Technique Tuesday - the cut decision you make before the marinade ever touches the meat. Grab your whole muscle and find the grain. See those long fibers all running the same direction? That's your roadmap. Slice WITH the grain and those fibers stay long. You get that old-school, tear-it-with-your-teeth chew. Classic road trip jerky. Slice AGAINST the grain and you cut every fiber short. Now it snaps clean instead of stretching. Way easier on the jaw, and a lot friendlier if you're handing samples to strangers. Neither one is wrong. But pick it on purpose, not by accident. One more thing: throw the meat in the freezer for 45-60 minutes before you slice. Firm meat holds a straight line, your thickness stays even, and even slices dry evenly. We go deep on grain direction, cut selection and thickness in the Online Beef Jerky Course: https://fatyankeejerky.com/online-jerky-course So where do you land - with the grain chew, or against the grain tender?