Barbeque Knife? Takobiki? Sujihiki?

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TheGreek

TheGreek

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Joined
Aug 18, 2020
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Location
Hazard, Kentucky
Been using my first Japanese knife and loving it. It's a rather small (170mm) Bunka style but perfect for my prep work at home. I'm a backyard warrior who loves the grill and smoker. I like to entertain friends and family at least twice a month. I like to do large cuts of meats on the smoker. While my Victorinox 12" slicer has served me well in the past, I'm looking for a new slicer. Don't really need one, just want one. Doesn't have to be a Japanese knife, but I really like the one I just got. When you read about Japanese knives, they talk about cutting fish, or octopus. I'm not going to be breaking down giant tuna or such, but I will frequently do brisket, prime rib, or pork loin, etc.

I was wondering if a Takobiki or Sujihiki would be more appropriate? Maybe something else? I have never used either and was asking for advice from someone who has used either or both. Never used a single bevel knife either.

I absolutely love the Okada white #2 300mm Takobiki. I would buy it right now if I found one in stock. Maybe the Yoshihiro 270mm Sujihiki is more appropriate?

Here are my stats:

Live in United States
Right handed
Pinch grip if I can.
270mm and up.
Maybe damascus cladding, but not a must. I do want eye candy. lol

CKTG has an Okada White #2 BBQ sword 300mm listed (not in stock). Perhaps that may be my best option if it ever comes back in stock?

Thanks for any input.
Tom.
 
Avoiding the question with another question, but what BBQ prep do you have in mind? For me, trimming big meats (brisket, pork shoulders) tends to be different than prepping small meats (chicken, ribs). Same with harvesting. I tend to prefer a heavy slicer for brisket and a laser for ribs.
 
That bbq sword looks awesome.

There is a 14" misono on BST that would slice anything you could ever throw at it.
Cloudsmoker said:
I tend to prefer a heavy slicer for brisket and a laser for ribs.
Click to expand...
That's interesting you say that, I am pretty much the opposite. I prefer some weight for ribs and like a light weight slicer for brisket.

I just picked up a used Dalman Gyuto/Sujihiki hybrid that I am about to use for the first time on a brisket. 240 and only weighs 151 grams. Wicked S grind. I'm looking forward to seeing how it performs
 
I like a robust suji for q work. The crust on a grilled protein will take it's toll pretty quick on a knife not well suited for it. Favorite for short work is the Munetoshi Butcher from JNS. Cut up your ribs or chicken in a minute. Favorite for long work is a Zwear suji from HSC. THe Zwear is a little sporty to sharpen but will hold an edge forever. Cut about 100lb of prime rib last nite, about that of brisket last weekend, 20 tenderloins in there somewhere at varioius catered events. May strop knife before I take it out again.

I would stay away from SBs for outdoor work. They are well made for portioning / slicing fish. Not cow. Not pigs. Look for a suji weighing in at 165g plus. My favorites are north of 200g.
 
daveb said:
I like a robust suji for q work. The crust on a grilled protein will take it's toll pretty quick on a knife not well suited for it. Favorite for short work is the Munetoshi Butcher from JNS. Cut up your ribs or chicken in a minute. Favorite for long work is a Zwear suji from HSC. THe Zwear is a little sporty to sharpen but will hold an edge forever. Cut about 100lb of prime rib last nite, about that of brisket last weekend, 20 tenderloins in there somewhere at varioius catered events. May strop knife before I take it out again.

I would stay away from SBs for outdoor work. They are well made for portioning / slicing fish. Not cow. Not pigs. Look for a suji weighing in at 165g plus. My favorites are north of 200g.
Click to expand...
Just checked out the ZWear Fuji - looks awesome.
 
JAKsQandBrew said:
That bbq sword looks awesome.

There is a 14" misono on BST that would slice anything you could ever throw at it.

That's interesting you say that, I am pretty much the opposite. I prefer some weight for ribs and like a light weight slicer for brisket.

I just picked up a used Dalman Gyuto/Sujihiki hybrid that I am about to use for the first time on a brisket. 240 and only weighs 151 grams. Wicked S grind. I'm looking forward to seeing how it performs
Click to expand...
Well, I defer to you and others when it comes to knife expertise. For me, particularly re. BBQ competition, a heavy slicer helps with uniformity on big meat slices (uniform width, even parallel cuts). On ribs, however, you often need to travel the split distance between curved bones, so I find smaller, sharp and nimble to be my friend.
 
And one more. For competitive BBQ brisket, the knife I see most often is the Cuisinart Electric. Zoom, zoom!
 
daveb said:
And one more. For competitive BBQ brisket, the knife I see most often is the Cuisinart Electric. Zoom, zoom!
Click to expand...
The great Myron Mixon ("winningest man in BBQ") has many fine Japanese blades. When asked why he uses an electric knife, he says "it's because I have one". I get it - so practical. For me, slicing brisket with a razor sharp slicer is simply one of my favorite things to do in life.
 
Cloudsmoker said:
Avoiding the question with another question, but what BBQ prep do you have in mind? For me, trimming big meats (brisket, pork shoulders) tends to be different than prepping small meats (chicken, ribs). Same with harvesting. I tend to prefer a heavy slicer for brisket and a laser for ribs.
Click to expand...
I agree. I tend to do more brisket,pork and big meats, but I do some ribs. I’m open to more than 1 new knife (😁). What laser do you like?
 
JAKsQandBrew said:
That bbq sword looks awesome.

There is a 14" misono on BST that would slice anything you could ever throw at it.

That's interesting you say that, I am pretty much the opposite. I prefer some weight for ribs and like a light weight slicer for brisket.

I just picked up a used Dalman Gyuto/Sujihiki hybrid that I am about to use for the first time on a brisket. 240 and only weighs 151 grams. Wicked S grind. I'm looking forward to seeing how it performs
Click to expand...
Let me know how it goes. Preferably with pictures 😁
 
daveb said:
I like a robust suji for q work. The crust on a grilled protein will take it's toll pretty quick on a knife not well suited for it. Favorite for short work is the Munetoshi Butcher from JNS. Cut up your ribs or chicken in a minute. Favorite for long work is a Zwear suji from HSC. THe Zwear is a little sporty to sharpen but will hold an edge forever. Cut about 100lb of prime rib last nite, about that of brisket last weekend, 20 tenderloins in there somewhere at varioius catered events. May strop knife before I take it out again.

I would stay away from SBs for outdoor work. They are well made for portioning / slicing fish. Not cow. Not pigs. Look for a suji weighing in at 165g plus. My favorites are north of 200g.
Click to expand...
That’s serious q work. I’m going to look them up a little later. I’ve got a big arm and don’t mind a knife on the heavy side. Kinda prefer it for long work.
 
Cloudsmoker said:
The great Myron Mixon ("winningest man in BBQ") has many fine Japanese blades. When asked why he uses an electric knife, he says "it's because I have one". I get it - so practical. For me, slicing brisket with a razor sharp slicer is simply one of my favorite things to do in life.
Click to expand...
I agree. There’s nothing like the right knife for the right job.
 
I still love my old Mac slicer for brisket, but (embarrassed to admit) have a Dalstrong slicer I take with me when traveling, as blades tend to walk off when there are other hands on deck. Been using a 165 petty for harvesting ribs and pork, but enjoy learning from the pros. Probably going to pull the plug on a JNS Munetoshi Butcher based on recommendations here.
 
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TheGreek said:
Let me know how it goes. Preferably with pictures 😁
Click to expand...
The brisket was nice.

The knife...wow.

I kept yelling "this thing is bad ass" to no one in particular while slicing.

The grind is just amazing.

One thing I do think needs to be discussed is brisket slicing procedures and how that would affect knife selection. I cook while packers and then i separate the point and flat and slice with the crust facing down on the board. I find a lot less issues "breaking through" the crust that way. I imagine that would be different with a different procedure
 
I do the same: cook whole, separate the flat from the point during harvesting, trim the remaining fat cap off flat - but then slice with bark facing up. No issues with tearing the crust on brisket, particularly with a sharp blade. Ribs, on the other hand, yes on tearing - so bone side up.
 
I always cut ribs bone up. You need to see them while you cut. I absolutely hate to ding the bone with my knife, even if it's an old restaurant beater. Probably just my OCD coming out.

For brisket, I think it cooks better if it's whole. The flat by itself just cooks too fast for me. Crust side up to cut for me. I guess I never tried to cut the flat with the brisket crust-down. Cube the point and make burnt ends. That's the best part. This may be a known trick, but I cut an inch piece of the very end off before cooking. That way I have a starting point for perfect orientation to cut against the grain after it's cooked and you can't necessarily see which way the grain is going under the crust. What tips does daveb have for us?
 
All this talk about the Munetoshi butcher has made me order one! :eek: By the way the Mune slicer is back in stock again at JNS.
 
Thanks for the tip! Just ordered a slicer. My favorite sujihiki, and it’s not good for anything else but extremely good at this, is a Tou 300mm sakimaru. The Okada takobiki is double bevel and so pretty much the same type of knife, a katana shaped sujihiki. The Okada BBQ sword looks really awesome and might be great for bbq, but again probably not much else - that is surely unique looking! My second favorite and much more versatile sujihiki is a Mazaki 270mm stainless; Toyama and Watanabe are said to be even better by some who have used both but I haven’t tried one yet.
 
That Okada is nice with some curvature. I have an old Masamoto double bevel takobiki. Lot of fun but for this purpose not very useful as it is dead straight. I would also prefer a bit more weight.
 
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I've a strong preference for a minimum 165g, prefer 180g and my favorite (and most used) sujis are 200g+.

Lighter ones tend to be flexi, robust ones will help you do the work.

You're gonna love that Mune.
 
Qapla' said:
Not sure how closely Knifewear's Moritaka is related to the one at CKTG, but the latter is listed as 152g for 270mm.
Click to expand...

The CKTG and Knifewear might actually be essentially the same knife. Just different finish on the cladding. I agree with daveb. I little heft is needed and I don't want any flex like a fish knife. I emailed Knifewear back just a minute ago to see if they can get me a weight.
 
this Michael Rader 14” 52100 slicer is my choice for BBQ, has the sakimaru Takobiki style tip and some curve. Also use the misono Swedish carbon steel hankotsu for cutting between bones.

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