Here are the basic steps:
- Trim your meat. Start with whole cuts, carefully
trimmed of any excess sinew. A certain amount of fat is
OK—even desirable—but make sure your ratio of fat to
lean is on point. I generally aim for around 20 percent fat
to 80 percent lean, plus or minus 5 to 10 percentage
points, depending on the application.- Slice your meat thin. Use a sharp chef’s knife or carving
knife to slice the meat into thin, thin slices. Stack the
slices, then cut them into thin strips. Finally, rotate the
strips 90 degrees and cut them into small pieces. - Use a cleaver. Once you have small pieces of
meat, use a cleaver to reduce the pieces to the desired
texture, using the weight of the cleaver to do most of the
work for you.