
Why Do Meat Cleavers Have a Hole?
By Bobby B. | July 20, 2019 | Blog
Meat cleavers have a hole in the blade so that butchers or chefs can hang them. Since cleavers tend to be very large and hard to fit in a drawer, knife block, or almost anywhere else you keep kitchen knives. It allows you to conveniently hang it on a hook or nail somewhere safe without taking up to much room.
Butchers use meat cleavers to separate large carcasses into smaller, easier to handle parts. Once this is done, there’s really no other reason for a butcher to use this knife, so it typically gets hung up and put out of the way.
As you’ll see below, not all meat cleavers actually have this hole. It’s common to see cleavers both ways, with or without a hole in the blade.
How To Use a Meat Cleaver
Besides the more traditional use of a meat cleaver where butchers section larger carcasses, there are many other more modern uses a meat cleaver in any kitchen. One of the more popular uses is to cut chickens in to sections quickly and easily.
Sectioning Chickens
A cleaver can do the entire job because it’s built with all the tools that are needed. It has a long, sharp blade that’s perfect for slicing the flesh and trimming the fat and skin. It also has a thick, heavy duty spine that makes it work well for cutting through small poultry bones. The very wide blade also assists with hard-to-cut parts because it allows you to place the knife where you want to cut and assist by pushing down on the top of the blade. See more on this in the video example below.
If you watched closely on that video, you probably noticed that the cleaver used didn’t actually have a hole in the blade. After you’re finished with sectioning the chicken, you can even use the big flat blade to flattena and tenderize any cutlets you’ve made.
Our Favorite Meat Cleaver
Since we’re talking about meat cleavers, we couldn’t help ourselves. We had to show you our favorite heavy duty meat cleaver. Check out the aggressive shape and the name on this 3 pound knife. It comes with a stand for showing it off for crying out loud!
Dalstrong Gladiator Series R Obliterator Meat Cleaver, 9″
- Includes Stand & Sheath
- Weights 3 pounds
- 6mm Thick Blade
- 7CR17MOV High Carbon Steel
- Rockwell Hardness 60HRC
- 100% Money Back Guarantee
- Lifetime Warranty
This carbon steel meat cleaver made by Dalstrong is over the top. It’s a show piece, thick and heavy duty. I love the name “the Obliterator”, made to take care of anything in it’s path with a single chop! It’s perfect as a gift idea for someone special in your life.
Like other Dalstrong knives we’ve reviewed, this meat cleaver carries both their 100% satisfaction, money-back guarantee and their lifetime warranty. In line with the discussion about, this cleaver actually has multiple holes in the blade. I don’t believe there are any functional reasons for them besides to hang it up. Perhaps it gives it some added coolness. We’d believe that!