the filet mignon, the porterhouse, and the bone-in ribeye. Each of these cuts demands a distinct anatomical approach. While a filet mignon is relatively uniform, larger primal cuts like the porterhouse and ribeye are composite steaks, meaning they are made up of multiple muscle groups with different grain orientations, fat caps, and seams of connective tissue. Slicing straight across these composite steaks without adjusting your knife angle means some bites will inevitably be tough.

Tailoring the Carve to the Cut

For a porterhouse, the challenge lies in managing the bone while separating the tender filet side from the robust strip side. Rather than leaving guests to struggle at the table, Smith advocates for separating the muscles from the bone first, allowing clean, bias-cut portions that run strictly against the grain of each distinct muscle group.

The ribeye, with its luscious cap (spinalis dorsi) and central eye (longissimus dorsi), requires even greater care. Because the grains of the cap and the eye run in different directions, they must be approached independently. By separating these sections along their natural fat seams before slicing, you ensure that every slice of both the cap and the eye is cut perpendicular to the muscle fibres. This simple intervention maximises tenderness and ensures the premium fat and complex marbling are distributed optimally across every plate.