My Father’s Day Meat-Centric Gift

The gift was loosely wrapped up in tissue paper with a photo of steaks taped to the outside, and my wife and children told me to open it carefully.

I knew it wasn’t from the list of last-minute gifts for dad that I had published on Friday, since I already had a great chef’s knife, it didn’t have the weight of a meat hammer, and the smoker wouldn’t fit on my lap, but the warning had me excited.

Awesome. Click to enlarge & gaze upon full glory.

Rightfully so, as it turned out. This year’s awesome meat-based Father’s Day gift was a beautiful set of six steak knives, the handles of each made from deer antlers. For a few years, Joanna has been on a mission to replace my grandfather’s old carving set, an amazing carbon steel knife and fork with antler handles and tooled silver bits that was burned up by a poorly placed candle a few years ago (not by my wife, my kids, or me – I just don’t want to call the fire bug out publicly).

While she found a very cool fork some time ago, she’s never found anything quite like the original set. These knives, though, are ridiculously great. She found them at an Ebay shop that specializes in cutlery, and had nothing but glowing things to say about the seller, who upgraded the shipping to Priority to get them here in time for Sunday (and who also likes The Meatist, so I automatically like him).

Cool cutlery always makes a great gift. While for the most part I’ll take a modern chef’s knife for every day knife work, I love interesting vintage specialty pieces like carving sets (this one is beautiful, and reminds me of my grandfather’s) and the sweet steak knives my family presented me with this year.

I really couldn’t be happier with my gift, and highly recommend looking at some antler or horn-based cutlery for the meat-lover in your life. After all, what’s better than getting something you didn’t ask for, didn’t expect, and don’t have to pretend you love?

Just try to avoid lighting them on fire.