We’ve all been there for one reason or another. Cutting jerky is a chore nobody wants to do despite the success coming with a hefty reward. Those blades that tear my meat apart are tucked in the back of a drawer, forever forgotten.
I know that slicing jerky is a task. Your knife is too dull or the jerky too tough. All you want is the perfect slice of dried meat but what you end up with is a mangled mess.
When buying a knife specific to one task I want something that is going to work well but not break the bank. I will also take into account versatility.
A knife with more than one use belongs in my kitchen. This began my search for the best knife for slicing jerky for under $50.
The Knives
Mercer Culinary M13914 Millenia Granton Edge
My search began with the Mercer Knife. At $31.00, before shipping and taxes, the price is within budget. The blade is 14 inches long and has a handle made of a combination of Santoprene and polypropylene – for both durability and comfort. When looking for the best knife for slicing jerky for under $50, I wanted a knife that promised good reviews. With a 5-star rating on Amazon, and far more glowing reviews than poor ones, my interest was piqued.
The Mercer is an incredibly sharp blade made of Japanese steel. Its handle is slip-resistant with finger grooves that promise grip. Where blade meets handle there is a protective finger guard. The Mercer knife is certified with the NSF. The knife passes inspections and rises to meet all the standards set before it hits the market. For many, this is an important factor. It is a knife that is certified for meeting public health standards.
Mercer Culinary offers a limited lifetime warranty on their knife. Also, the blade is not supposed to rust or corrode. Overall, it is a sharp blade that will withstand high levels of use – as long as you sharpen it now and then – that creates clean cuts. It is a versatile knife to have in the kitchen and stands up to more use than just slicing jerky.
When looking at customer reviews, I could see two main complaints. Often, the packaging is damaged or poor quality. As a consumer, I would be disheartened to have a brand new product show up in poor condition. The other con to the Mercer? The lack of a knife sheath or any sort of covering at all.
If I am spending money on a knife I require for a certain task I would like to make sure I get more than one use out of the knife. While the lack of cover isn’t a deal-breaker, I do wish there was an option to help protect the longevity of my blade. Given that this is the most expensive knife of the five, I would expect at least a sheath.
MAIRICO Ultra Sharp
The second knife I looked at was direct competition for the first. The MAIRICO features an 11-inch blade and the title itself promises to be a good knife for slicing meat. But is this knife the best knife for slicing jerky for under $50? Well, I wanted to look into that a little more.
At $25.95 this blade is slightly cheaper than the Mercer but promises to be just as versatile. Though my main focus is a knife for jerky, I am delighted to see that this well-weighted blade also allows me to use very little force to cut tough vegetables.
The blade is promised to deliver precise cuts with minimal effort. Looking at the pictures other customers provided, it had to be true. I saw paper-thin cuts of meat created by a knife at a reasonable price.
The bonus of a protective case makes this knife seem promising. When investing in a knife, even under $50, I want to get my money’s worth.
Though there are complaints about a lack of blade cover, the MAIRICO comes with a hard protective box with a magnetic closure. The inside of the box is lined and cushioned so the blade will be well-protected.
As with any knife, I want it to last, and I appreciate the case it comes with. The last thing I want is to pull my knife out and find nicks and chips in the metal. However, that is a problem many have experienced with this knife.
Though the large portion of reviews is good, the reoccurring con to this product is that the blade does come with the occasional nick or chip. Nothing is worse than pulling out your knife only to find a piece of the steel missing.
Others state that the knife becomes dull easily. While this is not a huge issue, I would get tired of sharpening my blade every few days. If the knife was of good quality for the reasonable price that it is, I would not mind sharpening as much.
Not only is the blade of a good size. but the handle is ergonomic. I won’t be feeling the strain in my hand after prepping dinner or slicing large quantities of meat. The MAIRICO Ultra Sharp is engineered to work well on all cuts of meat but if you aren’t satisfied with the product the company offers a full refund.
Ergo Chef 2012 Prodigy Series
The search continues. The Ergo Chef 2012 Prodigy Series rings in with a price tag of $27.22 at the time of writing this article. It is another knife that comes highly-rated with an Amazon rating of 4.5-stars. This is another knife that is designed to withstand slicing through a multitude of meats with ease. The blade itself is 12 inches of high carbon stainless steel that promises to hold a sharp edge over time. As with the Mercer, the Ergo Chef is NSF tested. This is a knife that is put through its paces to make sure it is user-safe. With a handle designed for a non-slip, ergonomic grip I couldn’t ask for much more.
The feature I find most interesting about the Ergo Chef knife is the hollow ovals in the blade. These ovals are designed to allow pockets of air between the knife and meat which prevents food from sticking to the blade. There is nothing I hate more than being in a good slicing groove and having to stop and peel off a sliver of meat. This blade is designed to prevent that from happening.
I found that the reviews were generally good, the happy customers once again outnumbering the unhappy. What I find missing from the Ergo Chef knife is a case. While I am okay with a knife of this price point not lasting too long, I would like to protect the longevity of the blade. Another con to the knife is the dullness. Many have found the blade to be too dull to get a proper grip on the meat they are slicing. Others have found the knife too heavy. While sharpening is not a huge issue an improperly weighted blade would cause discomfort and uneven slicing. I don’t know about you, but when I am slicing anything I don’t want my wrist to hurt.
Will this win my search for the best knife for slicing jerky for under $50? There are a few more contestants up next before I make my decision.
Professional 10″ Meat Cutting Knife
I would like to start this summary by telling you that this knife is listed by Jerky.com. The company knows the audience they market to. Immediately, I think that this could be a real contender for the best jerky knife. For a price of $24.99 this knife sits at half of the $50 budget.
The knife in question is 10 inches of dimpled steel, perfect for the easy removal of food. For those worried about saving time washing dishes, fear not. The Professional 10″ Meat Cutting Knife is dishwasher safe. For some, this will be a trait that turns them away. Traditionally, a knife worth the steel it’s made of requires hand-washing. Over time, I would be interested in seeing how this blade stands up. Never before have I considered owning a dish-washer safe slicing knife. This knife could change my opinion.
Another selling point is versatility. Not only for meats, but this knife also slices through fruits and vegetables with ease. This was a knife specifically designed with cutting jerky in mind. The makers state that the knife has a good balance that makes the slicing of jerky consistent with less effort than another blade may require. Though there are few complaints about the sharpness of the blade, most of the reviews I read say their knife cuts razor-thin slices in one stroke. Even if the blade did arrive dull, I would remain unbothered. A dull blade is nothing I can’t fix with a quick sharpening. The most concerning aspect of this blade was the few reviews that stated the blade rusts easily. If I’m spending my hard-earned money I don’t want the product to become unusable after several washes.
Paudin Carving Knife
I wrap up my search for the best knife for slicing jerky for under $50 with the Paudin Carving Knife. At 8 inches this blade has a gorgeous hammered German steel blade. It is the cheapest of all five blades at only $19.99. As well as being the cheapest, it is also the smallest knife of the group. Paudin states there is a money-back policy against any potential defects in the manufacturing or materials.
The Paudin Carving Knife is designed to slice through everything from cartilage to vegetables. It is said to be good for slicing sushi and works as a fillet knife. The end is tapered to handle delicate tasks such as filleting fish. From the pictures and description, this appears to be a versatile knife. When I look for knives, even a specific one, versatility remains key.
A wooden handle is polished to ergonomic perfection and is said to be non-slip, even when wet. A hammered blade not only provides a unique and stunning knife, but it reduces the amount of drag faced while slicing food. The handle itself widens before it reaches the grip so my fingers are always protected.
Like the other knives, this one carries a 4.5-star rating with Amazon as well. Paudin recommends hand-washing the blade and drying it immediately. Though there is no mention of a blade cover I am happy to find out that this knife comes with a sturdy box fixed with a magnetic closure. Though the box will take up more room in a drawer, the knife will also be protected from dents and chips.
Overall, I didn’t find many negative reviews. The complaints I did see were about the handle. In one situation, the wood had not been sanded down enough and was rough to the touch. In another review, the blade jutted out from the riveted wooden handle. When purchasing the knife, the potential of poor workmanship does exist.
The Best Meat Slicer Knife
Looking at the knives, I see the good and bad. While I am not overly concerned about if the knife comes with a cover, I must admit the option is nice. When looking to slice jerky, I want something that has proven durability. I have a specific use for the knife and I want to know that if my knife were not what I expected, or had a flaw, customer support exists. In the end, there is one knife that has all I want.
So what is the best knife for slicing jerky for under $50?
The Paudin Carving Knife. Though it is the cheapest and the smallest, I didn’t find this to be bad. I don’t have much space in my kitchen, and the ideal jerky knife would be small enough to store away safely but well-crafted and able to get the job done. It can cut through cartilage and slice meat while also being able to slice vegetables. This knife is both gorgeous to look at and highly functional. Paudin has crafted a knife with a small but mighty blade.