Follow the grain: cut lengthwise

Cut along the grain

The longer, straighter fiber lines on the piece of meat are along the grain, following the stripes of the grain. Cutting meat means "cutting it lengthwise", and the texture of the cut meat is in the shape of the word "Chuan". Because the meat that is "cut lengthwise" retains intact muscle fibers, it will have a chewier texture after cooking and will not be easy to bite.

Dishes suitable for "vertical cutting": shredded pork dishes, braised pork dishes that require a long time to stew, etc.

Cut against the grain: cut across the grain

Cut against the grain

"Cut across the grain" is to cut the meat across the grain, so that shorter pieces of loose meat are formed on the top of the meat. The texture of the cut meat will be in the shape of a "well", like a grid of squares arranged into oily flowers. "Cross-cutting" cuts the muscle fibers, making the meat easier to snap through.

Suitable for "cross-cut" dishes: sliced ??meat dishes, such as steak, fried ribs and fried chicken steak.

Shredding and slicing make a big difference!

Shredded pork → Slice longitudinally along the grain: First cut the whole piece of meat into large thin slices, and then use "cutting vertically" to cut the shredded meat along the grain of the meat into lengths and lengths of the same thickness. This cutting method follows the direction of the tissue arrangement of the muscle itself, so that the cooked shredded meat will not be broken due to heating shrinkage, and it will still be neat and beautiful after cooking!

Cut the shredded meat along the grain to retain the chewy texture.

The hot-fried shredded pork is cut along the grain.

Meat slices → Cross-cut against the grain: Larger meat slices must be cut across the meat grain to cut off the arranged fibrous tissue, making the meat slices easier to chew, improving the taste, and facilitating digestion and absorption.

Beef itself is rich in tendons, so it tastes best when cut against the grain!

Cut the meat against the grain and cut off the tendons to make it easier to chew.

Different meats have different cutting methods!

Beef and mutton

The muscle fiber tissue of beef and mutton is relatively thick and has more tendons, which makes the meat easy to age. Therefore, "cutting against the grain" (cross-cutting) must be adopted: cutting across the fiber grain, so that the knife and the texture of the meat are 90 degrees vertical, cutting the tendons and destroying the grain fibers, making the meat better for eating.

NG cutting method: cut along the grain

OK cutting method: cut against the grain

If you cut along the grain, the retained tendons will make it difficult to cook. Good beef is dry and difficult to chew, which greatly affects the taste.

Pork

Pork is tender and has fewer tendons. Generally speaking, most pork is suitable for cutting along the grain, but you can also use different cutting methods according to different cooking methods. :

Blanching, quick-frying → Cross-cut against the grain: Using "cut against the grain" shortens the fibers of the meat. After cooking, the muscle tissue will not shrink and the taste will be more tender.

Stew → Cut along the grain: Use "cut along the grain" to retain longer muscle fibers, so that the meat can withstand long-term heating and maintain elasticity and taste.

Some specific parts of the pig must be cut in a certain way. For example, the tissue texture of pig neck meat (known as Matsusaka pig) is denser and the meat itself is chewier. It is best to cut it through reverse cutting. The grain is cut to "break the grain", making it easier to chew and improve the taste.

Chicken

The chicken tissue is tender and has almost no tendons, and the cutting method will not affect the taste. Generally, you can "cut lengthwise" and cut along the fiber lines to keep the cooked dishes beautiful.

Cut with the grain to make the chicken breast look more beautiful.

It is easier to peel into silk along the fiber grain.