Most butchers will slit open and butterfly your leg of lamb, which is a shame! Learn the right way to debone a leg of lamb without cutting the meat!

Leg of a lamb is boned, tied and roasted with or without stuffing. It can also be slit open in the shape of a butterfly. The partial boning of a leg, removing the pelvic bone, will make carving easier. The knobby end of the shank bone can also be trimmed, leaving enough bone to hold the roast steady for carving.

Trim skin and fat from leg of the lamb. Remove the hip bone with a boning knife. The pelvic bone is made up of the aitchbone and hip bone. It is an irregular shaped bone running at an angle to the leg bone, and is attached to it by a ball and socket joint. With a sharp knife, outline the edges of the bone that are exposed at the sirloin end.

Cut deeper around the pelvic bone, freeing it from the joint and cutting through the tendons connecting it to the leg bone. Remove the bone by twisting it. Locate the knee joint where the shank bone is connected to the leg bone. Cut and scrape to clean the leg bone, easing it out as you work. Twist the bone and pull it out. With a small knife, scrape the tendons one by one from the meat.

Re-form the lamb and tie tightly with the kitchen string. Make a stock with the bones and trimmings and set the lamb aside, covered with plastic wrap.

About the cut: Leg of lamb contains the sirloin section with hip bone and the shank portion with round bone. The outside is covered with a thin paper like covering. It is usually prepared by roasting the leg.