This Technique Is the Secret to Faster Grilling Without Overcooking

If there’s one hill we will happily die on every summer, it’s this: Butterflying is the ultimate grilling technique — not optional or fussy, but completely essential. It may sound like something reserved for restaurant kitchens, but it’s actually one of the simplest ways to become a more confident griller.

When you butterfly seafood or meat, you’re opening it up and laying it flat so more surface area makes direct contact with the grill grates. That means fewer overcooked edges, no underdone centers, and a much smaller chance of drying out expensive protein. Thinner, more evenly shaped pieces absorb marinades more effectively, develop better char, and cook in a fraction of the time of standard cuts.

The most commonly butterflied pieces of meat are chicken breasts, pork loin, and leg of lamb. To butterfly these cuts, place the meat flat on a cutting board and hold it steady with your palm. Using a sharp knife, slice horizontally through the thickest side, stopping about 1/2 inch before cutting all the way through. Open the meat like a book and press gently to create an even thickness.

However, this technique works just as well on budget-friendly chicken drumsticks, shrimp, and flank steak. Scroll down for step-by-step guides to butterflying these popular proteins — and recipes for each.

How to butterfly flank steak

1. Place steak flat on a cutting board with the grain running vertically and the shorter side closest to you.
2. Insert a sharp knife horizontally into the long side of the steak, positioning blade parallel to the cutting board with your noncutting hand flat on top of steak.
3. Using smooth, even strokes, slice through the steak, keeping blade parallel to the cutting board and stopping about 1/2 inch from the opposite side so steak remains attached.
4. Open steak up like a book by folding open the top flap. Cover steak with plastic wrap, and pound to an even 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin.

Try the technique: For our Cheesy Pesto Steak Pinwheels, flank steak is sliced with the grain and splayed into an even slab, then layered with provolone, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach before being rolled into a tight spiral. The thin, seasoned layers of steak cook to a perfect medium-rare while the filling softens and melts.

How to butterfly shrimp

1. Starting at the head end of the shrimp, cut along the back of the shell using a serrated knife or kitchen shears.
2. Remove and discard the vein.
3. Continue cutting along the same line, slicing about three-quarters of the way through the flesh and opening up the shrimp. 

Try the technique: For Butterflied Shrimp with Chile-Herb Butter, the shell-on shrimp are cut along the back, opened up, deveined, and skewered so they lie flat. Slicing the shrimp open exposes more meat to absorb the garlicky, anchovy, lemony-herb butter.

How to butterfly a chicken drumstick

1. Place a drumstick on a cutting board with the meatiest side down.
2. Cut vertically along one side of the bone without slicing all the way through the meat, then repeat the cut on the other side of the bone.
3. Fold the meat open, and lay the drumstick flat.

Try the technique: Butterflied Chicken Drumsticks with Sonoran White Barbecue Sauce are cut along both sides of the bone with the meat folded open, creating a flat piece of chicken with the bone still attached. They cook over indirect heat until juicy and tender, then get brushed with tangy white Sonoran barbecue sauce and grilled until the skin is crisp and crackly.