cutting boards

Another post got me thinking about cutting boards. What type of wood do you guys recommend? Does it matter? Looking at one online that is 24X18X1.5in. It will be for my brother who cooks briskets a lot. Is this a good size for large meats? It comes with a juice groove that he asked for specifically. The wood is acacia.
Thanks

That's a good sized board for Brisket. It would be big enough for a whole one. Acacia is a fine wood and not overly expensive. Most any hardwood with more closed rather than open (like red oak) pores will work. The most common woods for hand made cutting boards are almost certainly maple and walnut, with woods like mesquite ranking up there as well. Many different woods are used for accents.

If I found the right board you are looking at, it is a long grain board, which is absolutely fine and I make a ton of them. Some prefer end-grain boards, which are usually a bit more expensive because of the added work.

By no means am I a pro and I don't know what woods you have to pick from. In school we made a lot of cutting boards and clip boards, for longevity Poplar was very hard and seemed to make good ones.

jdk1985, thanks for the reply. In doing further research (online) I am hearing that hard maple is preferred for it not dulling the knife blade. Do you know anything about this?

I have switched over to high-density polyethylene (plastic) ... non-absorbent and safe for knives ... also dishwasher safe

Wood hardness is important and maple is an ideal wood. If someone cares enough to have sharp knives, chances are the cutting board they use is not going to matter much, as they will be paying attention to their edge regardless.

Try one of jdk1985's boards, you will be very pleased.

Restaurants are all going to plastic, colored plastic, for different food items to avoid cross contamination. Wood holds bacteria but looks great. Bleach kills the look of pretty wood. Health Department regs.


I want one of jdk1985 boards, they are a piece of art.

I thought several years ago, after forcing stainless steel on butchers, it was found that the old wooden chopping blocks were safer because of a natural anti-bacteria in the wood.

The tannin's in the wood are antibacterial. Similar to Copper.

I have used these for years. Says wood fiber but never knew until I googled them. Nothing better imo... I take them to bbqs and anywhere I need to cut meat.

https://m.surlatable.com/product/PR...QNQ6ppTBoCZvAQAvD_BwE&_redirect=true

Sadly, I've gone the plastic route just for the convenience and cleanliness. Just throw them in the dishwasher.