[Illustration: Knife exposing blade bone] Figure 71.—Boning shoulder. [Illustration: Display of boneless shoulder and removed bones] Figure 72.—Boned shoulder. The lower shank bones of the foreleg are removed by cutting or sawing through the joint. The foreleg and hind shank are often barbecued, cut into stew, or boned, and the meat ground. The breast can be cut into stew, boned and rolled, ground, or made into a pocket roast by cutting under and close to the ribs to form a pocket which can be stuffed. The edges are then laced together (fig. 73). [Illustration: Display of breast and foreshank] Figure 73.—Breast and foreshank. Wrapping Immediately after chilling and cutting, meat _must be_ properly wrapped, quickly frozen, and stored at 0° F or lower until needed. Proper wrapping is essential to maintain meat quality; therefore, one should: • Use moisture-vapor proof wrap such as heavily waxed freezer paper or specifically laminated paper. • Prepare convenient family-sized packages. • Wrap meat closely, eliminating as much air as possible. • Improper wrapping will allow air to enter and result in “freezer burn” and rancidity. • Use a proper wrapping procedure (fig. 74). • Label and date each package properly. [Illustration: Drawing showing 5 steps to wrapping meat] Figure 74.—Wrapping procedure. FREEZING AND FROZEN STORAGE When freezing large quantities of meat, it is best to use a commercial establishment for fast freezing. Since a lamb carcass will yield only 70 to 75 percent usable retail cuts or about 38 pounds from a 50 pound lamb carcass, the home freezer will adequately handle this amount. When using the home freezer be sure to: • Clean and defrost freezer. • Freeze meat at -10° or lower. • Freeze only the amount of meat that will freeze in 24 hours. • Allow ample air circulation by not overpacking the freezer. • In the freezer maintain 0° F or less for storage. Remember, proper wrapping and freezing does not improve quality but maintains original quality. It is safe to refreeze meat that has been kept below 40° F during thawing. However, refreezing is not usually recommended because there is some loss of meat quality. Lamb cuts should be utilized within 6 to 9 months after freezing; ground and stew lamb within 3 to 4 months. Longer storage results in lowered quality. MEAT COOKERY Tender cuts of meat are best cooked with dry heat such as broiling, roasting, and panbroiling. Less tender cuts of meat are tenderized by cooking with _moist_ heat. Connective tissue is softened and tenderized by cooking slowly in moisture. Temperature control is very important in meat cookery. Meat loses moisture, fat, and other volatile substances during cooking. However, some of the meat juices and fat may be retained in the pan drippings.