This month, our resident butcher STEVE BAIN talks us through how to separate meat from the bone.
In this edition’s recipe, both the bone and the meat will be cooked in the soup. However to make eating easier, the bones are separated from the meat and then the meat can either be cut into bite-sized pieces, or served in the soup as one piece.
This choice is logically dependant on the cutlery to be provided with the soup — if a knife is provided, then the diners can do the cutting themselves.
The butchery method shown here can be used on any meat to ‘work’ it away from the bone. The secret is to understand the shape of the bone and therefore work out where to start cutting, and it is often the case that the knife maintains its general orientation while the piece that you are working on is rotated.
Step 1: Start with a typical boning knife (a boning knife needn’t be too long in the blade, and the blade is a little stiffer than a fish filleting knife — the semi-rigidity of the boner’s blade allows you to follow the bone more easily). This lamb shank has been trimmed at each end. This will allow the marrow in the bone to flavour the soup. ‘Tougher’ cuts of meat, like lamb shank, with lots of sinew and connective tissue are ideal for use in slow-cooked soups.
Step 2: Rotate the piece of meat until you have a bone surface at the top.
Step 3: Now start cutting alongside the bone, between the bone and the meat. Try not to leave too much meat on the bone.
Step 4: Continue cutting alongside the leg bone to deepen the cut.
Step 5: Slow down for the fiddly bits and use the knife point to work in and around to continue separating the meat from the bone. By the time you have done a couple you will have the hang of it. It is important to do it slow so that you do it correctly and easily. After that, muscle memory will see you executing the cuts effortlessly.
Step 6: Using the knife point, deepen the cuts around the tricky bits, especially the ends.
Step 7: Roll the shank bone away from the meat and continue ‘filleting’ the meat away from the bone.
Step 8: Once your knife has been worked along the full length of the bone, roll the bone again away from the meat and work the knife edge along the newly-exposed flesh.
Step 9: Flense away any sinew, leaving it on the bone to make eating easier (this ‘cutting’ is just like skinning a fish).
Step 10: Finally, press the knife down into the cutting board and cut clean through anything that is still connecting the meat to the bone.
Step 11: The meat and bone separated, both are now ready for the cooking process (note the bone is to be included in the soup during cooking, but doesn’t have to be served with the meal — your choice).