How to Trim Fat From Meat

Besides lowering the amount of fat you eat, trimming the excess fat in many cuts of meat will make them easier to cook. In some cases, you might want to trim the fat after the meat has been cooked.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Meats
• Sharp Knife

1. Make sure you have a sharp knife.
2. Let a cooked piece of meat rest on the cutting board and cool slightly after cooking.
3. Hold a cooked piece of meat with metal tongs, both to protect your fingers from hot fat and to get a firm grip on the meat.
4. Use slicing strokes to cut away the fat.
5. Cut away from you for maximum safety.
6. Cut the fat off in small pieces instead of large ones.

Tips & Warnings

• An outer layer of fat protects meat while it cooks, preventing moisture from escaping. Little fat will be absorbed by the meat during cooking, so it's often a good idea to leave fat on until afterward.
• You might want to remove fat from steaks before cooking. On steaks, fat has a tendency to curl as it cooks, which can keep steaks from lying flat. The excess fat can also catch fire.
• Always slice away from you to reduce the risk of cutting yourself. Take special care when cutting fat because it is slippery.
• When trimming fat from cooked meat, make sure it is cool enough to handle.