Thinly sliced pork or beef is the key ingredient in many popular Japanese recipes. Here’s how to slice meat thinly for delicious Japanese dishes like Sukiyaki, Okonomiyaki, and Gyudon!
For Japanese recipes that include pork or beef, the majority will list “thinly sliced meat” on the ingredients list. Very thin slices – about 1/8 inch or even thinner. You can find packages of thinly-sliced meat at Japanese grocery stores like the ones pictured below.
If you don’t live nearby a Japanese grocery store, or you just prefer to slice the meat yourself, follow these simple instructions.
Watch How to Slice Meat Thinly
Thinly sliced pork or beef is the key ingredient in many popular Japanese recipes. Here’s how to slice meat thinly for delicious Japanese dishes like Sukiyaki, Okonomiyaki, and Gyudon!
Recipes with Thinly Sliced Meat
Thinly Sliced Beef
- Baby Carrot Beef Roll
- Beef Udon
- Bulgogi
- Gyudon
- Japchae (Korean Stir-Fried Noodles)
- Nikujaga (Beef and Potato Stew)
- Shabu Shabu
- Sukiyaki
- Teriyaki Steak Rolls
Thinly Sliced Pork Loin
- Crispy Tonkatsu Donburi
- Ginger Pork (Shogayaki)
- Hot Pot for One
- Miso Ginger Pork
- Potato Salad Pork Roll
- Soy Milk Hot Pot
Thinly Sliced Pork Belly
- BBQ Pork Belly
- Goya Champuru
- Honey Pork Belly
- Mille-Feuille Nabe
- Miso Soup with Yuzu Kosho
- Okonomiyaki
- Pressure Cooker Pork Belly (Kakuni)
- Tonjiru (Pork Miso Soup)
- Yaki Udon
- Yakisoba (Japanese Stir Fried Noodles)
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How to Slice Meat Thinly
Ingredients
- premium-quality meat (tenderloin, top sirloin, strip loin, rib eye, pork loin or any cut of meat that is slightly more lean and a bit more firm).
Instructions
- Put the meat in a single layer in a large freezer bag.
- Remove the air from bag and close tightly.
- Put on a metal tray (so the heat transfers faster) and freeze the meat for 1.5 to 2 hours, depending on the size of the meat and how fatty it is.
- Take the meat out from the freezer. Each meat shown here is 1 pound and I had to freeze for 1.5 hours.
- The meat is ready if the knife goes through smoothly and just firm enough for you to slice thinly. If the meat is too soft and you have trouble slicing, put it back into the freezer until it's firmer.
- Slice against the grain using a gentle sawing motion. When you look at the beef, you will see the fibers of the meat are going in one direction. You need to cut across in the other direction to ensure the tenderness.
- Here is the thinly-sliced meat.
- You can wrap the meat in plastic wrap, put in a freezer bag, and store in the freezer.
Notes
- A very sharp knife (A dull knife will not slice nicely)
- A metal tray
- A large freezer bag
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on September 21, 2013. The post has been updated with video and new images.
How would you slice a boneless pork chop that is only 1/2” thick? Would you cut it horizontally instead of vertically? I made shogayaki ginger pork but didn’t have time to freeze the chops and they were tricky to cut (I could only get 1/6” unfrozen). I was wondering which direction to cut them in next time I try making this and have time to freeze the chops.
Hello, Teresa! Thank you for taking the time to read Nami’s post!
It is quite difficult to thinly slice 1/2″ thick meat. You can try to freeze it hard enough to hold the meat or find larger blocks to work with.
We think that holding the knife at a right angle to the meat will work best for thinly slicing the meat.
We hope Nami’s video is helpful.
Hi Nami,
My supermarket in Singapore sells Pork Belly Sukiyaki. Is the Sukiyaki cut similar Shogayaki cut? I tried to look for Shogayaki but can’t find. Is there a similar cut of pork belly that is close to Shogayaki?
Hi Wei, Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe.
We are not sure what is available in Singapore, but for Shogayaki, we recommend using pork loin. They are less fat than pork belly. If you can’t find the sliced pork or would like to use pork belly for Shogayaki, you can use this technic to cut the meat at home. https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-slice-meat/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/ginger-pork-shogayaki/
We hope this helps!
Hi Nami, I already have some frozen beef chuck roast in the fridge. Hoping to make beef udon. Would that work or would I need to defrost it a little so it’ll be easier to cut? Thank you! Love your website 🙂
Hi Amanda, Thank you very much for your kind feedback! Yes. You can follow from Step 5, and you can make beef udon! The meat is ready to cut if the knife goes through smoothly and just firm enough for you to slice thinly.🙂
Do you have a recommendation for a meat slicer ?
Hi Greg,
We are sorry that we don’t have a recommendation for a meat slicer as Nami doesn’t have one/used one. 😞
Hi Nami,
Thank you so much for all the details, it helps a lot. Now I dare to slice meat thinly. I have a question, if you have any good idea to clean the cutting board and knife after meat procedure, I hate to clean them (maybe I didn’t use a right way) thus I cut meat seldom at home. If you don’t mind share your way I’d be happy to learn from you. Thanks a lot.
Hi Kris,
Nami uses a plastic cutting board for meat and seafood and washes it with soap under hot water before putting it in the dishwasher.
She uses everything else (vegetables etc.) on a wooden cutting board and washes with soap under hot water.
You can learn more about it from USDA: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/safe-food-handling/cutting-boards-and-food-safety.
We hope this helps!
Just needing a very good sharpening of knives lesson! Please!
Love all your traditional recipes!
Hi Jean,
Thank you very much for your kind feedback! We’re so glad to hear you love Nami’s recipes!
To learn more about Japanese knives, you might want to check it out
https://www.justonecookbook.com/your-guide-to-japanese-knives/
I hope you can find some interest in this post!
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