How to cut steak against the grain comes down to one move: find the lines of muscle fibre, turn the steak so they run left to right, and slice straight across them.
It makes the biggest difference on leaner, harder-working cuts such as rump, rump cap and rostbiff, where long fibres can make a well-cooked steak chew like a tough one.
This guide explains what the grain is, walks through the method in four steps and shows how the grain runs on every cut we sell.
What Does It Mean to Slice Against the Grain?
The grain is the direction the muscle fibres run, and slicing against the grain means cutting across those fibres rather than along them.
Look closely at a raw or cooked steak and you will see fine parallel lines, a little like the grain in timber. Each line is a bundle of muscle fibres. Cut along them and every slice is a mouthful of long fibres your teeth have to work through; cut across them and each slice holds short lengths that separate easily.
That is why the same steak can seem tender or chewy depending on the knife. Shorter fibres in each piece make chewing easier and help the meat feel more tender on the plate, without changing the cooking at all.
The effect is greatest on lean, hard-working muscles, which have a firmer, more obvious grain than tender loin cuts such as eye fillet.
Across the grain and against the grain mean the same thing, while with the grain means slicing parallel to the fibres.
Recipes for flank steak and skirt, the classic coarse-grained cuts, lean hard on this rule for the same reason.
How to Cut Steak Against the Grain in Four Steps
Rest the steak, find the grain, turn the steak so the lines run left to right, then slice straight across them at the thickness your dish needs.
- Rest it first. Before the knife goes in, rest the steak so the juices settle rather than running onto the board.
- Find the grain. Look for the fine parallel lines on the surface or the cut face, and note which way they run.
- Turn the steak. Position it so the lines run left to right in front of you, which puts your knife at a right angle to the fibres.
- Slice across. Cut straight down, keeping each slice an even thickness. Our Thai beef salad slices seared rump about 5mm thick, a good guide for steak served sliced.
A long, sharp carving or chef's knife makes clean cuts in one or two strokes, while a blunt blade tears the fibres and squeezes out juice. Slicing on a slight angle, or on the bias, gives wider slices that look generous on the plate and still cuts across the fibres.
How to Tell Which Way the Grain Runs
On a raw steak, the fibres show as fine lines across the surface. On a cooked steak, the crust can hide them, so cut a thin slice from one end and look at the cut face. If the lines run away from you, turn the steak a quarter.
Grain Direction on Every Cut We Sell
On most cuts you slice a cooked steak straight across the grain you can see, but rump and rump cap need more care because their grain is less straightforward.
| Cut | How the grain runs | How to slice it |
|---|---|---|
| Rump steak | A whole rump holds several muscles whose grain runs in different directions | Slice each section separately, turning the steak when the lines change |
| Rump tail (tri tip) | Changes direction across the piece | Cut it in two where the grain shifts, then slice each piece across its own grain |
| Rump cap (picanha) | One muscle with a clear, coarse grain | Follow the two-step rule for how to slice picanha: cut raw steaks with the grain, then slice each cooked steak across it |
| Rostbiff (rump centre) | Even grain along the roast | Carve roast rostbiff in thin slices across the grain |
| Porterhouse (striploin) | Along the length of the striploin, so steaks cut from it already have short fibres | Slice a cooked steak into strips across the fibres on its cut face |
| Scotch fillet | Along the cube roll; the cap may run a different way | Slice the eye and cap separately if their grain differs |
| Eye fillet | Very fine grain along the fillet | Cut across the fillet; it is tender either way, but slices neatest across |
Rump is the cut that catches people out. Because a whole rump is several muscles joined together, one large rump steak can need turning halfway through slicing as the grain shifts.
Rostbiff, the centre of the rump with the cap removed, is the most even piece to slice, which makes it the easiest rump cut for neat strips or a carved roast.
Slicing Raw Beef Thin, and When to Go With the Grain
For stir fries and other fast dishes, firm the beef in the freezer, then slice it thinly across the grain; the common exception is jerky, which is often cut with the grain for a chewier strip.
Raw beef is soft and slippery, so 20 to 30 minutes in the freezer firms it enough to slice evenly without freezing it through. Trim off fat and silverskin first, then find the grain exactly as you would on a cooked steak.
Our beef stir fry slices rump into strips about 5mm thick and 5cm long, and our other stir fry recipes run between 3 and 5mm. Shaved beef for bulgogi goes thinner again, about 2 to 3mm, after a longer spell in the freezer.
Thin, cross-grain strips need only a minute or two in a smoking-hot wok, and the short fibres keep each piece tender.
Jerky is where the rule bends. Slicing with the grain gives the classic long, chewy strip, while slicing across it gives a softer bite that tears easily, so homemade beef jerky can go either way depending on the texture you like.
Whichever way you cut, keep every slice the same thickness so the batch cooks, or dries, evenly.
Conclusion
To cut steak against the grain, find the lines of muscle fibre, turn the steak and slice straight across them.
On rump, watch for the grain changing direction and turn the steak as you go.
Our rump steak and whole rump primals arrive chilled, never frozen, ready for your knife.
