Hellfang 5" Hand Forged Butcher Knife, Small Meat Trimming Knife, High Carbon Steel, Full Tang, Hardwood Handle

The Hellfang is a 5" hand forged butcher knife, the compact one in the lineup. It is built for trimming and close in work, the jobs where a big cleaver gets clumsy and a paring knife feels flimsy.

At the Trim Table

Use it to strip silverskin off a tenderloin, trim the fat cap on a brisket before it goes in the smoker, clean up a rack of ribs, or portion chicken. The short blade gives you control when you are working the tip along a seam. At camp it takes care of everyday prep, from onions to sausages, and takes up almost no room in the kit.

It is not meant for chopping. When you need to go through joints, pair it with the 7.5" Hand Forged Butcher Cleaver. Other blades for trimming and portioning live in our butcher knife collection.

A Gift That Gets Used

Every pitmaster already owns a big knife. Few own a good small one, which makes the Hellfang an easy gift for Father's Day or a birthday. It suits the hunter who trims his own venison, and it fits in a Christmas stocking. Add the butcher cleaver and you have a two knife gift that covers the whole cook. More options are in our knife gifts.

Every Xcutlery blade is high carbon steel, hand forged one at a time in the Serbian style: thick stock, a lot of hammer work, and the forge finish left on the flats.

Even on a small blade we keep the Serbian style of forging. The high carbon steel is hammered to shape rather than stamped from a sheet, and the raw forge finish is left on the upper blade above a polished edge. A full tang runs the length of the hardwood handle and is held with steel pins, so the knife feels solid in the hand for its size. It looks like it came straight off the anvil, because it did.

Why high carbon steel

It takes a very fine edge and comes back quickly on a whetstone. The price of that edge is a little care. This steel is not a rust resistant alloy, so water left on the blade will mark it. Wash it, dry it, wipe on a light coat of oil, and it will be cutting long after the cutting board has given up.

Patina

With use the steel darkens to a grey or blue patina. That is normal for high carbon steel and it helps protect the blade. Red rust is a different thing, and it comes from a knife left wet.

• 5" hand forged high carbon steel blade
• Raw forge finish with a polished edge
• Full tang with steel pins
• Hardwood handle
• Built for trimming, detail butchering and camp cooking

Specifications

• Blade: 5" hand forged high carbon steel
• Finish: Raw forge finish, polished edge
• Construction: Full tang with steel pins
• Handle: Hardwood
• Use: Trimming, detail butchering, camp cooking, everyday prep

• Hellfang 5" hand forged butcher knife
• Lifetime warranty against defects in materials and craftsmanship

Each blade is forged by hand, so the forge texture, hammer marks and wood grain on yours will be its own.

Hand wash it and dry it right away. Wipe a light coat of food safe oil on the blade before you put it away. No dishwasher, no soaking.

Every time you use it

• Hand wash it right after use and dry it straight away
• Wipe on a light coat of food safe oil before it goes away
• Cut on wood or plastic boards
• Touch up the edge on a whetstone when it starts to drag

Keep it away from

• The dishwasher, and a sink full of water overnight
• Glass, stone or metal cutting surfaces
• Prying, twisting or throwing

The full routine is in our high carbon steel knife care guide, and the edge work is in how to sharpen a meat cleaver.

Every Xcutlery knife is covered for life against defects in materials and craftsmanship. If a handle works loose from the tang, a pin comes free, or there is a flaw in the steel or the build that came from us, we repair or replace it free of charge.

It does not cover normal wear such as a dull edge, damage from misuse, or rust from the dishwasher or soaking. Slight differences in forge texture, hammer marks and wood grain are part of a handmade knife, not defects.

To make a claim, email sales@xcutlery.com (Australia: sales@xcutlery.com.au) with your order number and photos. Separately, you have 30 days from delivery to return an unused knife. Engraved and custom knives cannot be returned for a change of mind. Full terms are on the warranty page.

Is a 5 inch butcher knife big enough?
For trimming and detail work, yes. That is the point of it. For breaking down big cuts, pair it with a cleaver or a longer butcher knife.

Is it good for brisket?
For trimming the fat cap and cleaning up the flat before the cook, yes. For slicing the finished brisket you want a long slicer from our BBQ knives.

Does it come sharp?
Yes. The edge is polished and ready for trim work out of the box.

How do I stop rust?
Dry it straight after washing and keep a thin coat of food safe oil on it.

Trimming a fat cap and stripping silverskin are the Hellfang's daily work, and a cleaver takes over at the joints. Our butcher knife or meat cleaver guide explains where one job ends and the other starts.