An essential meat processing tool for slicing a lamb roast, quartering a chicken, or preparing your favorite piece of meat for a barbecue cook up, a butcher knife has some serious meat cutting, chopping and slicing power.
The 7 Best Butcher Knives:
- Victorinox Cutlery 10-Inch Granton Edge Butcher Knife
- Dexter-Russell 8-Inch Butcher Knife (Our Top Pick)
- Ontario Knife Co 7111 Old Hickory Butcher Knife, 10-Inch Blade
- Global GF-27 – 7-Inch Heavyweight Butcher’s Knife
- UltraSource 10-inch Blade Butcher Knife
- Update International (KGE-11) 11-Inch Butcher Knife
- Rada Cutlery Old Fashioned 12-1/8 Inches Butcher Knife
Our Top Pick for the Best Butcher Knife
Our top pick for the best butcher knife is the Dexter-Russell 8-Inch butcher knife.
A hot favorite with professional chefs all around the world, the Dexter-Russell 8-inch butcher knife is the perfect cutting tool for the home chef. Designed for effortless cutting and slicing of meat, with a solid construction, a nice edge, and excellent balance, the Dexter-Russell is the knife you need for carving up a Sunday roast or cutting up steak for a barbecue.
Heavy-duty Razor Sharp Knives for Professional Chefs and Home Cooks
A butcher knife, which is sometimes called a butcher’s knife, is primarily used to butcher and dress animal carcasses, as it features an extra hefty, strong and razor sharp blade. It is also the knife of choice for professional chefs who need an efficient cutting tool for a wide range of food preparation tasks like slicing, trimming and cutting through thick meat and cartilage and stripping the meat off the bone.
This highly versatile kitchen knife is an excellent meat cutting tool for those home cooks who frequently have meat dishes on their menu.
As opposed to other types of knives, a butcher knife has a distinctive design. It looks similar to a cimeter or scimitar with a heavy, long, broad, curved blade that tapers to a razor sharp tip. Whatever type of meat you love to cook, rib-eye steaks, lamb roast, chicken, or leg ham, for the oven, griller or smoker, the butcher knife is the right knife for the job.
How to Choose a Butcher Knife
To find the perfect butcher knife for your kitchen, here are some important features to keep in mind.
Stamped and Forged Blades
Butcher knives are designed with a stamped blade or a forged blade.
Stamped Blade
A stamped blade is made with a hydraulic press which cuts the blade into a scimitar-style shape from cold-rolled pieces of steel. The blade is then ground, tempered and sharpened. As stamped blades are easier to manufacture, they are usually less expensive than their forged blade counterparts.
Most stamped blade butcher knives have a seamless design as there is no bolster between the handle and the blade which means they are very easy to keep clean.
Stamped butcher knives, like the Victorinox Cutlery Butcher Knife, are easier to use, with a lighter blade than a forged blade, which makes quick work out of slicing up a chicken roast or trimming ham off the bone.
Stamped bladed butcher knives may not have the heftier blade and cutting power of a thicker and heavier forged blade, so they may not be strong enough for cutting or chopping through extra thick meat or have the long-term durability of forged steel.
Forged Blade
While forged blade butcher knives are more costly than stamped blade knives, forged blades have undergone an extreme manufacturing process that produces a thicker and stronger blade and will not chip, dull or shatter. A forged butcher knife has a bolster between the blade and the handle to add extra strength. Forged blades are ideal for chopping and cutting thick meat and splitting bone but they are heavier to hold than stamped steel.
Whether you choose a stamped or forged blade, use a whetstone to keep them super sharp and always ready for action.
Size
Butcher knives come in either 7, 8, 10 or 12-inch sizes. An 11 or 12-inch butcher knife is an excellent choice for cutting through thick meat, but depending on the size of the handle, it may be hard to wield and not give you much cutting control.
7 or 8-inch butcher knives are a great choice for slicing and trimming smaller pieces of meat and they are easier to maneuver and give you good control over the knife, but they are not designed for cutting and chopping thick pieces of meat.
A 10-inch butcher knife gives you the best of both worlds. It’s long enough for cutting into thicker pieces of meat while also being small enough to trim the meat off a roast.
Blade Construction
Butcher-knife blades are either made out of stainless-steel or high-carbon steel. While stainless steel is strong and sharp and has extra anti-staining and rust-resistant properties, it can still develop rust over the longer term if the blade is not maintained properly. High-carbon steel is by far the superior type of material for a butcher knife. It is durable and has a very good edge retention and long-lasting sharpness and can handle heavy-duty cutting tasks.
A blade should be well-balanced and sturdy and have a good level of flexibility but it should not bend too much otherwise it can get stuck in thick meat.
Blade Edge
While most butcher knives have a straight cutting edge which is ideal for chopping up thick meat, some butcher knives have a special Granton edge. The Granton edge design features hollowed out sections along the blade that might look like a row of identical dimples like the Victorinox butcher knife which has grooves that fill with the fat and juices of the meat being cut and allows for thin, even cuts without tearing the meat. Other manufacturers may introduce a hollow ground blade like the Rada butcher knife, which has a precision concave surface for maximum edge retention.
Handle
Handles can be made out of wood, plastic or stainless steel. While wood looks stylish, like the Ontario Knife 7111 Old Hickory Butcher Knife which has a stunning hickory wood handle that feels solid in your hand, it is not as bacteria resistant as modern plastic handles.
Plastic handles, like the Dexter-Russell butcher-knife that has a Grip-Tex polypropylene handle, can be used indoors or outdoors and they are easier to maintain. The only real downside to plastic handles is that they can be prone to cracking when exposed to higher temperatures.
Stainless-steel handles have that signature stainless-steel mirror shine and they are easy to maintain but they can get slippery when wet.
The best types of handles are those that have an easy-gripping, slip-resistant surface or a textured dimpled surface like the Global butcher knife, which also has a hollow handle that is filled with sand to achieve perfect balance and optimal control.
If you need to work with larger pieces of meat, the knife must have a good balance between the handle and the blade for effective cutting control.
Best Butcher Knife Reviews
1. Victorinox Cutlery 10-Inch Granton Edge Butcher Knife
This exquisitely made butcher knife from Victorinox, the Swiss knife experts, is the king of kitchen knives and it can handle tough cutting tasks like slicing full sized roasts and cutting large pieces of meat.
The high carbon Granton-edge conical ground 10-inch blade has a good length and its very sharp stainless-steel blade provides maximum sharpness and edge retention.
As the blade is stamped out of cold-rolled stainless steel, it has a good resistance to rust but you will need to wash and dry the blade after each use to maintain its appearance and edge.
The knife is well-balanced and its ergonomic black textured handles are crafted out of non-slip patented Fibrox which is comfortable to hold.
The Victorinox butcher knife has to be hand-washed and it is covered by a lifetime warranty.
Pros
- Exquisite Swiss design
- Excellent quality
- Ideal for cutting whole roasts and big cuts of meat
- Strong and durable high carbon stainless-steel blade
- Ice tempered to sustain its sharpness longer
- Very sharp
- Non-slip shaped Fibrox handle
- Blade stamped from cold-rolled steel
- Conical ground through length and depth for a wider break point
- Bolsterless edge for extra strength and ease of sharpening
- Ergonomic black Fibrox handles are textured, slip resistant
- Limited lifetime warranty
Cons
- Expensive
- Stamped steel reduces durability
- Can be too heavy or long for smaller hands to control
- Must be hand washed
2. Dexter-Russell 8-Inch Butcher Knife
Dexter-Russell has been forging steel blades since the early 19th century and their butcher knives are used in commercial kitchens all over the world.
The stylish hand sharpened Sani-Safe knife has a straight-edge 8-inch heavy-duty DexSteel blade which is made out of a combination of high-carbon and high-alloy stainless steel, which is specially engineered for professional knives. This special blend of steel enhances the blades sharpness, edge holding capabilities, corrosion resistance and ease of re-sharpening. Its hand honed blade has an extra sharp tip that can pierce and cut into thick pieces meat and its shorter blade length means it is highly effective at cutting smaller pieces of meat into thin portions.
Although the Dexter-Russell knife is heavy at 4lbs, it is well balanced and its white textured, slip-resistant, easy-to-clean, Grip-Tex polypropylene handle can withstand high and low temperatures. Its specially molded design prevents any dirt or germs from lodging between the blade and the handle, which has earned it an NSF sanitary certification for safe cooking practices.
For extra protection throughout the cutting process, the knife has a protective finger guard on the handle and the knife is very easy to clean and resharpen with a whetstone.
The Dexter Russell butcher knife is covered by a limited lifetime warranty.
Pros
- Very good value for money
- Good price
- High-quality
- Special DexSteel: combination of high-alloy stainless-steel and high-carbon steel
- Well-balanced
- Shorter blade gives you good cutting and slicing control
- White handle works well with current kitchen decor
- Moderate price
- High carbon steel
- Earned NSF certification for its food safety friendly design
- Textured, slip-resistant Grip-Tex polypropylene handle withstands both high and low temperatures
- Easy to clean
- Limited lifetime warranty
Cons
- Shorter 8-inch blade
- Blade can get discolored
- Heavy
3. Ontario Knife Co 7111 Old Hickory Butcher Knife, 10-Inch Blade
Featuring high-quality materials and expert craftsmanship, the Ontario Knife Company butcher knife is designed for tough cutting tasks.
The plain edge 10-inch blade is made of extra strong and durable 1095 high carbon steel, which has been fully heat-treated and tempered and its razor-sharp cutting edge makes it an excellent choice for agricultural/industrial and home use for meat processing tasks.
Its beautiful hardwood handle, which is branded ‘Old Hickory’, is secured with brass compression rivets and it is well-balanced and gives you a good secure grip while you cut and slice up all types of meat.
The blade may be a little dull when you first take it out of the box but with just a few strikes on the whetstone, it will be razor sharp and it maintains its edge very well.
Although the high carbon steel is rust-resistant, it can rust if not properly cared for, so clean and dry it after each use and keep it out of the dishwasher.
Pros
- High-quality design
- Very good price
- Great value for money
- Expert craftsmanship
- Made in the U.S.A.
- Ideal for professional and home use
- Strong high carbon steel
- Heat treated and tempered
- Ideal for heavy-duty cutting tasks
- Razor-sharp cutting edge
- Maintains its edge over the long-term
- Well balanced
- Beautiful hardwood handle branded ‘Old Hickory’ is secured with brass compression rivets
Cons
- Can be prone to stains and rust if not maintained properly
- Not dishwasher safe
- May need to be resharpened when you first receive it
- Thin blade
4. Global GF-27 – 7-Inch Heavyweight Butcher’s Knife
This sleek and superbly crafted butcher knife from Global is just right for butchering big blocks of meat, which has made it a favorite with professional chefs all around the world and it is an excellent choice for home cooks.
Forged in Japan from the finest Cromova 18 stainless steel, the 7-inch blade contains a blend of 18-percent chromium for good stain resistance plus molybdenum and vanadium which gives the blade its perfect edge retention over the long term.
The Global butcher knife has a heftier and thicker blade than other butcher’s knives and its long tapered point has been face-ground for an unsurpassed cutting and slicing performance.
Its heavyweight design means it can cut through thick meat like roasts and rib-eye steak and its unique razor sharp convex edge allows you to cleanly slice through foods, while also preserving the integrity of the ingredient and maximizing its flavor.
Besides its unique blade design, the hollow handle is filled with sand to achieve the desired weight and deliver the perfect balance and optimal cutting and slicing control.
Working with this butcher knife is effortless as it has an ergonomic, stainless steel contoured handle with Global’s special signature dimple pattern, which offers a comfortable, slip-resistant grip and its seamless construction eliminates any bacteria.
Pros
- Superb quality
- Seamless design
- Heavy-duty butcher knife
- Extremely sharp
- Made from the finest Cromova 18 stainless steel
- Forged in Japan
- Unique convex edge for unsurpassed performance
- Ice tempered and hardened to Rockwell C56 – C58 degrees
- Razor sharp tip has been face-ground with a long tapered edge for long-term sharpness
- Ergonomic, slip-resistant stainless steel hygienic handle with signature dimple pattern
- Special hollow handle is filled with sand to achieve perfect balance and optimal control
- Comfortable to hold and use
Con
- Expensive
5. UltraSource 10-inch Blade Butcher Knife
Whether you are a professional cook or a home chef, the straight-edged UltraSource 10-inch Butcher knife has just the right shape, size, and flexibility for cutting all types of meat.
The superior quality industrial-grade butcher knife is popular with butchers, meat processors, professional chefs, home cooks and BBQ enthusiasts due to its forged cryogenically-treated blade that improves strength, lifespan, and edge retention.
You can cut effortlessly through meat like steaks, brisket, and leg ham as the knife has a long, curved and incredibly sharp 10-inch cimeter style blade, but it also offers a lot of versatility for slicing through game meat, fish, and poultry.
The ergonomic slip-resistant textured bright orange handle is well balanced and there is protective finger bolsters located at both ends of the handle to stop any slippage and minimize hand fatigue. The knife has a seamless blade design so it will not harbor any bacteria and it is very easy to clean.
You can choose from a cimeter blade or a straight blade and to keep your knife clean and super sharp, it needs to be hand cleaned and it can be sharped with a whetstone.
Pros
- High-quality
- Very good price
- Excellent value for money
- Industrial strength blade
- Professional style butcher knife
- High-quality Molybdenum steel
- 10-inch cimeter blade is ideal breaking down entire roasts, game meat, fish and poultry into smaller pieces
- Cryogenic treatment enhances performance and retains edge longer
- Textured bright orange handle is antibacterially infused and liquid welded for easy cleaning
- Blade and handle are well balanced
- Front and rear safety bolsters to minimize hand slippage and fatigue and provides a confident grip
- Antibacterial textured handles are NSF certified
Cons
- Not dishwasher-safe
- Can get dull fast with heavy-duty use
6. Update International (KGE-11) 11-Inch Butcher Knife
The heavy-duty 11-inch butcher knife from Update International is proudly manufactured in the U.S.A. and it is a great choice for restaurants and home cooks who need to cut or chop up large portions of meat.
The hand-honed straight-edge forged blade is made from a combination of thick forged high-carbon stainless steel and high carbon molybdenum vanadium steel and it has a strong pointed blade tip, which means it will have no problem with cutting rib-eye steaks, slicing up large roasts, and chopping thick pieces of meat.
To help you wield better control over the knife, the strong and durable bacteria-resistant ergonomic handle is made from slip-resistant polyoxymethylene (POM) black plastic and the contoured shape fits comfortably in your hand and it is bacteria resistant.
The Update International butcher-knife has met the standards that are set by the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) food safety regulations, and the knife is covered by a 5-year limited warranty.
Pros
- Excellent quality
- Great value for money
- Good price
- Made in the U.S.A.
- UL-listed
- Hand-honed knife has pointed sharp blade tip with a strong straight edge
- Sturdy construction
- Easy to use
- Sleek design
- Heavy duty and designed for commercial use
- Made of a combination of forged high-carbon stainless steel with molybdenum vanadium steel
- Durable, ergonomic slip-resistant polyoxymethylene plastic handle has a contoured shape
- Bacteria resistant handle
- 5-year limited warranty
Cons
- Thin blade is susceptible to chipping
- Not very well balanced
7. Rada Cutlery Old Fashioned 12-1/8 Inches Butcher Knife
A highly versatile butcher knife, the Rada Cutlery Old Fashioned Butcher Knife is the perfect choice for cutting, splitting, dicing and stripping of meat, but it can also be used for slicing vegetables and fruit.
Just like the old fashion butchers used to use in the traditional butcher shop, this large solid American-made butcher knife has the power to efficiently segment, split, chop and cut large pieces of meat.
The 12-1/8-inch butcher knife features a surgical-quality, heavy-duty T420 high carbon stainless steel cutting edge which is hand-sharpened to make it razor sharp.
Its blade has been especially hollow grounded to offer a precise concave shape for maximum edge retention and the extra sharp tip is just right for meat skinning tasks.
Its elegant, easy-gripping textured short black stainless-steel resin handle feels comfortable in your hand and the finger guard protects you while you cut, slice and dice your favorite meat.
The Rada butcher knife is dishwasher safe but to maintain the knife’s overall quality, it is best to hand wash it and it is covered by a hassle-free lifetime guarantee.
The butcher knife comes with a black stainless steel resin handle or silver stainless steel handle.
Pros
- Excellent quality
- Great price
- U.S.A. made
- Ideal for cutting, splitting, stripping and dicing large cuts of meat
- Highly versatile, can be used for vegetables and fruit
- Strong and solid construction
- Heavy-duty T420 high carbon surgical grade stainless steel blade
- Hand Sharpened
- Includes a skinning tip
- Razor sharp edge
- Hollow ground blade ensures a precision concave surface for maximum edge retention
- Elegant and easy-gripping black stainless-steel resin handle
- Handle has a finger-guard
- Ideal for people with small hands
- Dishwasher safe
- Lifetime guarantee
- Black stainless steel resin or silver stainless steel handle
Cons
- Blade is a little thin
- Gets dull quickly
- Handle can degrade in quality if put in the dishwasher
Our Top Pick for the Best Butcher Knife
Our top pick for the best butcher knife is the Dexter-Russell 8-Inch butcher knife.
A hot favorite with professional chefs all around the world, the Dexter-Russell 8-inch butcher knife is the perfect cutting tool for the home chef. Designed for effortless cutting and slicing of meat, with a solid construction, a nice edge, and excellent balance, the Dexter-Russell is the knife you need for carving up a Sunday roast or cutting up steak for a barbecue.
