How to butcher a lamb

Step 10 Cuts of meat

Now it's time to decide what cuts you want to keep from this lamb.  If you don't know where the cuts come from on the animal, check out this diagram from the American Lamb Board.  I prefer roasts to steaks, so I keep most of my cuts whole.  If you like chops or steaks, you can cut it that way, but you need to decide now.

To separate the roasts, use your sharp knife and separate the front legs from the body at the shoulder joint.  Then do the back legs as the hip joint.  Take the time to carefully work the blade between the bones of the joint and it will separate pretty easily.  There should be no need to cut through bone here.

Almost done!