“Slice the meat against the grain” is found in the instructions for many recipes. You’ve probably seen that written countless times and if you didn’t know how to find the grain, you might have guessed and crossed your fingers.
When I was a newlywed, I remember flipping the meat over about ten times trying to figure out where and what the grain was.
When working with most beef, it is important to slice the meat across (or against) the grain of the meat. The meat is made of long muscle fibers all lined up in a row.
You want to slice across the muscle fibers (also called the grain of the meat) and break them into the smallest sections possible. By slicing across those fibers, the meat won’t be tough at all and it will be wonderfully tender.
In this short video, I’ll show you how to find the grain of the meat and how to slice it, in order to get the most tender bites possible.
Sue/the view from great island says
I love these videos! Do you know if this principle applies to chicken too?
Mary says
Thanks, Sue! The muscle fibers in chicken aren't nearly as tough as beef, but it's still worth it to pay attention to the grain.
Magnolia Verandah says
what a good idea – a video – love seeing you in action Mary!
Megzway says
Thank you thank you thank you. I've never known how to do this. Now I do!
Cherylynn says
Thank you for taking the time to explain this. I believe there are many cooks or aspiring cooks who don’t know this and were too embarrassed to ask thinking it was something they should know. How-to’s are really nice addition to cooking site.
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad it was helpful, Cherylynn!
Katie says
Thank you for this incredibly helpful and to-the-point video instruction!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad it was helpful, Katie!