The Best Meat Claws for Shredding Pork Roast, Chicken, and More

What to Look for in Meat Claws

Material

Meat claws need to be strong, heat-resistant, and easy to clean thoroughly. That really leaves two options: metal or plastic. Dense and durable plastic materials like nylon are quite common for their low cost. You do need to pay attention to heat-resistance, though; if the tips of the claws get too hot, they can start to soften and bend, or even melt completely. Each brand's material has a different temperature capacity, generally between 400 and 600 degrees. This is within the range you'll encounter on a grill or over live fire, so you should be careful not to let plastic claws touch hot grates, flames, or hot coals.

Metal claws—usually made of stainless steel—can handle temperatures well above those used to cook food, so you'll never have to worry about them melting. You can even use metal claws to move hot coals around and stoke the fire. They're also able to better hold a sharp edge, which is good for holding onto food but does require more care while cleaning to avoid cuts. Metal claws are somewhat more expensive than plastic, and heavier, though no models are all that incredibly costly or heavy.

​Handles and Tines​

When attacking tasks like shredding Hawaiian-style kalua pork, you want something comfortable and easy to grip. The shape and material of the handle both affect this—something perfectly round and perfectly smooth might clean really well in the dishwasher, but it'll also be slippery to hold. The size of the handles matters, too: Some models don't have a lot of space between the handle and the tines, which could be uncomfortable for a user with larger hands.

As far as tines, what matters is how far apart they're spaced. Closer-together tines create finer shreds, whereas wider-set ones cut thicker pieces. The latter style cuts down on the work needed to shred large cuts, though the former is best to get a perfectly uniform texture.

Ease of cleaning​ 

Using meat claws is a messy undertaking—anything cooked until it's shreddably tender will leave lots of fat and juices on your tools, carving board, and probably countertop. Thankfully, most models are dishwasher-safe. However, shape matters: The dishwasher might not get to seams and hollow areas where bits of food can get stuck, and you'll have to pre-rinse. Make sure to check the instructions or packaging about dishwasher procedures, as some claws should only go on the top shelf.

It’s also a snap to throw claws in a basin of hot, soapy water to wash by hand. Just be careful with the sharp points and edges, especially on metal claws.

FAQs

How do you use meat claws to shred meat?

The procedure is pretty similar to the way you'd use a pair of forks, just on a larger scale. Stick one claw into the meat to hold it steady, then use the other in a "scratching" kind of motion to pull off shreds of meat. Once the meat is mostly broken down, you can use both claws to pull apart any chunks that remain. It's best to shred while the meat is still hot, as fat and protein will firm up at cooler temperatures. (The meat should break apart quite easily; if you need a lot of effort, it may not be cooked enough.)

What else can you use meat claws for?

Meat claws are a great way to lift and move hot, heavy food items, like taking a whole turkey or roast out of the oven, off the grill, or out of the slow cooker. You can use just one claw to steady something like a smoked brisket or a glazed ham while you slice it with a carving knife. Meat claws don't have to be used only with meat, either: They're excellent for tossing salad with dressing or pasta with sauce.

You can also take meat claws out of the kitchen: Jonathan Hunt says the sharp and evenly spaced tines are "great for weeding small beds and planters or loosening soil. I'll be planting tulip bulbs in February with them!" (It's probably a good idea to have separate sets of meat claws for cooking and gardening, however.)

One online reviewer even says he loves using his meat claws as back scratchers!

How do you shred meat without meat claws?

Meat claws are essentially large, specialized forks, and you can use any pair of forks to do the same thing in much the same way. Use one fork to hold the meat in place, and pull it apart with the other. You can also just use your hands: Barry Sorkin, Owner of Chicago's Smoque BBQ, likes to wear white cotton gloves with a pair of nitrile gloves over them when he's doing large-scale shredding. "Claws don't allow you to feel bone or cartilage fragments that may have been missed," he says.

To compile this list, our team of editors and contributors spent hours researching the best meat claws on the market, evaluating their key features—like ease of use, material, and price—in addition to reviews from customers and other trusted sources.

Why Trust The Spruce Eats?

Carrie Honaker originally wrote this roundup. She's a food writer who prepares a lot of roasts on the grill and in the oven. As a restaurateur and avid home cook, she knows the importance of finding a tool to shred pork for pozole or to lift corned beef brisket out of the pan for slicing. Carrie’s work has appeared in many publications including Bon Appetit, Allrecipes, and Wine Enthusiast.

The Spruce Eats Writer Jason Horn updated this story. He's been writing about food and drinks for nearly 20 years, for publications including Serious Eats, Travel Channel, and Playboy. He grew up outside Chicago and never understood real barbecue before living in Birmingham, Alabama, for seven years. Now residing in Los Angeles, he misses chicken and white sauce every day.

Sources

Jonathan Hunt is Senior Culinary Product Developer for Amazon Fresh, where he helps create packaged and prepared foods sold in the brand's stores. Prior to that, he spent nearly 20 years as a catering and restaurant chef in the Seattle area.

Leslie Roark Scott is Pitmaster of Ubons in Yazoo City, Mississippi. Her grandfather Ubon Roark started the family barbecue business, and she now runs it along with her father, Gerry. She and Gerry have been competing on the barbecue circuit since the early 1990s and opened their restaurant in 2003.

Barry Sorkin left a career in IT to open Smoque BBQ in Chicago in 2006, and he's been in the smoked-meat business ever since. The restaurant has been named to multiple best-barbecue lists both locally and nationally, and it is a multiple-time winner of the Michelin Bib Gourmand Award.