I was slicing steaks against the grain for 7 years until my prep cook said something

Felix Rodriguez · 2026-10-06T23:55:04.542121+00:00

So I'm working the grill station at this place in Sacramento and we do a lot of flank and skirt for the lunch crowd. My whole career I was taught to always slice against the grain on those cuts, no questions asked. Last Tuesday my new prep guy Marco is watching me break down a case of skirt and he goes "chef, you know you can go with the grain first on the bias, then cut across, right?" I kinda laughed him off but he pulled a piece and did it both ways and the one he did was way more tender, like noticeably, and I just stood there feeling dumb. Turns out for these particular steaks going on the flat top for fajitas, the bias-first cut made the chew so much better and I had been fighting tough meat for years thinking it was the supplier. I re-trained the whole line that week and we changed the cutting board setup so nobody does it the old way anymore. The kicker is Marco is 22 and learned it at a taqueria in Fresno. Anyone else get humbled by a new hire who just does it different and is right?

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I was slicing steaks against the grain for 7 years until my prep cook said something | Chefs - Chatter Central