A breaking knife is defined by its curve. The belly does the work as you pull, so the cut is made by drawing the blade rather than pressing it, and the upswept tip clears the board on the follow-through. It is the knife for taking a side down into primals.
At 8 inches and narrow this is the manoeuvrable end of the range — shorter and thinner than the 10-inch pattern, which makes it easier to work in a confined space or on smaller animals. Butchers who break lamb and pork tend to reach for this one over the longer blades.
Dexter-Russell has made cutlery in Southbridge, Massachusetts since 1818 and is the oldest cutlery manufacturer in the United States. The Sani-Safe line is its NSF-certified foodservice range, built around a textured polypropylene handle moulded to the tang so there is no seam for food to lodge in.
