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[Spuddy]

If you're talking about gammon steaks then yes.

[Fatman]

Spuddy

Yes, sorry, Gammon steaks. I,m just trying to cut out guesswork and you sound very experienced in this area.

Regards

Fatman

[Spuddy]

I always leave the shin bone in but remove the pelvic aitchbone and the thigh bone before curing.
If you're clever enough with a knife to remove these bones without opening up the leg then you can get a very good looking result.

[Franco]

do you then tie up the leg or put it in a mould to get a better shape?

[Spuddy]

You can tie it if you want to (which I would do before boiling or baking it as a ham) or if slicing into gammon steaks then the hole in the middle makes a nice receptacle for the obligatory fried or poached egg (I'm sorry but a pineapple slice and a cherry are out of the question)

[Fatman]

Spuddy

Did you use any carpenters u shape chisels for boning out the Hams ?

[Spuddy]

I just use a thin boning knife.
The chisel sounds like a good idea though, have you seen one used before?

[Fatman]

Only once, the man used a u shape chisel which followed the shape of the bone and of coarse as it was somebody else it looked easy.

[Spuddy]

I'm going to look into that as there may be a dedicated butchers tool available (it makes very good sense). The most difficult bit though is cutting through the knee joint to separate the thigh bone from the shin bone. The only way I've managed to do this is by making a small incision (or two, sometimes three) from the outside using a thin boning knife and performing something similar to "keyhole surgery" on the knee joint to separate the two (a trick learnt from a butcher friend of mine).
I'm going to have to ask him about the "boning chisel" idea though.

[Fatman]

If you cut around the knee joint , would you not be able to pull out both bones as one?

[Spuddy]

I'm not sure I understand.
The shin bone should be left in.

[Fatman]

Hmmm , I can see we will have to get together and test these theories.

[Spuddy]

I agree.
A good "get together" of forum members has been mentioned recently.
At the right location we could maybe swap skills and ideas in a practical sense and all learn something new (and digest a few ales too perhaps).

[Franco]

This may be of some use

http://www.thecookinginn.com/hambone.html


Franco

[Franco]

http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/foods/458-223/cutting.jpg