How to bone lamb shoulder
Skill level
Advanced
Equipment you will need for this technique
Sharp, stiff knife
Lamb shoulder is perfect for slow braising, slow cooked curry, a casserole or making stock. Lamb shoulder contains a lot of tissue and fat, so is best in dishes with long cooking times.
- With a sharp stiff knife, cut through to the joint where the hock piece (the leg) meets the shoulder. Cut away any sinew to reveal the joint and cut through it. Cut the hock away and remove it. The hock is not usual eaten, but it is excellent for making stock.
- Find the edge of the blade bone. This is a large, flat, triangular-shaped bone. You should find the edge of it running along one side of the lamb shoulder. Use your fingers to feel where the blade bone is situated inside the meat. You need to cut the bone free. Cut down to reveal the blade bone, then steadily scrape away across the surface of the bone, separating it from the meat. Angle the knife so that the edge scrapes across the bone, not into the meat.
- Once you have revealed the surface of the whole blade bone, cut down each of its long edges. Cut the thin end free of any connective tissue. A sharp knife should easily cut through this soft tissue. Now the blade bone should easily come away.
- Next remove the large bone that ran from the hock to the blade. Cut down to the bone and run the knife along it, following the shape of the bone, to separate it from the meat.
- Finally trim away any large pieces of fat from the remaining meat.
