# Garasuki: Too much or just right?



## btbyrd (Mar 27, 2018)

I'm curious to hear how people have enjoyed - or not enjoyed - using their garasuki. Some seem to think that the garasuki is an all-around upgrade to the honesuki. Others seem to think that they're only meant for dismembering 40lb turkeys, giant geese, and possibly penguins (though I'd personally reach for a deba in the latter case). Is the extra 30-40mm really that big a deal? Are they much thicker as well? Can you still use them on frying chickens without feeling like you've got the wrong tool for the job?


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## Jovidah (Mar 27, 2018)

I've seen garasukis being used on chicken in at least some movies about yakatori restaurants... so I guess it's not completely useless. Never used one myself though.

If you want to try it on the cheap, BWJ sells a cheap 180 honesuki by Masahiro: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Japanese-MASAHIRO-Bessak-Honesuki-Boning-Butcher-Chef-Knife-/381512718654 
Might not have as much heft and thickness as most of the garasukis, but at least it has the length and profile. Most of the time when I see garasukis they tend to be a lot thicker and heavier.


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## Benuser (Mar 27, 2018)

Misono has a honesuki in a larger size as well, very comfortable.

https://japanesechefsknife.com/products/misono-sweden-steel-series-boning-knife


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## Charon (Mar 27, 2018)

of topic, I've read here that a deba should only be used for fish. I have a tanaka blue 180 but havent tried it on any poultry. I'm to chicken to try


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## btbyrd (Mar 27, 2018)

Benuser said:


> Misono has a honesuki in a larger size as well, very comfortable.



I've been looking at the Misonos because I have their hankotsu in Swedish carbon and thought it might be nice to match. But what really has me crushing hard is the Misono 185mm Dragon garasuki. It looks like a real bird slayer:







I've wanted to join the dragon club for a while, but I have no need for another gyuto or suji. This would be a nice way to do it. I also have the Misono hankotsu in Swedish carbon, so my butchery knives would match. But it's sort of an expensive prospect (for me) for a specialty knife. And part of me wishes that they did a 165 honesuki in the UX10.



Charon said:


> of topic, I've read here that a deba should only be used for fish. I have a tanaka blue 180 but havent tried it on any poultry. I'm to chicken to try



I should have said "western deba." But even a traditional one seems like it would be okay for lopping off penguin fins. Speaking purely hypothetically, of course.

Anyway, since this is fundamentally a thread about knives for poultry butchering... here's Theory mowing through chickens with a Tojiro 240 DP. This video was what inspired me to get that knife
.
[video=youtube;urIeUid1TMo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urIeUid1TMo[/video]

Tojiro makes them even bigger, you know.

I also have this, which is over 1cm thick at the spine, but I digress.


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## StonedEdge (Mar 27, 2018)

I have that 240 yo deba... absolute beast, can hack through anything technique or giving a sh*t be damned! It came OOTB with a choil sharper than the knife's edge tho


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## parbaked (Mar 27, 2018)

Dragon garasuki FTW!!!


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## btbyrd (Mar 27, 2018)

parbaked said:


> Dragon garasuki FTW!!!



That's pretty much what I'm thinking, but I'm reluctant to find $300 to find out. Though it's probably only a matter of time. I only lasted like a week wondering how big a 300mm Takeda really was...



StonedEdge said:


> I have that 240 yo deba... absolute beast, can hack through anything technique or giving a sh*t be damned! It came OOTB with a choil sharper than the knife's edge tho



My choil's a bit rough, but not that rough. The blade itself though, could shave out of the box, which I wasn't expecting. Total beast of a knife. I want a different handle though, but that's sort of a luxury. I will be taking some sandpaper or a Dremel to that choil though.


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## StonedEdge (Mar 27, 2018)

I agree it is a beast...I really like it and honestly it keeps an edge through decent abuse very well, which surprised me. I will also one day re-do the handle. Keeper in my opinion.


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## jaybett (Mar 28, 2018)

In my experience there are three general stages to prepping a chicken: Breaking down, deboning, and trimming. 

I've seen a variety of knifes used to break down chickens from pettys to debas to cleavers, and even gyutos. A speciality knife to break down chicken doesn't make much sense. 

Not as many knifes are used to debone chicken. I've seen paring knifes, pettys, and surprisingly cleavers. The honesuki and garsuki are better suited for this type of work. I've got the Massomoto garasuki which appears to have a similar profile and grind to the Misono. The size, weight and the chisel grind are a plus in deboning leq quarters. 

A garasuki with the grind of a Massomoto are naturally going to be larger and thicker knifes, because more metal is needed to support the grind. The same is true of single edged knifes. I imagine the garasuki is good at deboning in a way similar to the prow of a boat cutting through water. I have the flat side of the knife against the bone and think that the edge is cutting and pushing the meat away from the bone. 

Most knifes can trim a chicken breast without any issues. Honesukis and garasukis with their edges are good at trimming thigh and leg meat. Especially dealing with tendons, skin, and cartilage such as knee caps.

A person who wants to primarily break down chickens is probably better off picking up a petty or a western boning knife. Someone interested in a deboning a fair amount of chicken would probably find a honesuki a good choice. 

A garasuki is for somebody who is going to process a lot of chicken, like at a plant or a yakitori restaurant. It is by far the most efficient knife I have for processing chicken. It is overkill for a home cook or even a cook working in a pro kitchen. 

Jay


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## btbyrd (Mar 28, 2018)

Thanks for that Jay. I can see your point about the garasuki being overkill, but I'm curious if there's a disadvantage to that overkill -- apart from the increased price over a honesuki, of course. Sometimes nothing succeeds like excess. If you're already in the market for a poultry knife, is there any reason not to pay a bit more for "by far the most efficient knife for processing chicken"?


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## StonedEdge (Mar 28, 2018)

A honesuki is better IMO for chicken. Smaller easier to maneuver


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## Mucho Bocho (Mar 28, 2018)

You could perhaps save your $ and approach the chicken differently

[video=youtube;nfY0lrdXar8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfY0lrdXar8[/video]


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## StonedEdge (Mar 28, 2018)

Save your $? Are you trying to be banned 'round here?


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## btbyrd (Mar 28, 2018)

StonedEdge said:


> A honesuki is better IMO for chicken. Smaller easier to maneuver



This is sort of what I suspect. Which is sort of a bummer because I have an irrationally strong desire for the dragon garasuki.



Mucho Bocho said:


> You could perhaps save your $ and approach the chicken differently



Apart from making yakitori, the first thing I did when my honesuki came in was practice the Jackie Peeps "take the chicken out of his pajamas" routine.









Of course, that technique requires minimal cuts so the knife isn't very important...

Since this is a garasuki thread, here's a garasuki doing its thing:

[video=youtube;3fpKgXqhvtQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fpKgXqhvtQ[/video]


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## StonedEdge (Mar 28, 2018)

Do you hunt waterfowl or turkey, pheasant etc? IMO if I hunted more often I'd get a garasuki to part out wild birds as they tend to be on the bigger side and their joints and tendons are usually very, very tough. (also a honesuki would do just fine).

I agree the Misono dragon is rad looking


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## ThEoRy (Mar 28, 2018)

btbyrd said:


> I've been looking at the Misonos because I have their hankotsu in Swedish carbon and thought it might be nice to match. But what really has me crushing hard is the Misono 185mm Dragon garasuki. It looks like a real bird slayer:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yo man **** those chickens! 

Yo deba for bone in fried chicken. Honesuki for French breast or other boneless chicken. Honesuki gets bonus points for cleaning tenderloins.


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## btbyrd (Mar 28, 2018)

+1000 on the yo deba for bone-in chicken. It's my spine-and-exoskeleton cracker for sure.

I just noticed that Misono makes a dragon Western deba in 240 (and 270!). I wonder how the Swedish carbon compares to the VG10 in terms of sheer "beat the **** out of it" ability. I suspect the Tojiro would be more forgiving, but that's sheer moron's intuition talking. And in terms of the handle, I noticed that Tojiro has a stainless-handled version of the DP Pro line. It's got to be an improvement...

Any experience with a garasuki?


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## HRC_64 (Mar 28, 2018)

btbyrd said:


> Since this is a garasuki thread, here's a garasuki doing its thing:
> 
> [video=youtube;3fpKgXqhvtQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fpKgXqhvtQ[/video]



I don't see how this knife is overkill ... 
at least based on this video ... 
its just expensive ... :rofl:


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## jaybett (Mar 29, 2018)

The garasuki is a better knife than a honesuki at breaking down, deboning, and trimming chicken. When prepping a large amount of chicken, whole body or parts, I'm glad that I have a garasuki.

The garasuki is designed to process large amounts of chicken. A processing plant or yakitori restaurant is where a garasuki would be at home. In a home or even pro kitchen the knife is overkill. Its an expensive specialty knife. 

Why do I have one? I've been intrigued by the Asian way of of prepping chicken, since I watched Martin Yan break down a chicken. Its a skill I have tried to develop and refine. After spending time with a honesuki, I became curious about the garasuki. What was the difference between the two knifes? At the time the forum didn't have much information. I figured it had to be an established design since reputable makers were offering them. Taking a bit of a chance I ordered one. 

If you want the best knife for prepping a chicken, then its the garasuki. A dragon garasuki would be the ultimate. 

Jay


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## Jovidah (Mar 29, 2018)

Just noticed BWJ actually also sells a true garasuki. Just a 100 bucks for a 180... that's cheaper than most honesukis.
In case anyone feels adventurous:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Japanese-MASAHIRO-Bessaku-Garasuki-Butcher-Knife-180mm-25024-/382422693810


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