Cutting with the grain or against the grain?

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g23

Cook
Joined
Feb 17, 2007
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75
Location
Wales, UK
I know that you cut against the grain with beef but what about the other meats?

Chicken
Pork
Turkey
Lamb

i read that you cut chicken with the grain.

what are your thoughts on this?
 
Beef always across the grain.
same with pork and lamb.
Chicken doesn`t make too much difference.
but more than anything it ALL depends on what you want to do with it...

you don`t even state Raw or Cooked?
 
YT2095 said:
Beef always across the grain.
same with pork and lamb.
Chicken doesn`t make too much difference.
but more than anything it ALL depends on what you want to do with it...

you don`t even state Raw or Cooked?


does it matter whether it's raw or cooked?


i basically want to cut them up for stir fries

and also if i've cooked a roast or something with these meats how do i cut them?
 
for stir frys then across and Thinly for red meats.
Chicken isn`t so bad as it`s usualy done 1`st and in cubes rather than slices.

yes it does matter if it`s Raw or cooked, Very Much so, as does the cooking method, across may be good for one meat in one dish, but across in another dish it may vanish into nothing at all.
 
i usually cut chicken in strips for stir fries as well as beef and pork and lamb in no particular fashion. but of late i'm very into tender meat and want to maximize on it by making sure i'm cutting it right before i do anything with it.

it's an assumption that when you cut against the grain you're cutting and breaking the connetive tissue thus making the meat seem more tender.
 
well connective tissue generaly runs with the grain yes, and so by cutting across it you minimise the amount per mouthfull and also give greater surface area for cooking through.

chicken`s cool in strips definately, cubed is great too, it doesn`t really matter so much at all, red meats (tougher) it does matter.
 
If you freeze the meat for a bit, you can slice it much more thinly...this hint has helped me.
 
You do not have to always cut beef across the "grain". With tender cuts like sirloin or tenderloin, you can cut it as you wish and the meat will be tender to the tooth. Cuts such as flank, and various cuts from the round need to be cut across the grain of the meat fibers for "tenderness". Other meats don't require it.
 

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