Butcher Knife Guide: Types, Uses and How to Choose One

A butcher knife is a long, sturdy knife with a slightly curved blade that is made for breaking down large cuts of meat: separating a pork shoulder into roasts, cutting a whole brisket in two, trimming fat and portioning steaks. Most home cooks do well with a 6- to 8-inch butcher knife. It is not a cleaver, so it is not meant for chopping through bone, and it is not a boning knife either, although it can do some of the same trimming work. If you regularly buy meat in bulk, from a whole loin to a big pack of chicken thighs, it is the knife that makes those jobs quicker and cleaner.

This guide explains what a butcher knife does, how it compares with the other meat knives in a butcher's kit, which length and features to look for, and how to keep it sharp at home.

What is a butcher knife used for?

In a butcher shop, the classic butcher knife is often called a breaking knife. Its job is to "break" large primal cuts into smaller, more useful pieces. The curved, upswept front of the blade lets you make long, sweeping cuts through muscle and fat, while the point helps you follow seams between muscles.

At home, that translates into jobs like these:

• Portioning large boneless cuts such as a pork loin, a beef chuck roll or a whole tenderloin into steaks, roasts or stew meat.
• Trimming fat caps, silverskin and sinew before cooking.
• Cutting along natural seams to separate muscles, for example on a brisket (point from flat) or a pork shoulder.
• Dicing and slicing raw meat for stews, kebabs, stir-fries and grinding.

What it is not for: chopping through bones, splitting frozen food or prying joints apart. Those jobs either belong to a heavier blade or call for a different technique.

Types of butcher knives (and what they do)

"Butcher knife" is used loosely in the US. Sometimes it means the breaking knife described above, sometimes a long cimeter (scimitar) knife for slicing steaks, and sometimes a meat cleaver. It helps to know the whole family:

In most kitchens, a butcher knife and a boning knife handle nearly all raw meat prep. Add a cleaver if you regularly cut through bones, and a slicer if you smoke or roast large pieces. Our boning knife guide and the article on how to choose and use a cleaver go deeper into those two.

Butcher knife vs. cleaver vs. boning knife

These three get mixed up more than any other meat knives, so here is the short version.

Butcher knife vs. cleaver

A cleaver works by weight and impact: you bring a tall, heavy blade down through bone or cartilage. A butcher knife works by slicing. It is thinner and lighter, so it glides through meat and fat with long strokes, but hitting bone with it can chip or roll the edge. If you split chicken backs or cut short ribs, get a cleaver as well. SAMURA's own care advice for its knives says the same: leave meat with bones to a cleaver.

Butcher knife vs. boning knife

A boning knife is narrower and more maneuverable. It follows the contour of a bone and gets into tight joints. A butcher knife is longer and broader, which gives you reach and stability for big, straight cuts. Think of the boning knife as the detail tool and the butcher knife as the one that does the heavy lifting.

And the Serbian chef's knife?

The broad Serbian chef's knife looks like a cleaver but is used more like a heavy chef's knife for meat and vegetables. It is a great all-rounder for grilling and meat-heavy cooking, but it is not a breaking knife. We cover it separately in our Serbian chef's knife guide.

How to choose a butcher knife

Blade length

• 6 inches (about 150–160 mm): easy to control, good for chicken, pork tenderloin and smaller roasts. A good first butcher knife for a home kitchen.
• 7–8 inches (about 180–200 mm): the versatile middle. Long enough for a brisket or a pork shoulder, still manageable on a standard cutting board.
• 10 inches and up: mostly for whole primals and professional work. It needs a big board and confident technique.

Steel and hardness

Meat work is wet, salty and sometimes acidic (think marinades), so stainless steel is the practical choice. For a butcher knife, a moderate hardness is an advantage: the edge holds up well, but it is not so hard that it chips when it brushes a bone, and it comes back quickly on a whetstone. Very hard, thin Japanese blades are excellent slicers, but they are less forgiving in this role.

Handle and grip

Raw meat makes your hands slippery, so grip matters more here than on almost any other knife. Look for a textured, non-slip handle that fills your hand, and a shape that stops your fingers from sliding toward the edge. A seamless synthetic handle is also easier to keep clean than a wooden one with gaps or cracks.

Edge and maintenance

A double-bevel edge that you can touch up with a honing rod and resharpen on a whetstone keeps the knife useful for years. Check that the manufacturer states the factory edge angle, so you know what to aim for when you sharpen.

SAMURA butcher knives: what we make

The SAMURA Butcher series was designed around what butchers value most: comfort, safety and efficiency. Every knife in it has a single-layer AUS-8 stainless steel blade hardened to 58–59 HRC, a convex edge sharpened by hand and a curved black TPE handle with a textured, non-slip surface that helps when your hands are wet.

• The Samura Butcher knife 195 mm (about 7.7 inches) is the classic butcher knife in the line, with a slightly curved, upswept blade. It is made for breaking down large boneless cuts, portioning meat into steaks and joints, and trimming fat and sinew.
• The 6-piece Butcher knife set is a complete meat kit: a 156 mm small butcher knife, the 195 mm butcher knife, a 187 mm boning knife, a 173 mm skinning knife, a 228 mm Fisherman fillet knife and a 253 mm long slicer, plus a carry bag.
• For bones there is the Butcher cleaver 180 mm, with an 80 mm tall blade and a weight of 295 g. It is the knife SAMURA recommends for chopping meat on the bone.
• If you prefer a G-10 handle with a stainless steel bolster, the Mo-V small butcher knife has a 155 mm AUS-8 blade and weighs 192 g. You will find it, along with other meat knives, in the knives for meat collection.

What we don't make: a long cimeter or a 10-inch-plus breaking knife. If you mainly break down whole primals, the 253 mm long slicer from the 6-piece set is the longest blade in the Butcher series, but it is a slicer rather than a curved cimeter.

How to use a butcher knife safely

1. Stabilize the board. Put a damp towel under it so it can't slide. A large wooden board gives you room to work. If you use a wooden board for meat, keep it in shape with our guide on how to oil a wooden cutting board.
2. Work with cold meat. Well-chilled meat is firmer and easier to cut cleanly.
3. Use the whole blade. Long, smooth strokes from heel to tip beat sawing back and forth. Let the edge do the work.
4. Follow the seams. Pull the muscle gently with your free hand and cut along the natural lines of fat and connective tissue.
5. Cut away from yourself and keep your guiding hand behind the edge, never in its path.
6. Stop at the bone. When you hit bone, cut around it or switch to a boning knife or cleaver.

Once the meat is portioned, slicing technique matters too. Our article on how to slice meat evenly covers cutting against the grain.

Caring for a butcher knife

• Wash by hand with warm, soapy water right after use, and dry it straight away. No dishwasher, and don't leave it in the sink.
• Cut on wood or plastic, never on glass, stone or ceramic.
• Hone between sharpenings. A few strokes on a honing rod, from heel to tip, realign the edge after a big trimming session.
• Sharpen on a whetstone when honing no longer helps. SAMURA Butcher knives leave the factory at a bevel angle of 15–17° per side, so that is the angle to hold.
• Store it safely in a block or on a holder where the edge does not touch other metal.

Butcher knife FAQ

What size butcher knife is best for home use?

A 6- to 8-inch blade suits most home kitchens. It handles everything from chicken to a whole brisket and still fits on a normal cutting board.

Can a butcher knife cut through bone?

No, not safely. A butcher knife can cut through cartilage and around joints, but bones should be left to a cleaver. Hitting bone hard can chip or roll the edge.

Is a butcher knife the same as a cleaver?

No. Both are meat knives, but a cleaver is a tall, heavy blade for chopping through bone, while a butcher knife is a slicing knife for breaking down boneless cuts and trimming.

Do I need a butcher knife if I have a chef's knife?

For occasional steaks and chicken breasts, a chef's knife is enough. If you buy large cuts, break down whole chickens or trim briskets, a butcher knife's curved blade and grippy handle make the work faster and safer.

How often should I sharpen a butcher knife?

Hone it before or after each big session, and sharpen it on a whetstone when it starts slipping on fat or skin instead of biting in. For most home cooks, that means a few times a year.