What knives do your favorite BBQ joints use? I was curious so I asked as many as I could. Below is an alphabetical list of BBQ joints (234 BBQ spots so far) with the knives they use (written in their own words when it's been provided). As you'll see, the answers are at times even better than the cutlery intel. This list will continue to grow as I get more BBQ joints to contribute, AND note that they may change their preference at the drop of a hat. Any restaurant that recently closed will be listed below because their information is still valuable.
The BBQ Joints KNIFE Massive List
1701 Barbecue - Beaumont, Texas - We currently use Victorinox, Wusthof, and Dexter.
2Fifty Central Texas BBQ - Riverdale Park, Maryland - Co-owner Fernando Gonzale -Hi Kevin! I don’t use knife roll because I keep my knives on two magnets: one in the prep room and one behind my cutting station. I was able to convince Victorinox to provide us regularly with half of our order so I’m only using theirs. I believe they are mid-ground between the cheap stuff that doesn’t last and the expensive stuff that you don’t necessarily need in the bbq world. I use a flexible 7” for trimming, a 12” serrated knife for slicing brisket and ribs, and a standard 12” slicing knife for poultry. The last two are only present at the front of the house. The big carving knife I use it to trim spare ribs and carve duck. It’s aggressive but gentle at the same time.
Co-owner Fernando Gonzales talks in the video below about his favorite knives which happen to be made by Victoronix.
2M Smokehouse BBQ - San Antonio, Texas - Dexter 12” Scalloped Slicer.
17th Street BBQ - Murphysboro, Illinois - We use the knives we designed with R. Murphy ~ along with others from their stock offering. Brisket knives from Victorinox and Hammer Stahl. We also have lots of inexpensive kitchen knives for everyday tasks.
Adamson Barbecue - Toronto, Canada - Mercer 14" Non-Serrated Slicer. Adamson is currently closed.
Against the Grain Texas Craft Barbecue - Eugene, Oregon - Kai pro - 6” curved blade mostly. Also a 12” choice slicer and a 6” curved blade boning knife from Victorinox. Against the Grain has closed.
AJ’s Tex-Mex & Barbeque Restaurant - Valley Village, California - My favorite knife brand for a commercial kitchen is Dexter. We use the boning knife for trimming and the serrated for slicing briskets.
Animales Barbecue - Minneapolis, Minnesota - Our chefs all have their own. No certain brand.
Banger's Sausage House and Beer Garden - Austin, Texas - All of my day-to-day working knives are custom-made from 100-year-old saw blades with bone and antler handles. All butcher knives are cheap, black plastic-handled Victorinox knives. I keep them like razor blades but they only last me a few months due to how much I sharpen them. My other custom knives come from buddies over the years. Ted uses cleavers when chopping hogs which are some old-school antique ones. Additionally from Ted, "50% of my Custom knives come from Iron Grove Tool Company in the Hill Country Area." From Chef Thomas: "I personally use Ceccaldi knives for my chef, boning, and paring knives, my cleaver is a vintage cleaver rescued from an antique store from the 1870’s, and my other go-to knife is a Takeda Nikiri for vegetable prep."
Bark City BBQ - Portland, Oregon - A 10-inch Japanese bread knife I spent about $ 200 on. It’s amazing. Bark City has closed its Portland location but keep on the lookout for a possible location opening in Arizona.
B.E. Scott's BBQ - Lexington, Tennessee - Honestly, no specific brand for me. As long as it's sharp I'm in!
Bessinger's BBQ - Charleston, South Carolina - Here is what I typically use. The funky cleaver knife to the left is something my children gave me for Christmas last year. I believe is an Almazan knife. I thought it was gimmicky and goofy but I got to tell you it’s Sutherland quite often. I find myself laughing and how useful it is. I absolutely love it and use it mostly at home or when camping.
Left to right:
- 1) I always have to have my Thermapen,
- 2) Dexter Russell boning knife. I primarily use this to trim brisket, rib, and chicken work when trimming for cooks.
- 3) Goofy Serbian chef knife
- 4) Dexter serrated bread knife. Use to cut brisket and ribs.
- 5) Custom cleaver I had made by Jason Reddick of Angry Giant Forge. He won a swing of Forged in Fire.
- 6) Shun Kiritsuke.
Big Al's Smokehouse BBQ - Dallas, Texas - We use a Victorinox 12” Butcher Knife.
Big Bob Gibson BBQ - Decatur, Alabama
Blake’s at Southern Milling - Martin, Tennessee - For slicing I use a Dexter Russell 12" serrated. For trimming I use a 6” blade fillet knife (Case brand or Dexter I think).
Blake's Place - Anaheim, California - My go-to for brisket is the Victorinox 10” serrated with wood handles. As far as utility chef knives we have a collection of 10” chef knives, some forged some not. We rotate consistently and sharpen daily. For prime rib, I prefer a 12” Wusthof slicer.
Big Thicket BBQ - DeRidder, Louisiana - We use Dexter 12" Scalloped Slicers and Victorinox 12" Granton Blade Slicers. Neither is super fancy, but both get the job done, and if they break or wear out it's not a huge deal.
Blood Bros BBQ - Bellaire, Texas - Per Quy: " I use a 12" Shun Slicer".
Blue Oak BBQ - New Orleans, Louisiana - We use Down The River Forge knives. They’re local and pretty awesome. We also go to Coutelier here in NOLA which is a specialty knife store in town. They have a great selection of Japanese and American-made knives as well as a bunch of specialty kitchen equipment The cleaver from DTR Forge is awesome.
Bodacious Bar-B-Q (Hallsville) - Hallsville, Texas - I use the Dexter Russell 8915 Traditional 8" Cleaver with Walnut Handle at the block and the Dexter Russell 6" boning knife for trimming and preparing raw meats.
Bodacious Bar-B-Q on Mobberly - Longview, Texas - We just use Dexter here for everything. The serrated slicer, cleaver, and curved to trim briskets.
Boneyard Bistro - Sherman Oaks, California - Hey Kevin. Regarding my knives. My baby is a Ryusen Gyuto from Japan. I do use a Miyabi Mizu for daily kitchen use. Works well, a little delicate. I also have a big cleaver for rib tips, and a 12” serrated slicer for brisket. Shun boning knife. I don’t typically use a roll anymore as it’s my kitchen and I have my office here, if I travel I will take a roll. Thanks! Aaron - Boneyard
Chef Sam from Boneyard Bistro uses a Wustof Chefs Knife and/or a Global Chef Knife.
Brett’s Family BBQ - Rockdale, Texas - Dexter 12"
Brick Vault Brewery and BBQ - Marathon, Texas - 12” Dexter Serrated and 6" Dexter curved boning or Victorinox
Breakwater Barbecue - El Granada, California - I use a Dexter boning knife for the most part to trim the brisket and to carve I also use a Dexter scalloped knife.
Brix Barbecue - Fort Worth, Texas - We use a Dexter 12” slicing knife (slicing at service as well as trimming briskets and beef belly), Shun 6” boning knife (trimming all the things), and a Wuhstoff 8” Chefs knife (standard prep knife and cutting off the collar bone portion of spare ribs).
Brotherton's Black Iron Barbecue - Pflugerville, Texas - From John: My favorite slicer is the Victorinox Serrated Slicer Knife w/12" Blade - Rosewood Handle. For trimming I use the Dalstrong boning knife. From Bill Dumas: "Here’s what I use: I use: *Messermeister Germany-Solingen brand 10” filet knife for trimming and shaping raw briskets *Classic Wusthoff #4610/16cm curved blade knife for heavy trimming and boning of raw meats *Classic Wusthoff #4582/23cm Kitchen knife for general utility uses and chopping/dicing *Dexter 16” plastic handle bread knife for slicing cooked meats **All knives are held in a custom made leather knife roll made by Maka Knifeworks in Tasmania.
Between the Slices (b'tween Sandwich Co.) - Here are Michelle Wallace's knives in her knife roll:
Burnt Bean Co. - Seguin, Texas - I use Shun knives.
Butter's BBQ - Mathis, Texas - We use a Dexter scalloped slicer 12”
Cali Comfort BBQ - San Diego, California - We always used Foreschner before, which is now Victronix, but currently, we use Cozzini Bros. knives through a knife service. We use an 8-inch and 12" chef knife, we do have serrated knives for bread, we use a 6-inch boning knife, and a 14" slicer.
Capelo's Barbecue - Redwood City, California - We use Wusthof and Miyabi knives.
Cattleack Barbeque - Dallas, Texas - Cheap and local. Not enough of a cook to know the difference. We mostly buy the 14” Stahl from Amazon. Per Andrew Castelan, "I use a Victorinox 8" Filet Knife."
Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous - Memphis, Tennessee - Nothing fancy over here!!! Dexter 6 boning knife for ribs 12" Forschner Victorinox Serrated Slicer for sausage/ham.
Cherry Block - Jess Timmons - Because she is a self-proclaimed 'knife nerd' follow THIS LINK to see her separate and detailed story about her knives and her love for them. She no longer works there but there is a great list she provides in the link.
City Limits Barbeque - Columbia, South Carolina - Dexter serrated & Victorinox cleaver
CM Smokehouse - New Braunfels/Seguin, Texas - Dexter-Russell 12" Scalloped Slicer & Dexter-Russell 6” Boning Knife
Convenience West - Marfa, Texas - Left to right(see below) 1. Dexter for trimming; 2. All-purpose Nakiri - actually really a great knife; 3. Middleton Made 8" Chef has been using this one for 8 years; 4. Texas Sage Forge 10"slicer; 5. Texas Sage Forge giant Nakiri - That’s about it really, few small paring knives, but those are my main ones
CorkScrew BBQ - Spring, Texas - We actually just use regular old knives from Acemart, Choice 10" chef knives, we've tried all kinds of fancy stuff and these just hold up and sharpen real easy. When we need new ones we give away the old ones and start over.
Daddy Duncan's BBQ - Katy, Texas - We use the 14” Dalstrong, Shun Knives, Mercer, Victorinox, and a lot of Japanese Knives & German mainly.
Dampf Good BBQ - Cary, North Carolina - I only have a few knives. I have a Wusthof Chef's and boning knife, a Dexter boning knife, and a steel honing blade that I keep in my roll. I got my leather roll from Yoder Leather Company.
Dayne's Craft Barbecue - Fort Worth, Texas - Dexter and a Dalstrong. The Dalstrong was a gift. I'd never spend $100 on a knife. LOL, I'm still poor.
Dozier's BBQ - Fulshear, Texas - For trimming briskets we use Dexter 7" fillet knives. On the cutting block we use Dexter 12" scalloped slicers. Our kitchen knives are forged 10" chef's knives. My personal knives are a 10" Wusthoff Ikon Classic Super Slicer and an 8" Japanese chef's knife from Yoshihiro.
Eddie O's Texas Barbecue - Houston, Texas - The trimming knife I use is the Tournament Choice® Classic Edition 8" Fillet Knife and the slicing knife I use is the Dexter-Russell 12" Narrow Scalloped Slicer.
Estrada's Texas Barbecue - Creedmoor, Texas - For brisket trimming (pre-cook) I use a Dexter 10" cimeter. It's what I was always comfortable with when studying meat processing in high school. I use a Dexter 10" scalloped knife for slicing all my cooked meats.
Evie Mae's Pit Barbeque - Wolfforth, Texas - Dexter 12" Serrated
Feges BBQ - Houston, Texas - 12" Victorinox to slice meat. I use various Japanese knives for prep. Patrick uses a Nenox for prep.
Fox & Fire Barbecue - Kansas City, Missouri - I use these for trimming briskets: Dexter 8” S138 and Update boning knife, Victorinox standard chef knife, & Mundial serrated slicing knife.
Flatpoint Barbecue - Santa Monica, California - I use Victorinox slicers - Currently on haitus
Fletcher's BBQ Shop - Longmeadow, Massachusetts - Per Bill Fletcher, "At Fletcher’s, we use mostly Dexter and Victorinox. Both are indestructible, light and have great non-slip plastic handles. Some line cooks and prep cooks have their own knives they bring, which we encourage. Your knife is an extension of your arm; you don’t use someone else’s arm to do many things, so why use someone else’s knife? Thanks for reaching out... I’ve enjoyed your writing for years. Keep it up! - Bill
Flores Barbecue - Whitney, Texas - As far as knives go I have quite a few chef knives including a Miyabi, Global, and a Korin which are all priced over $100 but after purchasing a Misen Chef's Knife it has quickly become my favorite, even with a price tag of $65. When it comes to breaking down proteins (the lion's share being brisket) I like cheaper knives that can take some abuse and if something happens to them they can be sharpened easily or replaced without breaking the bank. I like to use a 14in. Mercer Slicer to trim briskets and a Victorinox semi-stiff boning knife to clean them up and cut up trimmings to be ground into sausage. It also comes in handy with any trimming/cleaning up of steaks and chops and it can break down a chicken in no time flat!
Franklin Barbecue - Austin, Texas - We use the boning knife and scalloped slicer that are on the merch page of our site. Franklin Dexter-Russel Scalloped boning knife AND Franklin Dexter-Russel Scalloped knife
Goldee’s Barbecue - Fort Worth, Texas - For slicing we use a serrated Dexter knife. We also use a 6-inch boning knife and a chef's knife for pork ribs and all other prep. And a butcher knife for chopped beef!
Grasslands Barbecue - Drew - Victorinox 6” boning knives, Global 4” utility knife, Victorinox pairing knife, Gray Kunz spoons, MAC 8” chef knife, Wusthof 9”chef knife, Victorinox 10” scimitar, and a Dexter Russell 12” serrated slicer.
Guess Family Barbecue - Waco, Texas - For cooked bbq we use a 10-inch serrated slicer. We buy the cheap ones and keep them fresh. New one every month or so. For everything else, I like to employ cooks that have their own knives and maintain them.
Handsome Devil BBQ - Newburgh, New York - From owner Ed Randolph, "Hey bud. The knife roll is from Hudson Durable Goods. This thing is amazing. It has traveled from Vermont to South Beach and as far west as Denver and it shows no wear and tear. Highly recommend. Now for what's inside. I carry (2) 6" boning knives for trimming. I prefer something with a soft grip and a curved blade that is semi-flexible. F Dick makes a great knife that makes trimming cases of briskets relatively easy.
I have a custom-made Geoff Feder scimitar that is my go-to knife. It is extremely balanced, sharp, and bulletproof. If you see me slicing 400 racks of ribs at a bbq festival I'll have my Feder knife nearby. I also have a Feder knives chef knife that I carry with me. I always carry (2) custom slicers and a bench scraper we had made by Post Oak Customs.
And a must is my bumpboxx pager Bluetooth speaker. Yeah, I'm old and there is nothing better than showing the new school of bbq that the old school can be cool too. Lol. This Bluetooth retro pager speaker cranks and is a great conversation piece. Other than that I'll carry an extra slicer and pairing knife or something special if the event calls for it. Cheers, Ed."
Harlem Road Texas BBQ - Richmond, Texas - I have 3 custom-made knives by Houston Edge Works. (1) filet knife for trimming briskets; (1) brisket slicing knife 14”; (1) 10” chef knife. See the photo below.
Harp Barbecue - Kansas City, MO - 9” Enso.
Hays County BBQ - San Marcos, Texas - I personally use the 9-inch Bubba flex blade (red handle) to trim briskets and any other meats and some of my guys use Dexter brand (white handle) and Victorinox black handle.....they are all 9-inch blades.
Heirloom Market Barbecue - Atlanta, Georgia. We use Dexter and Messermeister. 10-inch and 12-inch serrated.
Helberg Barbecue - Waco, Texas - We use a Dexter offset bread knife for ribs and lean brisket, and a 12” Dexter slicer for all the other meats
Heritage Craft Barbecue - San Juan Capistrano, California - Dexter Russell 12" scalloped for brisket slicing and from Chef/Head Butcher Lennon Gunter (knives below). The top two knives are Meglio’s - the top one is a breaker knife and the lower one is a Honsuki. The green-handled knife is a Silverthorn boning knife, below that is a sausage pricker, the scissors are Mac herb shears, the steel is an F. Dick multi-cut flat oval steel, and then the thermo pen is from Kizen.
Home Team BBQ - Charleston, South Carolina (and various other locations) - Taylor Garrigan uses a variety of Misono knives.
Hill Barbecue - Lubbock, Texas - I use Dexter knives. Nothing fancy. They get the job done! Dexter boning for trimming and Dexter carving for the block
Holy Trinity Barbecue - Portland, Oregon - I just use Dexter-Russell knives but my assistant pit dude and sides dude have very specific knives. They have trim knives, slicing knives, carving knives, the whole gambit. From my #2: “I use a 6" Yoshikane petty for butchery, my 8"Carter cutlery Gyuto for vegetables and bulk prep, and a 240 mm Ohishi Yanagiba on the block” - CLOSED sadly.
Hurtado Barbecue - Arlington, Texas - We use Cozzini knives for any prep work and we use Dexter 12” serrated slicing knives on the cutting board.
Interstellar BBQ - Austin, Texas - Cheap inexpensive slicers. Serrated.
Jack's BBQ - Seattle, Washington - Jack Timmons uses a Wusthoff 8" chef knife and Mercer 14" carving knives.
Jazzy B’s Diner - Lee's Summit, Missouri - I don't have anything special just your typical Sam's Club kitchen knife. A couple of trimming knives I got from a butcher. But no name-brand stuff.
Jon G's Barbecue - Peachland, North Carolina - My favorite slicing knife is a 12" Dexter 360 serrated. The blade is a little stiffer than the original Dexter 12" slicer we started with. For trimming I turn to any of our boning knives. We have a mixture of Dexter (normal and thick) and Victorianox. No preference here, just whichever one is sharp at the moment.
JQ's Tex Mex BBQ - Houston, Texas - I don't use anything special. Just Dexter and Victorinox 12" But I sharpen them myself. I'm probably going to buy a slicer and chef knife from a local guy.
JW's Barbecue - Jacksonville, Texas - From owner Jonathan Wilson - Left to right:
- Mercer serrated knife
- Cheap cleaver for chopping
- Dalstrong Crixus
- Dexter Cimeter for brisket trim
- Zwilling 6” boning for brisket trim
- My grandad's knife - not sure what kind
Khoi Barbecue - Montrose, Texas
From left to right:
- Gyuto chef's knife from Shinto in Kyoto, JP
- Kiritsuke high carbon knife from Shigeharu in Kyoto, JP. This is my go-to knife for non-trimming prep.
- Yanagiba high carbon knife from Shigeharu in Kyoto, JP. Traditionally used for precise cuts for sushi and sashimi, I like to use this to slice beef ribs that we use to plate the beef rib curry dish. Easy to get a clean cut in one stroke.
- Dual Chinese-style high-carbon cleavers from Serenity Knives, Houston, TX. I commissioned these knives from my local shop. They are amazing knife-makers. They utilize traditional Japanese forging techniques and combine them with local wood for handles. I use these two cleavers for chopping whole hog, something we do regularly here. They are also great for vegetable, and protein prep when used one at a time.
Kreuz Market - Lockhart, Texas - 14 “ Forschner
LaVaca BBQ - Victoria and Port Lavaca, Texas - "We use Victorinox 6” semi-stiff boning knives for meat trimming. These are tough knives. They are inexpensive and bulletproof. Our yellow-handled one is used in the pits and even is used to break down boxes. Our Wusthof 14" slicer is used for brisket trimming by Lupe. It’s a bit too long for Kelli. We own (4) Dexter-Russell Scalloped 12” Slicers. These are daily slicers at the cutting block and travel for catering jobs. The red cheap paring knife is the one the slicer gets most upset about when it goes missing. It lies next to the cutting block. We use it to slice the baked potatoes open for their toppings. The scraper while not a knife is used to clean the board after slicing a meat, ensuring a clean board before changing to another meat."
Lawrence Barbece - Raleigh, North Carolina - Per Chef Jake Wood: The Middle pic is what we have as our shop knives. The top pick is the slicer he made me. Then the Higo is my everyday pocket knife. All from Horn & Heel.
LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue - Austin, Texas - 12” serrated slicer from Dexter Russel; Shun 10” chefs; Henkel 6” boning. They ALSO have their own branded LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue brisket slicing knife which is currently out of stock.
Lillie's Q - Chicago, Illinois - This is the boning knife that I use for butchery day-to-day: Victorinox flexible boning knife. My main chef knives are Masamoto Sohonten carbon steel I have 5 that do different tasks and these are my pride and joy. Some of them I bought straight from the Masamoto Sohonten store in Tokyo and met the 90-year-old Masamoto knife maker. The style of each is: Gyuto, Honesuki, Petty, Sujihiki, & Hankotsu. The best brisket knife that I use to slice Brisket is a scalloped serrated knife, but it slices all meats exceptionally. This is what I found from Amazon here: Tojiro Scalloped Serrated.
Little Miss BBQ - Phoenix, Arizona - Hey Kevin! We use a 10.25” wavy bread knife. - Blue handle Victorinox.
LJ's BBQ - Benham, Texas - We use a 12" Victorinox slicer.
Louie Mueller Barbecue - Taylor, Texas - Mundial 14” Serrated
Maple Block Meat Co. - Culver City, California - Depending on what I’m doing. Butchering I use an 8" Dexter flexible boning knife. 6" Victorinox boning as well. When carving I use a 10" Victorinox cimeter. Sometimes I also use a 12" single-edge Shashimi knife (don’t remember the brand) to slice brisket. It’s not particularly for service more for private events. My 2 everyday knives are a 10" Victorinox chef's knife and a 220mm Sugimoto Gyuto knife.
Mason Barbecue - Texas - The knife roll has R Murphy with all the wood handles. They used to be the oldest knife maker in the U.S. but sold to Dexter last year. Those are all custom-made for me. Same as the Roll. Then of course Dexter for slicing and trimming brisket.
Matt's BBQ & Matt's BBQ Tacos - Portland, Oregon - We use a regular Dexter Russell bread knife for the board. From left to right: Cleaver, boning knife 6”, 8” Offset bread knives, 10” bread knife. They are nothing special, Dexter Russell knives. I’m not sure where the cleaver is from one of the cooks bought it. No brand on it.
Micklethwait Craft Meats - Austin, Texas - We forge our own in the pit, and pitmaster Ren Garcia personally uses a 12” Bob Kramer chef knife
Mimsy's Craft Barbecue - Crockett, Texas - My slicer is a Daovua 355mm that is hand-made from leaf spring steel. It’s been a lot of fun working with this knife. Super nimble, razor-sharp, and extremely long cutting edge makes light work of a full day of cutting meat. I also use a 12” Global for chopping brisket, breaking bones on chicken, or a stubborn rack of ribs. For trimming briskets I like an 8” stiff boning knife from F Dick, and for ribs, I’ve fallen in love with the Kanehide stuff curved boning. The best advice I can give is to maintain your cutting edge throughout the work day. Every 30 minutes of cutting or so deserves a few good passes on a steel to keep your wedge sharp. You can go several weeks without sharpening if you’re doing the required daily maintenance.
Mighty Quinn's Barbeque - New York, New York - We use a serrated 12” blade brand agnostic for slicing purposes. They get a lot of use so we’re looking for durability over all else.
Miller's Smokehouse - Belton, Texas - 12" Dexter-Russel with Serrated Blade, 12" Mora Slicer, 12" Mercer Slicer, and 8" Mercer Chefs Knife.
Mission Ave BBQ - Bellevue, Nebraska - Per owner Scott Fogle- "Sure! My most prized knife I have is a custom handmade Weige out of Austin!"
Moo’s Craft Barbecue - Los Angeles, California - For Trimming I use a Shun boning knife or Victorinox curved boning knife; for everyday use a Wusthof 6" chef's knife or a Wusthof 8" chef's knife, and for brisket slicing a 10" Dexter bread knife.
See the video from Andrew below showing off his knife roll and knives.
Morgan's Brooklyn Barbecue - Brooklyn, NY - We use Wusthof super slicer 10" or Victorinox 10"
Moss and Moore Barbecue - Asheville, North Carolina - My everyday Dexter I've had since 2001...I borrowed it from Chick-fil-A. I use Large Dexter Wood Handle Cleavers for chopping. Custom local cleavers for the road and events.
Night Goat Barbecue - Chef Vaughn Good "I’m kinda obsessed."
From top to bottom
- 1. Bloodroot Blades 9.5in chef's knife carbon steel reclaimed sawmill blade
- 2. Wusthof 5-inch stainless steel curved boning knife
- 3. NHB knives 9.5 in Gyuto dama steel blade
- 4. Nenohi nenox 10.5 in Gyuto
- 5. Cut Brooklyn 6 in canon steel boning knife
- 6. Halcyon Forge 8in carbon steel chef's knife. I have a handful more these are the ones I use most often.
Owlbear Barbecue - Denver, Colorado - Victorinox 6" boning knives of various curvatures and stiffnesses, and Dexter 12" straight bread knives. For prep we all have our own various chef knives and there are a few mediocre house knives as well. Unfortunately, this wonderful spot has closed its doors.
Panther City BBQ - Fort Worth, Texas - Hey Kevin, hope all is well. We mainly use Dexter 12" and 14” knives....affordable just gotta keep them sharp. We use a sharpening service that picks up dull knives and swaps out for sharpened knives weekly so we always have the sharpest knives.
Pappy's Smokehouse - St. Louis, Missouri - From our co-founder John Matthews: As far as the knives go, I prefer the German ones for my personal use, which is cost prohibitive in the commercial restaurant scene, but we get ours changed out (professionally sharpened) every week. A large chef's knife for trimming brisket, and prepping pork shoulder. A large slicer (at least 12”) for slicing brisket, turkey, boneless chicken qtrs for cutting ribs. If you can afford it, a commercial electric slicer is very nice to have. A medium normal one for miscellaneous stuff.
Patriotic Pig - North Richland Hills, Texas - We currently use Cozzini’s knife service too. We get new knives every two weeks that are sharpened for us.
Paul's Rib Shack Barbecue - St. Charles, Louisiana - The Brisket Sword! Our main knife is the Wusthof Gourmet 14" Brisket Slicer, which we named #theBrisketSword. We own a bunch of them. There are another dozen or so off being sharpened and not in this pic. We use this blade on the board, and we trim briskets with them. We love them! I ordered some engraved ones: @BishopofBBQ and Pitmaster Sam Turner. I'll get on for Silas #WorkerofMiracles as soon as SwissKnifeShop.com gets them back in stock! For utility knives, trimming ribs, and pork butts, our main blade is The Victorinox 6" Flexible Curved Boning Knife. We have a bunch of these. And we bought a sanding belt sharpener to keep them ready to cut. For Chef Knives, we have a handful we use, starting with an 8" Wusthof Chef, a couple of Mercer 8" Chef knives, and we've added a Red knife because I thought it looked super cool, Made-In 8" Chef knife. For cool events and occasions, we have a couple of 8" Chef knives from Shun, one for Paul and one for Sam. We've bought a bunch of other knives, and they get used here and there. The cool Old Hickory 14" knives are fun, but are a bit thicker than we like. We have a Dalstrong 14" slicer that's ok. We've used a variety of serrated knives, and they're ok. But we keep going back to the Brisket Sword!
Pecan Lodge - Deep Ellum, Texas - We use Cozzini Knives and typically use the 8" or 10". Let me know if you have any other questions!
Peg Leg Porker - Nashville, Tennessee - Carey uses a Victorinox boning knife for bbq.
Picnic Durham - Durham, North Carolina - We use a knife service, but I swear by this when I’m prepping pigs for the smoker, Dexter-Russel 4.5" Sheath Knife
Pinkerton's Barbecue - Houston, Texas - I use an 8" Shun deboning knife, For slicing we use Dexter 12-inch roast slicers.
Pitt County BBQ - Edmonton, Alberta - I use a set of 6” and a set of 8” Dexter Russell cleavers.
Plowboys Barbeque - Bluesprings, Missouri - Per Todd, "We use Victorinox knives in the restaurants. We use this knife for separating briskets so we can make burnt ends from the brisket points."
Podnah's Pit Barbecue - Portland, Oregon - Murray Carter boning knife to trim and basic 10-inch Forschner chef knives for slicing. The photo below is of Podnah's namesake, Rodney's grandfather. He owned a butcher shop in Corsicana, Texas.
Pody's BBQ - Pecos, Texas - Victorinox 12" Serrated Edge w/Rosewood Handle
Porky Butts BBQ - Omaha, Nebraska - We use Victorinox 12" slicer - I use Shun for competition knives.
Ragtop Fern's BBQ - Los Angeles, California - Hey, I have 2 knives I use. 6" Victorinox Fibrox boning knife I use for most of the trimming. And a 12" Victorinox slicer.
Railhead Smokehouse BBQ - Willow Park, Texas - Our slicers prefer a standard 8” chef's knife. We use a knife sharpening service that provides the knives and swabs them out every other week.
Red White & Que Smokehouse - Kearny, New Jersey - We use a Chinese company Shanzu. We collaborated with them. 10 in chef knife. 12 in brisket knife (roast slicer) cleavers.
Reese Bros. Barbecue - San Antonio, Texas - Hey there! We keep it pretty simple. We use a Dexter Russell curved 6” boning knife to trim briskets, a Dexter Russell 12” slicing knife for cutting, and several 8” Dexter sani-safe chef knives. We love them for their price and durability!
Rejino Barbeque - Olton, Texas - Hey! We use the 12-inch dexter slicing knife!
Ricewood Barbecue - Ann Arbor, Michigan - As far as trimming we use Victorinox, for slicing we use a pretty standard Dexter slicer. We all have our own personal knives, they vary.
Joseph’s Riverport BBQ - Riverport, Texas - We use 10" Dexter scalloped slicing knives, Dexter 8-inch breaking knives for trimming, and Chinese cleavers for chopping. 8-10 inch chef's knives for most everything else. Hope this helps!
Roegel's Barbecue - Houston, Texas - We aren’t brand-specific on knives. Everyone here has their favorite knife. They are all different sizes and types.
Rollin Smoke BBQ - Austin, Texas - At the trailer, I just use cheap Dexter’s. For myself, I like Global and Misono.
Rosie's BBQ & Grillery - Northridge, California - I'm a big fan of Victorinox. For trimming the 6" curved flexible boning knife - for everything. Best one I've found so far. It's good for trimming pretty much everything. For carving days sometimes I use the traditional serrated carving knife but I've found that a standard butcher's knife with the fat tip is the most versatile.
Rossler's Blue Cord Barbecue - Killeen, Texas - Knives from Iron Grove Tool Company.
Sam Jones BBQ - Winterville, North Carolina - Dexter-Russell Cleaver. Been using them for years.
Schmidt Family Barbecue - Bee Cave, Texas - Victorinox 6" firm blade to trim briskets. A standard 10" Kitchen Knife to trim bigger briskets, a Dexter-Russell 12" Scalloped Slicer, S140-12SC-PCP, SANI-SAFE Series for slicing all meats, and a Forschner 14" Cimeter for slicing prime rib and brisket with less of a peppery bark.
Scott's Kitchen & Catering at Hanger 29 - Kansas City, Missouri - We use: 17 inch scimitar; 16 inch slicing; 7 inch boning; 10 inch chef knife; 8 inch chef knife. The main workhorse is the scimitar. We have 6 of them. All knives are set up with a knife service that picks them up weekly and swaps them out. The brand is nothing fancy.
SLAB - Los Angeles & Pasadena California - Per Burt, "Everyone has their own set of knives. I have a knife my mom got me for my 20th birthday which I always use. Global."
Slaughter's BBQ Oasis - Sulphur Springs, Texas - Hey Kevin! We use a 14” Dexter-Russell scalloped slicer
SlowBurn BBQ - SF Bay Area - Mercer Culinary Millennia Granton Edge Slicer 12" Black(I also have the 14") For me though, the 14" is too long and the grease drips off the blade onto the floor.
Smiley's Barbecue - Roanoke, Texas - I use Dexter Knives mostly. Easy to sharpen and don't cost an arm and a leg. Smiley's is currently closed.
Smoke-A-Holics BBQ - Fort Worth, Texas - As for knives we use a service called Cozzini Bros. They bring us all of our knives from trimmers to slicers sharp and replace them with sharp ones every 2 weeks for $22
Smoke Cellar BBQ - Livermore, California - Mercer Culinary Millennia Granton Edge Slicer 14" Black
Smokey Joe's BBQ - Dallas, Texas - For knives I use a Bowie knife for trimming raw meats such as brisket or ribs. We use a meat cleaver to cut ribs and a serrated knife for slicing brisket.
The Smoke Shop BBQ by Andy Husbands - 4 Boston locations - Knives are an interesting subject, to me it’s kinda like coffee, there are times only a great cup of coffee will do, others just give me some caffeine and I’ll be fine. Also, I always find it funny how people talk about how sharp their new knives are. ALL new knives are sharp, every single new knife, the question is how long will it hold the blade/sharpness… and then the question is how will you sharpen them- which is a whole other conversation. I use a try-stone, but there are many ways. For me, personally, I have custom knives from Adam Simha, I have 2 French or Chef Knives, and I prefer the high carbon steel which holds a blade longer, though patinas- I just love it. I also have a slicer which is incredible, the latest in the collection is a serrated knife (pictured below), the green one is mine and the blue is Pitmaster Chris Harts’. These are amazing for Brisket, you gotta get through that bark But I do not always carry my knives with me, and at the restaurants, we are pumping out a lot of BBQ and have found it’s best to rent them, cheap plastic-handled knives. They work great, use a steel on them to bring the blade back and every week (sometimes twice a week) the company we work with trades them out for a sharp set.
Smoque BBQ - Chicago, Illinois - The hardest knife to choose was the one we use to slice brisket. After about 10 years of trying ham slicers, cimeters, bull-nosed butcher knives, and anything else you can think of, we discovered that the best knife to get through crusty bark without destroying the tender meat is an $18 14” serrated bread knife. Again, the ones we use are not branded. But comparable ones are available from Dexter, Forschner, Mercer, Victorinox, or any of the other commercial knife brands. I would never buy or use expensive knives in a restaurant.
Snow's BBQ - Lexington, Texas - Electric carving knife - Black and Decker
Sock's Loves Barbecue - Cumming, Georgia - A few. My daily’s are a Dexter V-Lo Filet and Classic 10” Slicer. I have a few customs from Iron Grove Tool Company. My High School shop teacher made me a knife. Had my buddy Chris tune it up.
Southern Smoke BBQ - Garland, North Carolina - We use Dexter cleavers and my personal knife is a K-tip chef's knife from Boothill Blades out of Kentucky.
Stamey’s Barbecue - Greensboro, North Carolina - We just use a dexter meat cleaver nothing too fancy.
Sticky Business BBQ - Napa, California - So I use different knives for different applications. I use Dexter for trimming and a Dexter offset for slicing (just as a pastry chef I’m comfortable using this to slice meat).
Prep work I’ve got a couple of different Wüstof knives (7” Santoku, 5” utility, 3” pairing knife) my other prep knife is the 12” New West Knife which is not only a beautiful knife but is really nice to work with. The last one used is a knife handed down to me about 12 years ago from my pastry chef it’s an ICEL bread knife.
Sugarfire Smokehouse - St. Louis, MO(and many more locations) - Victorinox - all sizes.
Sweet Lew's BBQ - Charlotte, North Carolina - We use a Victorinox serrated slicer and Dexter cleavers.
Teddy’s Barbecue - Weslaco, Texas - For slicing we use a Dexter, just a regular serrated 12 “. Trimming Brisket I use a Victorinox 6” boning knife. And for trimming ribs I use either a 9” Wusthof Chef Knife or a 10” Cimeter.
Tejas Chocolate + Barbecue - Tomball, Texas - For trimming brisket we like 6- 8” Dexter Russell blades. For slicing I like either a Dexter 12” straight slicer with a round end or a 15” Victorinox curved tip slicer. I sometimes use a 9-inch Bubba Blade.
Terry Black's Barbecue - Austin/Dallas, Texas - To slice meat the 12" Dexter-Russell with a serrated blade.
Tropical Smokehouse - West Palm Beach, Florida
Truth Barbeque - Brenham/Houston, Texas - I always use a Dexter 10” serrated for slicing and Dexter wide boning knife for trim.
Tyler's Barbeque - Amarillo, Texas - Many different types over the years. I started with Dexter, but by 2013, the third year, I had switched to Forescnher aka Victorinox the steel is harder and it keeps an edge a lot longer it is a stamped blade with a fibrox handle. When we started we used a standard butcher-style knife with a 12-inch blade it is heavy enough to chop all.
Ugly Drum - Los Angeles, CA - I currently have about 4-6 of these 12" Dexter Scalloped slicers. I have a box full of knives from over the years of kitchen work. My current favorite really is the straight 12" Dexter scalloped roast slicer I use for briskets. I can do most everyday small stuff with it super easy. But for prep, I just want, again 12 inch chef knife. The brand doesn't matter as long as SHARP. In the kitchen, we have a knife service that swaps them out every week for sharp ones. But they are cheap plastic handle kitchen knives and work better than any expensive knife i have a hard time sharpening myself.
Vaqueros Texas Bar-B-Q - Grapevine, Texas - I’ve always been partial to the Dexter Russell 12” Butcher. My go-to since ’87.
Victorian's Barbecue - Houston, Texas - I use custom knives from Stephen at Houston Edge Works. I’ve got the Dexter’s mainly for chopping, Rapalas are for trimming and Steve’s Custom one is for slicing.
Wanderlust Craft BBQ & Coffee - Austin, Texas - SLICER: Cutluxe 12” Granton Edge, CHEF: Mercer Millenia 10”, & TRIM: Mercer Millennia 6” curved boning.
Wright on Taco - Harelton, Texas - Currently we are looking for budget yet effective and useful tools so Dexter has been a good one. Have a couple of filet/boning knives used for trimming, serrated 10” for slicing, and then chef knives for multipurpose.
Wright's Barbecue - Bentonville/Johnson, Arkansas - We use a variety. Some Wustoff and some custom knives are made locally. All our guys have their own knives.
Zavala's Barbecue - Grand Prairie, Texas - Iron Grove for a Cleaver. Dexter for trimming and slicing. Weige for chef knife. I'm not too sure in size but on Dexter, I think all bbq places use the same. ? Weige is 7 inch.
ZEF BBQ - Simi Valley, California - I use Misono UX10 Sujihiki for day-to-day stuff knives except when slicing brisket, I use a 14” Kullenschliff Wide Slicer from Messermeister.
ZZQ Texas Craft Barbecue - Richmond, Virginia - For trimming meats Victorinox 6" Boning knife. For slicing the Dexter-Russell 12" Scalloped Roast Slicer.
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