Boning a Shoulder

Place the shoulder cut side up. Take a sharp knife and make three cuts through to the bones as shown in diagram 1 (according to whether it is a right or left hand shoulder). Trim the meat away from the bones as shown in diagram 2. First slide the knife under the top edge of the blade bone, which may be soft gristle in a young animal (shown by dashes) and looking out for the ridge down the centre (shown by dots). Free the meat so that the blade bone can be lifted out. Then sever it at the joint. Free the second and third bones in the same way. (The knife should never go through the skin.) Spread the meat with a suitable stuffing (Spinach Stuffing, is advised) and fold in the leg flap neatly (diagram 3). Roll it up and tie as shown in diagram 4.