8 Best Butcher Knives for 2022 -Reviews & Buying Guide
A top-quality butcher knife cannot miss from any kitchen, especially from those where cooking is taken seriously. When you think of a butcher knife, the image of a cleaver comes into mind. But that is not the only option available. There are more appealing designs and forms in which you could get your butcher knife.
Usually, when buying a butcher knife, it comes accompanied by the cleaver which was mentioned before and a carving knife. A butcher knife is perfect for cutting through meat and breaking down carcasses.
The reason why you should buy a top-quality butcher knife is that it can become quite dangerous in unskilled hands, thus a good butcher knife will decrease the chances of getting cut.
In the time it can prove to be a smart investment because you could buy more substantial portions of meat and cut them by yourself. This way you will reduce costs due to the fact that precuts cost more. With this being said we wrote this article to help people who are looking for the best butcher knives from the market, and here is the list:
1. Mercer Culinary BPX, 12 Inch, Granton Edge Cimiter
The first item from this list is made by Victorinox, a renowned brand when it comes to kitchen knives. It has a 10-inch stainless steel blade which will provide maximum sharpness. Because it is made from stainless steel, you won’t have to worry about your knife being prone to rust. And if you want to keep its appearance, it is recommended to wash it after each use.
Product highlights
- It can cut whole roasts
- Swiss design
- Top quality
- Sharp
- Lifetime warranty
- Fibrox handle
What we like
The handle is a black ergonomic handle which is slip resistant. Cutting through meat it can be slippery at times, so this feature is a thing we like for sure. Other things to appreciate about this knife are the quality and exquisite design.
What we don’t like
It is made from stamped steel which can decrease its durability. It is expensive, on Amazon, it is marked at 66.43 dollars. Because of its heaviness, it can be hard to use for those with small hands. And it must be hand-washed.
2. Dexter-Russell Butcher Knife
The company Dexter-Russell has been around since the 19th century. They are well-known for their butcher knives which are used in almost all commercial restaurants.
The blade is straight and has a length of 8 inches. It is made from high alloy stainless steel and high carbon. This combination enhances the sharpness, eases down the process of re-sharpening and it is corrosion resistant as well. The sharp tip makes it easy to pierce through thick pieces of meat, whilst the short blade makes the knife effective in cutting small pieces of meat.
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It weighs 4 pounds, but it is well-balanced and slip-resistant which is critical for a butcher knife. The design of this knife has earned the NSF sanitary certification. Thus this item is safe for cooking practices, and it comes with a lifetime warranty.
Product highlights
- 8-inch blade
- Straight edge
- 4 pounds weight
- Polypropylene handle
- Easy to clean
- Easy to handle
- Pointed blade tip
What we like
The most important feature about the Dexter-Russell butcher knife is its NSF sanitary certification, and we like it for sure. You can find it on Amazon for only 20 dollars and for the quality you get, the price is more than fair. The polypropylene handle is another interesting feature, and it can withstand high and low temperatures without giving you any troubles.
What we don’t like
For some, the blade might be too short, and it is considered to be heavy, even for a butcher knife. The blade can get discolored after using the knife for long periods of time.
3. Ontario Butcher Knife
This butcher has a 10-inch blade made from high carbon steel, and because it has been heat-treated, it makes an excellent choice for meat processing tasks.
The handle is made from hardwood, it is well-balanced, and the grip will be secured while cutting through the meat. You can find the Ontario Butcher Knife on Amazon for as little as 20 dollars.
Product highlights
- Top-quality knife
- Made in the USA
- Professional and home-use
- Heat treated
- Well balanced
- Hardwood handle
What we like
The Ontario Butcher Knife is perfect for heavy-duty cutting tasks, and it can be used for professional and home-use too. It is made from sturdy carbon steel which means it is durable and it will stay in your kitchen for a long time. The quality you get for the money you are supposed for this butcher knife is impressive.
What we don’t like
Even though it is corrosion resistant, if you don’t properly take care of the knife, it is prone to stains. This being said, avoid to put it in the dishwasher. Also, when you first buy this knife, you might need to re-sharpen it, but after it shouldn’t give you any troubles.
4. Global Butcher Knife
This flawlessly crafted knife from Global it is ideal for cutting big chunks of meat. This feature makes it a good choice for professional or home use. It will prove to be an excellent tool in the hands of a professional cook, but it is easy to use by amateur cooks as well.
Probably the Global Butcher Knife doesn’t need re-sharpening, because it has incredible edge retention. It has a blade of 7 inches long, and it is forged in Japan from stainless steel. Also, in the blade, it is present 18% of chromium which makes it stain resistant.
It can cut through thick meat due to its heavyweight design, and the sharpness will give incredible precision.
Product highlights
- High-quality
- Unique blade design
- Heavy-duty
- Cromova 18 stainless steel
- Made in Japan
- Sharp tip
- Ergonomic
- Slip-resistant
- Easy to use
What we like
We like the blade’s design, and we refer here to the sharp convex edge which will allow you to cut cleanly through the meat. The hollow handle is filled with sand giving you the weight which you desire.
What we don’t like
There is only one thing that we don’t appreciate at this butcher knife, but it has nothing to do with the quality or the features. We don’t like the price. You can find it on Amazon for around 130 dollars which we consider to be an expensive price tag.
5. Ultrasource Butcher Knife
This is a do it all knife, and it is perfect for cutting through each kind and size of meat. It has a 10-inch straight blade which is cryogenically-treated. This feature improves the edge retention, strength, and lifespan of the blade. The handle is anti-bacterially infused, and NSF certified.
Product highlights
- Excellent price for the quality
- Top-quality
- Molybdenum steel
- 10-inch blade
- Cryogenically treated
- NSF certified
- Well-balanced
What we like
With the price just under 18 dollars, it makes a perfect choice for those on a budget. It is NSF certified; thus it can be used by restaurants and businesses as well. In simpler words, it is a knife we like and recommend without hesitation.
What we don’t like
In the long run, it can become dull if not properly used and it is not dishwasher safe. But it excels on other features, and we can turn a blind eye on this.
6. Update International Butcher Knife
But what about a butcher knife for those with bigger hands? We present you the butcher knife which is sold under the brand of Update International, and it has an 11-inch blade.
The straight edge blade is forged from two types of high carbon steel, stainless and molybdenum vanadium. It has a sharply pointed tip which will give you no trouble when needed to cut through large portions of meat.
As mentioned before it is crucial for butcher knifes to have a slip-resistant handle, and the Update International Butcher Knife makes no exception. From a sanitary point of view, it has met all food safety regulations set by Underwriters Laboratories.
Product highlights
- Sturdy built
- High-quality
- UL certified
- Heavy-duty
- Bacteria resistant handle
- 5 years warranty
What we like
It is perfect for cutting big chunks of meat, and the UL certification makes it an excellent choice for commercial uses. Even though it is a big knife, it is easy to use, and the size it shouldn’t scare you.
What we don’t like
We don’t like the limited warranty for only 5 years. And it lacks in the balancing chapter as well. The thin blade might be prone to chipping.
7. Rada Cutlery Butcher Knife
If you appreciate versatility then the Rada Cutlery Butcher Knife it is an excellent choice due to the fact that it can slice, cut, dice meat, vegetables and fruits. It is a solid butcher knife which resembles the old-fashioned butcher knives.
The design is elegant, and the handle is made from stainless steel resin which will feel comfortable in your hand.
Product highlights
- Great price
- Good quality
- Lifetime warranty
- 8-inch blade
- Made in the USA
- Dishwasher safe
- Sturdy construction
- Skinning tip
What we like
We like the tip which is excellent for removing the skin of the meat. And it can be found on Amazon for only 15 dollars, and for the quality, you get it is an excellent choice, especially if you are on a budget. And on top of that, it is a versatile knife, and it can be used to cut more than meat.
What we don’t like
Even though it is dishwasher safe, it is recommended to be washed by hand because the handle can suffer and lose from the quality. The blade is thin, and it gets dull pretty quickly. We won’t recommend this knife if you want to use it for a long time.
8. Mercer Culinary Granton Edge Butcher Knife
It is a perfect choice for cutting and slicing large joints of meat. The knife from the Mercer Culinary company is forged from high-carbon steel. The handle is ergonomically designed, and it has a non-slip feature.
Product highlights
- High-carbon steel
- 12-inch blade
- Easy maintenance
- Ergonomic handle
What we like
It is a well-balanced knife which will pass the test of time, and it won’t require sharpening after each use.
What we don’t like
Its blade may be too long for amateurs so we will not recommend it to you if it is the first time when using a butcher knife.
Knife Anatomy
Knives are an essential aspect for each one of us, and we rely on them, more than we could ever know. And for those who want to buy a butcher knife, they should know first the anatomy of a knife. That’s we are going to show you from what a knife is made from.
- Handle – The handle is the part of the knife from where we hold it, and a handle that doesn’t feel comfortable in your hand would cause the knife to slip out of your hand. A good grip is always necessary, especially when talking about a butcher knife. It can be made from plastic, rubberwood or in some cases stainless steel.
- Butt – It is located at the end of the handle, and it doesn’t have any specific properties.
- Tang – A sturdy knife it is made from steel, and it is advisable for this steel to extend to the handle. The part of the steel that is in the handle is called tang.
- Blade – This is the most essential part of the knife, and the type of the blade will decide the purpose of the knife. A butcher knife can have a curved or straight blade.
- Spine – It is the back of the blade, and it is the part that gives the knife its strength. This part of the blade is unsharpened; thus it can behold for more stability when chopping.
- Point – It is the point where the spine and the sharpened part of the blade meet.
- Tip – It is the first third of the blade.
- Edge – It is the part of the blade that it will get worn out first.
- Heel – It is the point where the blade meets the handle.
Types of Butcher Knives
There are 7 types of butcher knives, and each of them has some sub-categories knives. With this being said, let’s see what these tools do.
Boning knife – This knife is perfect for those who need flexibility, and they have to cut around the bone often.
Traditional butcher knife – It has a wide blade which is getting curved at the end. It is versatile, and it can be a useful tool to keep around the house.
Skinning knife – As the name suggests this knife is best used for skinning. They usually have a curved blade which measures only 6 inches long.
Cimeter knife – It is also a versatile knife, but it is used mostly to cut large pieces of meat into smaller ones.
Breaking knife – They are used to break down carcasses, and if you are a butcher probably you already have this knife.
Cleaver – It is really similar to the traditional butcher knife, but it is lighter.
Steak knife – This is the most popular type of butcher knife, and it is present in most households from the United States. Its purpose is to cut meats.
Before buying a butcher knife
There are some features that you have to look into before buying a butcher knife, and this way you can make sure that your new tool would be one of high-quality, durable and sharp. This way you won’t be sorry for the money invested in this purchase.
Performance
A butcher knife has to perform very well and cut precisely through meat without any difficulties. If it is mentioned that the knife might encounter difficulties when cutting through thick meat, then you should reconsider, and search for a better butcher knife.
A knife that is able to maintain its sharpness and pass the time test would be a smart purchase. But for this thing to happen, the material used to forge this knife would have to be steel. And even though, different types of steel can be used, at the end is it steel, and no other material.
Usually, you will use a butcher knife to cut bones and other animal parts, and the cleaver knives are the best to cut bones. The straight blades are better to cut close to the bones, relying more on precision than force.
Another important aspect to consider before buying a butcher knife is its ability to bend around bones. Sometimes, this feature would be critical in cases where you want some meat to remain on the bones. Butcher knives made from stamped metal are the best for this job.
The moisture inside the meat would make our hands slippery, and a good handle which is slip resistant would make your job a lot easier.
Reliability
You don’t want to buy a new butcher knife each month. That’s why you should buy one that can retain its sharpness. Cutting thick meat with a dull knife is something that we don’t wish upon anyone. It is advisable that you choose a knife that has a little bit of chromium inside the blade which will help with the edge retention.
As probably you already know, a butcher knife doesn’t have an easy life, and it has to cut through all sorts of meat, bones and other animal body parts. That’s why it is essential to buy a butcher knife made from high carbon steel, preferably heat treated. This way you can be sure is not going to break easily, and it can withstand rough behavior.
Conformance
If you want to use the newly bought butcher knife for commercial use, you have to make sure that it is NSF certified. The National Sanitation Foundation makes sure that the knife meets all the necessary health specifications and it can be used in a restaurant or any commercial place.
Another feature that is useful for those who want to use the butcher knives for commercial use is for the knives to have their handles made from pakka wood. Besides the fact that it has an appealing appearance, this wood has anti-bacterial properties.
Durability
Because of the abundant moisture from the meat, the butcher knives are prone to rust. Buying a knife that is corrosion resistant is essential, and it is a feature that every butcher knife should have. And the moisture is not the only deterrent, washing the knife in the dishwasher can speed up the corrosion process.
Some butcher knives need re-sharpening before each use, and others don’t. But almost all of them would need re-sharpening at some point, it is just a problem of when. Knives made from stainless steel are prone to lose from the sharpness quicker than those made from high carbon steel. Some chromium addition may help in prolonging your knife’s sharpness life, but make sure to hand-wash it after each use.
Features
A manufacturer that will give a lifetime warranty is already one step ahead from other companies, and they are on a good path to earn your trust and convince you to buy their product. Because of the mass production, there is a chance that you can end up buying a defective knife. The lifetime warranty makes sure that you can get a replacement free of charge if that happens.
Even though high carbon steel retain their sharpness and they are corrosion resistant, they are high-maintenance, and sometimes that can be a thing you just don’t have time for. Throwing in the dishwasher is easier and faster than hand-washing.
A high-quality butcher knife would be able to cut more than just meat, and versatility is an aspect that you should look for before buying, as long is not for commercial use. Remember to wash them before cutting vegetables if you used the knife to cut meat first, for example.
The regular size of a butcher knife is of 7 inches. And as you can imagine, smaller blades are known for their flexibility, and the longer blades are known for their strength and that they are able to cut through large chunks of meat. Professional cooks tend to choose knives with long blades, but due to their profession, those knives become flexibles in their hands too.
Price
Butcher knives are not expensive in general, and you can usually find high-quality knives for prices as low as 20 dollars. There is no one telling you that you should not buy knives that exceed the price tag of 100 dollars, but only if you are sure that the price difference is worth it.
Top Brands
Some well-known companies that produce butcher knives have been in the game for decades, and they know what they are doing. You should hesitate to buy from them because you will get a high-quality knife no matter what.
Victorinox and Dexter-Russell are two major players in the United States market, and their knife is used in most industrial processing meat places. If they are good enough to be used on that scale, then they might be good enough for your kitchen too.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have any questions, keep reading the next part of the article, and it is possible to find the answer there.
Can butcher knives used to cut bones?
In most cases, you will not need to cut the bones, but the cartilages that connect the bones. But, yes, if you want to cut bones, you can find some strong breaking knives that will help you do precisely that.
How much do they weigh?
It depends on the type of knife, a cleaver will weigh more than a boning knife. But in general, they weigh anywhere between 8 ounces and 1 pound.
How big are the handles?
Between 3 and 5 inches. But there is a handle for each hand so you shouldn’t worry about that.
How can you wash them?
Dishwasher if they are made from stainless steel or hand washing if they are made from high carbon steel.
Are butcher knives full tangs?
Most of them yes. It depends on the type of knife as well. A cleaver will have a full tang in most cases.
How can you sharpen them?
To simply answer you, use a whetstone. You can use other methods, but some of them might not be practical.
Conclusion
We hope that after reading this article you can make an informed choice about your next butcher knife and we answered all the questions you might have had. When choosing a butcher knife there are so many factors that you need to consider, and sometimes an impulsive choice is not enough.
You have to know your budget first, what type of meat are you going to cut with the knife and more important in which way. For those on a budget, we would recommend you to go with the Ultrasource Butcher Knife.
It is a do it all knife, and it is perfect for cutting through each kind and size of meat. It has a 10-inch straight blade which is cryogenically-treated. This feature improves the edge retention, strength, and lifespan of the blade. The handle is anti-bacterially infused, and NSF certified. The price tag is just under 18 dollars, and even though it is not the cheapest option from the list, the knife offers great value for the money.
For those that the budget is not a problem, and they want to make an investment for a lifetime we would recommend to choose the Global Butcher Knife.
This flawlessly crafted knife from Global it is ideal for cutting big chunks of meat. This feature makes it a good choice for professional or home use. It will prove to be an excellent tool in the hands of a professional cook, but it is easy to use by amateur cooks as well.
Probably the Global Butcher Knife doesn’t need re-sharpening, because it has incredible edge retention. It has a blade of 7 inches long, and it is forged in Japan from stainless steel. Also, in the blade, it is present 18% of chromium which makes it stain resistant.
And finally, our top choice from this list which checks each check mark from the list and it offers great value for money is the Dexter-Russell Butcher Knife.
The blade of this knife is straight and has a length of 8 inches. It is made from high alloy stainless steel and high carbon. This combination enhances the sharpness, eases down the process of re-sharpening and it is corrosion resistant as well. The sharp tip makes it easy to pierce through thick pieces of meat, whilst the short blade makes the knife effective in cutting small pieces of meat.
Going with this option won’t disappoint you in the long run, and we can bet that you have this knife in your kitchen for a really long time. The company Dexter-Russell is well-known in the industry, and its name is similar to high quality.
