My dad told me to always cut with the grain on flank steak, and I finally get why

For years, I was just slicing flank and skirt steaks however was fastest, usually against the grain because that's what you do for most cuts. My dad, who ran a shop in Spokane for 40 years, kept telling me, 'No, follow the grain, it's more tender.' I thought he was just set in his ways. Then last month, I had a big catering order for 80 people and needed perfect, bite-sized strips for fajitas. I did it his way, carefully following the grain lines before portioning. The difference was huge. The meat held together better during cooking and was way easier to chew, even when we cooked it to medium. I was basically giving customers a better product without any extra cost. Has anyone else found a specific cutting method that changed the game for a particular cut?

2 comments

2 Comments

blair_davis2mo ago

My buddy learned this the hard way with pork shoulder. He was shredding it with forks for pulled pork and it kept turning into mush. Another cook told him to let it rest longer, then pull it apart with gloves on, following the muscle lines. Total game changer. The texture went from soggy to perfect, with those nice long strands. He said it felt obvious once he saw it, but he'd been messing it up for years.

price.tyler2mo ago

Oh man, I've definitely made that same mushy mistake before (more than once, honestly).