Basic Butchery Pt 1: breast of Hoggett WARNING contains dead animals

[Jungle_re]

Tis he time ofyear which mean Hoggett time. Hoggett is in my opinion the best stage of sheep meat. Its a good time of year to ask a local farmer to put by a sheep for you for the following year (if you have the means to kill it yourself). Breast is an under used roasting joint and can be picked up at the butchers cheapish this should allow you to do this at home. I was going to show the butchering of the sheep but failed to take enough pics whilst busy doing it.

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh247/jungle_re/IMG00016-20090213-1058-Copy.jpg

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh247/jungle_re/IMG00017-20090213-1112-Copy.jpg

The breast is one half of the chest cut down throught he sterum and then through the upper part of the ribs. The main aim to prepare a rolled joint is to keep all the meat in one peice and remove all the bones and cartlidge

Hopefully following this you will be able to turn this to this:

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh247/jungle_re/IMG_0522.jpg

1.

first using a sharp knife locate the side of each rib on the inside and cut a line down each side of all the ribs making sure you only cut half way through

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh247/jungle_re/IMG_0523.jpg

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh247/jungle_re/IMG_0524.jpg

2.

at the end of the ribs make cuts around the end then parring cuts to join the side slits to fee the rib from the meat.

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh247/jungle_re/IMG_0525.jpg

i do this for all the ribs to near the top.

3.

Parr the meat from the inside at the top of the ribs up to allow access to the cartlidge which joins the ribs; the cuts should allow the meat to pivot up but remain attached to the joint

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh247/jungle_re/IMG_0526.jpg

4.

Moving to the rear of the rib cage parring cut can now be made to follow up the ribs on to the cartlidge conecting the ribs bein carefull o try and remove only the bone and cartilidge. All the rib cage and breast bone should be able to be removed as one peice if care is taken.

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh247/jungle_re/IMG_0527.jpg

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh247/jungle_re/IMG_0528.jpg

All the bones now removed
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh247/jungle_re/IMG_0529.jpg

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh247/jungle_re/IMG_0530.jpg

5.

turn it over so your looking at the 'face' of the meat and par of any really thick excess fat. Be sure not to remove all the fat as its this that holds lots of the flavour.

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh247/jungle_re/IMG_0531.jpg

6.

assess the meat, tuck in any odds and ends to form a rough rectangle and roll into a large sausage.

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh247/jungle_re/IMG_0532.jpg

using string tie up tight to keep it all together

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh247/jungle_re/IMG_0533.jpg

Job done, get the oven on and prepare for a craking dinner.

[spiritofold]

What an excellent tutorial!!! :You_Rock_Emoticon:

Now thats something i'd like to see done up close. Im a total dunce when it comes to butchering animals, and is something on my list of things im must learn.

Andy

[Jungle_re]

What an excellent tutorial!!! :You_Rock_Emoticon:

Now thats something i'd like to see done up close. Im a total dunce when it comes to butchering animals, and is something on my list of things im must learn.

Andy


Cheers Andy

most things like this are a peice of piss once you have done it once yourself. Theres only minor differnces between most large animals so once you have learned one you can do it all its just varriations of a theme, and deciding what joints you wish to have eg with the sheep you could have loads of double chops, or you can take of the fillet on either side to have 2 really great peices of meat.

Your not that far off the course from going home from where i go stalking, may be next time im lucky i could stop by and give you a lesson :wink:

[JonnyP]

Superb.. Thanks for putting that up.

[mentalnurse]

that brings back memorys, i loved being a butcher...i miss it.

[rik_uk3]

I love breast of Lamb, stuffed breast is very good and Lamb ribs BBQ very well also. From time to time I'll buy a Lamb or a Pig and prep them myself at home, one of the few skills left over from my days as a supermarket manager when you still had to spend a few months in the meat department as part of your training

[spiritofold]

Cheers Andy

most things like this are a peice of piss once you have done it once yourself. Theres only minor differnces between most large animals so once you have learned one you can do it all its just varriations of a theme, and deciding what joints you wish to have eg with the sheep you could have loads of double chops, or you can take of the fillet on either side to have 2 really great peices of meat.

Your not that far off the course from going home from where i go stalking, may be next time im lucky i could stop by and give you a lesson :wink:

I'd love to have a go at it :)

Im always inspired by pix like what you put up, and Bernie. The biggest thing i've ever butchered is a hare, followed by bunnies ,pheasant and pigeon.

I think its such an excellent skill to have, a real "old time world skill" :biggrin:

Andy

[fish]

hoggit is a fine meal!

[Opal]

Thanks for bringing back some memories for me, my dad always sent me to the butchers for a sheet of lamb breast (1s 6d :)) every Saturday before we went to the matinee...late fifties. :wink:

We're all lamb lovers in our house, where's me gun? :rolleyes:

[Bernie Garland]

Great tutorial Will :)

Bernie

[Andy2112]

Great tutorial, it's made me really hungry for some lamb.:)

[psudovegetarian]

Exellent tutorial. When I was a kid in the 60's our family favorite meal was breast of lamb and homegrown runner bean stew. You have to ask in real butchers shops for a breast of lamb nowadays.

[WolfCub]

Quiet at work today (butchers) so I've been having a play with some lamb breasts.
Boned a pair out, then stitched them back together with twine along the 'belly'. Going to pack them with lightly cooked rice and top with cooked mince/chili.
Difficult to describe in writing next bit. Will set it up to look like a 'Longboat'. Wood skewers in sides for oars and help stand it up, mini burgers between these as shields.
Cook it all off in oven, then add mast/sail , steering oar. Done it before with the bones in, not fully happy with end result though it did work. Hope to get hang of making it look really good as want to serve it at my eldest sons next b'day (11) with his mates.

Also putting together ideas for a window display around St Georges day.

Lamb breast, like pork belly, is a cut often overlooked these days. Shame they'r both delicous, great to see the orriginal post here !:)

[Firecrest]

how come its called hoggett? is that inbetween lamb and mutton or something?

[Dougster]

Damn tasty it was too - nice one Will. I'll have to watch you next time.

[Simon H]

Great tutorial, thanks for posting. I'll try that at some point.

[soggy boots]

Excellent Will!!!

[Jungle_re]

how come its called hoggett? is that inbetween lamb and mutton or something?

you will find different old English terms for stages of animalsand they differ in different farming region. A hoggett is a year to 18 month old sheep. Modern shopping practicis have meant that lots of the old joints and stages of farm animals dont occur as the public demands others. Hoggett and mutton to a certain degree have all but disapeared as people wrongly belive that only 'Lamb' is nice and tender and everythig else must taste like old leather which is just not the case.