Shannon and I have been BBQ'ing and making knives for nearly 2 decades but until recently we have never put the two together. After pontificating over a beer or 2 we finally decided to make our first BBQ knife collection.
Before making our knife collection we had to curate it down to only 6 knives (we made many more) that we rely on the most when chargrilling our dinner.
Below is the top 6 BBQ knives made by the Koi Team.
BBQ Knife 6 - The Vegetable Chopper | The Platypus
Whilst years ago the BBQ was all about meat, things have since changed. A modern day BBQ adds corn, capsicum, mushrooms, pumpkin or brocollini and many more. Even fruit like pineapple and peaches brings colour and flavour to the backyard BBQ. To prepare these ingredients we need a chopper that makes BBQ fruit and veg easy to chop, slice and mince moments before the fun begins. For that part of BBQ preparation the vegetable chopper (flat ion blade for chopping) is the knife needed to do the job.
BBQ Knife 5 - The BBQ Paring Knife | The Kookaburra
Most of the BBQ collection (the top 6 BBQ knives in our opinion) are large hefty knives. However, sometimes intricate work needs to be done. Whether you are preparing prawns, slicing scollops or even cutting strawberries for a side salad or dessert - intricate work is still required. For intricate work at the BBQ the knife needed is the paring knife - in the Australian BBQ collection it is known as the Kookaburra knife.
BBQ Knife 4 - The Boning Knife | The Tassie Devil
Most people hear the word "boning knife" and think that means it's used to cut bones. The "Boning" knife is actually the opposite. The Boning knife is made to remove meat from the bone, then remove sinew, fats etc from the meat itself. It's a small yet vicious knife which we have named the Tassie devil knife. For those that prepare meat for an Australian BBQ the "Tassie devil" is the perfect "boning" knife that you will find.
BBQ Knife 3 - The Fillet Knife | The Barramundi
The Filleting knife is normally considered to be a knife used for fish but it can actually be used for all proteins. Any experienced butcher or BBQ guru will need and use a BBQ fillet knife frequently as it is the dominant tool for filleting meat and fish. Fish consumption here in Oz has also been on the rise making the filleting blade a sought after knife for those that are into BBQ knives.
BBQ Knife 2 - The Cimeter BBQ Slicer | "The Brolga"
Half for purpose and half for showman ship the Cimeter is almost a trophy in the BBQ knife collection. It's a long bending slicer that appears from a distance a bit like a sword. The curve of the blade ensures slicing occurs even when removing the blade and the blade length allows most BBQ meats to be cut, sliced and prepared with a single slash. The Cimeter blade, in our own Australian BBQ knife collection, comes in at number 2 in our top 6 BBQ knife set.
BBQ Knife 1 - The All Purpose BBQ Knife | "The Great White Shark"
If you want to wield only one knife at your BBQ the "Great White Shark" BBQ knife is the knife. The Great White knife is similar to a Japanese Deba knife however this is a double bevelled version. It's an all purpose knife that can cut, slice or chop just about anything. If your chopping corn it has the heft, if your slicing fish it has the sharpness and if your preparing roast it has the precision. The Great White Shark has been nominated as the number 1 knife for those preparing and enjoying BBQs here in Australia.
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*Whilst they did not quite make the cut their are a few more knives we have since made that may be worth to take to your next BBQ. The classic chefs knife (known as the wallaby) is essentially a chefs knife with a 15 degree edge (aka sharp) and decent heft. The Wallaby is worthy for any BBQ kit or collection. If you are looking for a larger chefs knife for cutting larger items (like a lamb for example) the "Big Red" large chefs knife is worthy for your BBQ knife collection. Lastly, maybe my favourite knife in the kitchen (the dingo) is a great all purpose blade at the BBQ. The Dingo has more depth at the tip of the blade which adds weight to the blade. This means gravity becomes your partner helping your knife descend on just about anything. Have a knife day and enjoy your next BBQ!