How to Bone a Leg of Lamb

A butcher can bone a leg of lamb for you, but I find it can just as easily be done at home. In order to cook, roast or otherwise, the much of the outer fat of the lamb leg can be removed especially any purple inspection stamps. Try to leave a smaller layer of fat directly over the meat, but with a knife I shave off quite a bit of the excess chunks of fat.

It should be said that roasting a lamb with the bone is more flavorful, but if you are placing the lamb on a spit/rotisserie, grilling the lamb or simply doing a roast for company, sometimes a boned lamb is easier to deal with particularly when it time for carving the meat. The lamb bones need not be wasted though. I save mine for stock. Some butchers will also sell you half a leg, and if you get the part without the “pelvic” bone, carving is quite easy.

I bone the leg of lamb by first removing much of the outer fat, then, staring with the “pelvic” area, make small incisions around the bones with a boning knife, separating the meat from the bone. Once all of the meat has flopped away from the pelvic area, I make one long incision all the way down the primary leg bone. After this incision is made it is quite simple to work the rest of the meat away from the bone. Once the meat is off the bone you will be able to lay it flat on your cutting board.

To butterfly- it is simple enough to “butterfly” the meat at this stage by making 4-5” incisions with your knife wherever the meat looks much thicker than the rest. This will help the meat to cook more evenly.