You asked for a chef’s knife, and we heard you.
We asked renowned knife maker Mareko Maumasi to help us design our first line of culinary knives. As an experienced bladesmith and restaurateur, his deep well of knowledge helped us craft the perfect culinary tool for our fans: the Bighorn Chef Knife.
Why Did We Design the Bighorn Chef Knife?
When we launched MKC, we started with the Blackfoot blade. It was our first for a reason: its all-around blade is designed to handle any task. The Bighorn Chef embodies that same philosophy.
A good chef’s knife is the foundation of any kitchen, and we’ve built one of the best with Mareko’s help. The Bighorn is a versatile 8″ blade that can carve a Thanksgiving turkey, slice a Christmas ham, chop vegetables, core apples, and more.
Many chefs reflexively reach for a chef’s knife in the kitchen, and for good reason. It’s an excellent blade that handles tasks large and small, tough and delicate.
Make a Difference With Purposeful Design
To create a top-tier chef’s knife, we went above and beyond the standard to address problems common in chef’s knives. We designed the Bighorn with purpose and precision to make kitchen tasks a joy, not a chore.
Historically, the chef’s knife was used to break down large cuts of meat, but our Bighorn Chef does so much more.
Ergonomic Handle
Commercially manufactured culinary knives often have blocky handles, sharp corners, and hotspots. For quick tasks in the kitchen, you might not notice those ergonomic issues at all, but extensive prep work makes them obvious.
Discomfort leads to sloppy technique, disillusionment, and safety concerns. However, the Bighorn Chef was designed to be comfortable and usable. Like all our culinary knives, it has a grippy, hotspot-free G10 handle.
No other handle performs as well as G10. Unlike wood, G10 is waterproof and resists the elements better than other materials.
Knuckle Clearance
Another common design flaw in chef’s knives is knuckle clearance. No one enjoys feeling their knuckles scrape the cutting surface — it’s uncomfortable and unsanitary.
Mareko designed the Bighorn’s cutting-edge profile so that when it rests flat on a cutting surface, it gives the handle a nice upsweep to provide more knuckle clearance. The blade has an extra quarter inch of width over the typical chef’s knife, which adds to that clearance.
Sharpening Endurance
Most chef’s knives stand about 2″ tall, but the Bighorn’s extra quarter inch extends its sharpening potential.
Sharpening a knife removes material from the blade. The Bighorn Chef’s extra width means the blade has more material, resulting in a longer lifespan. It’ll serve you and your descendants for generations.
Angled Heel
The Bighorn Chef’s angled heel is a simple, unexpectedly useful feature.
The heel angles back toward your fingers and acts as a protective guard. The nook the angle creates keeps your fingers from sliding forward on the knife’s heel when you’re locked in and working hard.
The angled heel also adds a bit of extra cutting edge to the bottom of the blade, making the knife feel shorter than it is.
Unique to MKC
MagnaCut Stainless Steel Construction
We choose MagnaCut for many of our blades because it creates a stronger, better, sharper knife. MagnaCut stainless steel combines the benefits of stainless and carbon steel. It’s easy to sharpen like carbon steel but hard-wearing like stainless.
Carbon steel is prone to corrosion when exposed to food and liquids. Thankfully, the Bighorn Chef’s black Cerakote finish is corrosion-resistant and durable.
Made in the USA
All MKC knives, including our Bighorn Chef knife, are crafted in our facility in Montana.
It starts with our state-of-the-art laser-cutting process, which produces identical knife blanks. Later, we hand-finish each knife, and our careful attention to detail and quality results in a superior blade.
We stand by our knives and commit to their quality through the MKC Generations® program. We’ll resharpen your blade free of charge at any time. That promise lasts for the blade’s entire life, even if that spans beyond yours.
A Chef’s Knife Built for Hunters
As a hunting knife company, we want you to use our knives in the field. They’re robust enough to follow you wherever you go, whether that’s a well-equipped kitchen, a modest cabin, or a camp.
However, the Bighorn Chef is a cooking knife, not a hunting knife. While that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t follow you into the field, it deserves different treatment. Instead of a Kydex holster, the Bighorn has a custom-fit sheath that protects the knife and your skin.
If the Bighorn Chef is all you bring for campsite meal prep, you’ll be well-equipped. Whether you’re cooking for yourself or an entire group, the Bighorn Chef takes every task in stride.
by Josh Smith, Master Bladesmith and Founder of Montana Knife Company
