Favorite meat slicers?

I’m in the process of converting parts of a delicious Berkshire hog into dry-cured delicacies.

In a couple weeks I will be in a position to start eating some of them. So far, they seem strongly flavored which means I have to slice them thinner than I can with a knife… which means I am in the market for a new toy!

Of course, I’d love to get one of these pieces of art but I don’t have the money or space right now.
http://www.volanobiz.com/mito250-meat-slicer.html

Any suggestions for a good, relatively compact, easy-to-clean meat slicer?

I am not sure how important the end product is but if you are braking down your own Berkshire hogs I am guessing pretty important. You will have to spend $300 to get any kind of decent slicer. But if you want a pretty good one I would buy a Berkel. Smaller models with 1/4HP should be way more than you will need for home use. But you will probably never have to buy another one in your lifetime. Between $600-$800. Not exactly sure what you want to do with it so look over the options and match the model to your use. Keeping the meat fairly cold helps with slicing.

I go back and forth on buying one of these myself all the time. No doubt, as Gary said, the benchmark is a Berkel. But, I’ve only found very solid reviews on this product - An Avantco 10" slicer. And, it’s $285.00. I buy many things from Webstaurant store as I’ve found myself replacing worn items in my kitchen with ‘commercial’ products (usually cheaper and better than retail like Sur La Table and Williams Sonoma) so the reviews tend to be from people “ITB” and whom use the product daily.

The big differential I keep looking at is the spread between a 9" and 10" blade. I’d love some comments from users of these as to what the primary difference is between them. BTW, the 9" wheel is $20 cheaper.

Lorena Bobbitt

The 9" Berkel at $615 is less than i thought it would be. I’d probably go with that.

I couldn’t figure out to post the link, but Armando Batalli’s Salumi had a good article a few years back:

A Salumism on Slicing, Slicing Machines and Flavor
Fall 2008
As a result of numerous queries and interest in slicers and proper slicing of our artisan meats, this month’s “ism” is meant to give our customers some more knowledge about both.

Slicing is vital to attain the true flavor components. A very sleek thin piece of Salami allows the real true flavor and consistency in the mouth and throat. Thick slices over 3/4 inch tends to mask the true consistency and taste of the product as larger mass masks the delicacy of the product. Ideally, slicing just slightly more than paper thin really allows the proper flavor to come through. One can then slowly absorb the real flavor while chewing, and the thin slice creates a real mouth feel of consistency. Perhaps a better example of this is to slice a piece and put it up to the light. One should see the kaleidoscope of the essence of the Salami product. Besides being beautiful, this thinness enhances the real cross section of ingredients that enhances flavor development in the mouth, when sliced too thick this flavor, beauty and consistency is masked.

Most homes are not equipped with a slicer. If that is the case we advise using a very very sharp thin bladed knife to accomplish slicing a thin piece. Slicing with a knife is not easy but can be accomplished when one takes the proper time and understands that thinner is better.

Currently there seems to be a very high interest in purchasing slicers and so many are advertised in kitchen stores and catalogues. The purpose of this short article is to answer the many questions we get about slicing, to present some background information on the history of slicing and slicers and thinness, and to present what we have found to be an affordable and quality electric slicer for the home kitchen.

There are a few great websites that one visit to see visually the history of slicers and the value of thinness. YouTube, “In Praise of the Berkel Slicer”, “Built in Sharpness” and “Demos of the Antique Berkel Slicer”, are done by Emilio Mitidieri, an Italian Slicer Maestro in San Francisco. He discusses and shows the development of slicing and slicers a few hundred years back and shows no doubt the most incredible slicers that he brings from Italy and refurbishes. These slicers which show up in some fine restaurants cost from $4,000.00 and up and are so much like an antique car, both in value and beauty.

Emilio is most knowledgeable about slicing and these videos are a great source of knowledge to all that have an interest. You can use these training videos to understand the essence and “ism” of thinness. We have spent some time with Emilio and have been so impressed with his interest in slicing and slicers and Italian traditions.

Of course Berkel is an extremely fine and renowned line of slicers and has been for years. In fact, it was Berkel who first introduced the modern electric slicer most of us are familiar with (that slide back and forth type against the rotating blade). And in the restaurant trade most slicers are referred to as Berkel no matter what the brand since that name is synonymous with slicers (much as Boeing is with airplanes). Berkel also has a great website.
Cost, Size
Cost becomes a big factor for the home user. You can check prices for substantial quality slicers like Berkel on line. A good 8 inch slicer with built in sharpener can run $700.00 and up. Mostly up. Size is also a factor to the home user when purchasing a slicer. Most commercial manufacturers offer slicers from 8 inch blade size and up. More than likely an 8 inch blade slicer is more than adequate for most home usage and allows also the versatility of slicing bacons and hams and beef - thicker items.
Storage
Most 8 inch slicers have a footprint of 11 x 14 or larger. This may or may not be important to you as it has become hip for storing on the kitchen counters where it is available for instant use and it looks sharp.
Availability
At our customer’s request, we have tried slicers selling at $50.00 and $200.00 that don’t hold up and are nearly impossible to have repaired. They just don’t seem to have the power to cut though varying thicknesses and are very difficult and costly to have repaired. We have also tested other commercial slicers. While all these commercial slicers were more than adequate, the cost seemed prohibitive for the home purchaser.

Based on all this, we present here 3 good slicers with great quality with extremely low maintenance, with the availability of spare parts and service should it be necessary. Price and quality were criteria. These machines are available through nella.com. They are offering 3 very good commercial type slicers, Omas Food Machine Services products made in Italy for the American market. They have prepared some special prices for this article.

Model 195 S with built in sharpener 8 inch blade - $349.00
Model 220 F with built in sharpener 9 inch blade - $449.00
Model 250 E with built in sharpener 10 inch blade - $549.00

Prices don’t include shipping and handling. Tax may apply.

To order, call Nella toll free number at 1-800-400-3658 and reference this Salumi article for special pricing. Please do not contact Salumi. Should you have any questions please call the above number and ask for Vu. He can provide you more than you want to know about slicers. Please be aware that Salumi receives no compensation for this recommendation, we just have had good experiences with Nella and their products. Therefore we accept no liability or responsibility for any products purchased.

Happy holidays from Salumi Artisan Cured Meats.

Thanks for the suggestions, all.

At this point I am facing up to the fact that I don’t have the room and time to devote to storage and maintenance of any slicer right now, especially the Bobbitt woman.

I think I’ll find a good, long Japanese slicing knife and hone my knife skills first.

Chris,
That looks like a great option. I know what you mean about restaurant supply stores. I’ve gotten all sorts of goodies from a local shop at prices far below Amazon let alone Williams-Sonoma if they carried anything similar.

Clayton,
Thanks for posting that letter. I actually got that a couple years ago when I tried pre-ordering a lamb prosciutto from those guys with a note that said in so many words,

“Are you sure you want a lamb prosciutto? It is not for everybody. You need to slice really thin to enjoy it. Please buy a machine like these and then confirm your interest.”

Why not take to your local deli, and see if they’ll slice it for you, for a price?

I like Alan’s idea. We have several delis and grocery meat departments that are more than willing to and wrap the meat AND they are all reasonable. The same butchers regularly sharpen Carrie’s knives for free.

On the flip side, Carrie has a commercial kitchen at the house with a commercial slicer we haven’t used in twelve years.

Sad that you have missed out on great meats for 12 years. Since you don’t use it, sell the slicer to Patrick. Or I will buy it.

Alan,

Great call and a reminder!

There is an “old school” butcher shop a few blocks away that does a lot of business with hunters and is very accommodating. They just quartered a frozen hog’s head for me with their band saw a couple weeks ago. They’ve also made sausage to order with the spice kit I’ve supplied. If I need to slice in any kind of volume, I can take it there.

Sure, Was she your mohelet ??

That works if you slice a small amount and consume it over a few days.

Yeah. Not a perfect solution but I think between the shop for the odd volume job and a good slicing knife (and some practice) at home for more frequent small quantities it will work until I can find some space.

Tuesday night I tried my chef’s knife on a piece of tenderloin cured with ground black pepper and fennel seeds (Brian Polcyn’s filetto recipe from Salumi). The slices were OK. As you mentioned, tossing the meat in the freezer for a while first would have helped. The exterior of the filetto was drier and firmer than the more moist interior and that made it harder to get an even thickness. If the meat was colder and I had a knife better suited to the job, I’m sure I could do much better.

Right now, I’m thinking a long, thin Japanese slicing knife with no little or no flex in the blade is the way to go. I want to cut most or all the way through with one pull without the meat clinging.

I find these kullenschliff, or “hollow-ground” knves to slice pretty well. With practice, you can get nice thin slices.

David,

The lower style is what I’m considering.

I’ve got something similar to the top model. It works well for “shaving” ham but the flex in the blade lets it wander too much to get a slice of even thickness and the straight cutting edge means the tip hits the board before the blade cuts all the way through the meat.

Odd to think that 15 years ago I went weeks without eating meat and now I’m looking for specialized gear to slice homemade salumi.

I like knives. Forks aren’t as good. Spoons are just silly.

Just to complete the discussion, I went for a Mercer Genesis 10-inch Graton carving knife. It is working very well.

http://mercercutlery.com/professional-cutlery/genesis-collection

Placing the blade on the salumi at the desired thickness, a small push forward to secure the blade in place, followed by a long pull to slice through does the trick.

I’m getting the slices I want about 60% of the time without much practice.

Thanks to all for the input.