Distinctive feature sheep - this is their calm disposition. Therefore, in practice, cutting a sheep is much easier than slaughtering cattle. So that the procedure is not painful for the animal, it is important to follow step by step instructions. Also, the correct cutting technique will allow you to get a holistic skin and high-quality, not bloodied meat. How to slaughter a sheep step by step?

Before slaughter, the animal must be transferred to a hunger strike. You can not give the ram to eat at least 18-20 hours. The animal will completely cleanse the intestines of feces, so there is no risk of contamination of the meat, as well as the appearance of an unpleasant smell of the carcass. And this important point, since the smell from feces is difficult to remove. But you need to give the ram plenty to drink. Drinking plenty of water greatly facilitates the process of skinning. Also, the meat of such a ram is especially juicy.

Important points:

Advice! The optimal age of a ram for slaughter is 12 months. Representatives of classic meat breeds can be sent for slaughter at the age of 10 months.

At the preparation stage, it is necessary to decide on the tools. You will need several large and well-sharpened knives, as well as a hammer. Large and wide knives are needed to cut the arteries, as well as for butchering the carcass. Thinner knives will help to carefully separate the sheepskin from the carcass and clean it from the inside.

Additional accessories:

• Large containers (basins, buckets) into which blood will drain.
• Container for folding internal organs.
• Large polyethylene or textile tablecloth for skinning.
• A dense large flap of cloth for wiping the carcass from the inside.
• 30 cm cutting tube.
• A large amount of salt, which will go to the processing of the skin of a ram.

Step 2. Decide on the slaughter technique

There are two ways to slaughter a ram: hang the animal or hold the ram on its side.

Attention! You need to work in both techniques quickly and confidently. The animal must be instantly killed, and not forced to suffer and wait for its death. The meat of a dead ram is much inferior in quality.

1. Hanging an animal is a convenient way, one person can handle this technique, without helpers. It is enough to tie the legs of the ram (in pairs among themselves) and hang them from the crossbar. With a quick movement, you need to slightly tip the ram's head back and cut it deeply clearly along the artery - draw a knife along the neck. In a hanging state, it is easy to bleed a ram without staining the meat and sheepskin.
2. If a ram is slaughtered without being hung up, then an assistant is needed. The first person approaches from the side, and the second person holds or ties the legs together. As in the first case, the head is turned over and a long, deep incision is made down the throat.

The ram will be completely bled in 5-7 minutes. Then the head is cut off, and the cutting stage begins.

Step 3. How to butcher a carcass

With a special knife for cutting from a ram, you need to pull off the skin and remove the internal organs. How to do it carefully? It is most convenient to work by placing the carcass on the back. A small incision of a couple of centimeters is made on the back leg in the knee area. A tube is inserted into it, which should separate the skin and meat. Now you need to inflate the tube with air. An air bubble is formed. Press on it so that the air passes over the entire surface of the carcass.

Pulling begins alternately with the legs. An incision is made in the genital area. The skin is simultaneously removed along the entire carcass, except for the back. The ram needs to be hung up or turned over, finishing the treatment in the back area.

Advice! The processing of the hide itself can wait. It is very important to have time to quickly butcher her fresh and warm ram carcass.

When the skin is removed, you need to make an incision near the navel. Insert the knife to a medium depth and move upwards. Guts will come out. First you need to separate the rectum and bandage. After that, clamp the esophagus and pull it out. With a knife, carefully cut off the gallbladder, clean the omentums from the intestines.

You also need to find and separate the kidneys. And the last step is to cut out the heart and pull out the lungs.
When all the internal organs are removed, you can cut the lamb into pieces. Whole sirloin meat is removed in the following sequence: on the sacrum, along the ribs, on the legs and neck. Next, cut off the loin, brisket and kidney part. The last stage is cutting the legs into fillets and shank.

Advice! Larger meats are best preserved. Therefore, do not cut the lamb into small pieces.

Step 4. Processing the skin

You have to wait until it's completely cold. Start conservation. If this procedure is not done within 5 hours, then the process of decay will begin. The most effective and successful way to process the skin is to salt it. We need salt in its pure form at the rate of 300 g per 1 kg of live weight of a sheep.

The skin should be evenly spread out, generously sprinkled with salt. Turn over and sprinkle with salt again. Then roll it into a roll with the wool inside. Skin conservation conditions:

• Salting lasts 96 hours.
• The temperature for storing the skin should be between 8 and 15 degrees. Freezing must not be allowed!

The process of slaughtering and butchering the ram is over. For their correct implementation, practice and knowledge of the nuances are needed. Therefore, the first time it is worth completing all the steps under the guidance of an experienced person.

Sheep slaughter: video

A ram is a mammal animal, it belongs to the order of artiodactyls, the family of bovids.

• The size is about two meters.
• Their weight ranges from 25 to 220 kg.
• A characteristic distinguishing feature of a ram is massive spirally curled horns directed to the sides.
• Ram horns reach almost 200 cm, although there are species with small horns.
• The legs of the animal are high and strong, they are adapted not only to fields, but also to steep mountain slopes.
• The tail is about 15 cm long.
• Due to the unusual arrangement of the eyes, they see the environment around them 360 degrees.

Scientists even suggest that they recognize color pictures. Sheep also have a well-developed sense of smell and hearing, which helps them quickly find food or hide from predators. Sheep lead a herd life. With their voices, they can tell each other apart. Most animals live for about 12 years.

Wild boars live in the countries of the Northern Hemisphere, and they also inhabit many other areas. There are those who live in the desert. They are also found in the cities of Tibet, the Caucasus, the Himalayas. The place of population of domestic sheep is almost all continents of the planet, with the exception of cold Antarctica.

Breeding of these animals is already carried out in all countries of the world. Sheep living in nature are tied to the place they have entrenched and never leave it. In the summer, they climb high on the peaks, and when winter comes, they descend into the valley. The main feature of the behavior of the herd is considered to be constant control over the surrounding situation.

An alarm has been received, from any member of the herd, which means that the entire community has to act. In domestic, on the contrary, their herd is of a mixed type. The herd instinct is well developed. A ram that is left alone can experience stress.

Animal nutrition depends on their habitat. They are unpretentious to food. In spring and summer, they feed on various flowers, herbs, when winter comes, the diet changes, there is no greenery anymore, you have to eat dry cereals. By the way, sheep can even eat berries and tree shoots. Domestic animals are fed with hay, which contains up to 25% straw.

Sheep breed, reaching puberty at 2-3 years. Home grown up much earlier. The mating season for the southern begins in July, and those living to the north in October or November, but ends in December.

Males arrange terrible carnage to woo the female.

After fertilization, the male leaves to look for another individual. Pregnancy in sheep lasts about 5 months. After the birth of the lambs, they return to the herd when the cub gets used to the mother. Breeding and keeping domestic sheep at home does not cause difficulties. They are calm and easy to manage.

There are several types of sheep.

1. domestic sheep, appearance it depends on the breed. The length of an individual is 1 meter, and the weight reaches up to 100 kg, sometimes more.
2. Soviet merino is grown for wool.
3. The wool of the karakul breed is used to create carpets, and karakul is made from the skin of lambs.
4. The farmed type of border leister is used to obtain meat and wool. A characteristic feature of the individual is erect ears, like those of a hare.
5. Mouflon is a wild sheep from which many domestic animals descended.
6. The next species is the urial. Its size is 1 meter, weight reaches 87 kilograms. A distinctive feature of this breed is the black color of the chest.
7. And the last breed is argali. The largest individual, its weight is almost 200 kg.

What is needed for butchering a sheep

What kind delicious food are obtained from sheep meat, but first we must learn how to cut it correctly. The tools of this procedure, as well as for butchering a beaver, are sharp knives. Before butchering the carcass of a ram, it must be slaughtered. How to cut a sheep? There are two ways to slaughter an animal. In the supine position, when the animal is tied up and placed on a flat surface. In limbo, then the lamb is hung upside down. The second method is considered much better, then the skin and meat of the animal do not get dirty in the blood.

The technique of butchering the legs and head of a ram (video)

1. Leg section. To begin with, we remove excess fat from the surface, as well as interior.
2. We cut the vein on the lower leg, take it aside and separate it with a knife.
3. Then we remove the muscle located behind the thigh.
4. Between the hip bone and the muscle is a vein, which we remove.
5. Trim the anterior and posterior thigh muscles.
6. We isolate the thigh from the joint.
7. Cut off the meat from the thigh bone.
8. We separate the femur and shank.

Head section. To begin with, we make incisions in the head, then we tear the mouth. Cutting must start from the bottom. Cut out the tongue and clean it. We cut the meat from the neck. We make incisions in the back of the head and remove the meat. The video clearly shows the process.

How to butcher a sheep. Video

How to Butcher a Sheep in a Few Minutes

To begin with, we separate the lower leg from the joint. After that, we cut the skin and make incisions in the abdomen and sternum. Then we remove the skin. We carefully gut the carcass, separating the internal organs from the belly. The carcass is divided in half along the vertebrae. We separate the legs, ribs, and then the neck. Only a professional in this business can do this job very quickly, but anyone can cook mussels in shells as an additional snack!

As a rule, we buy meat that has already been cut into pieces that are convenient for work. But if a big holiday is coming up, which will bring together a lot of guests, you may have the idea of ​​​​buying a whole lamb carcass. This is not only quite convenient, but also profitable, because buying in bulk, as you know, is always cheaper.

This is where the reasonable question of how to butcher a ram will appear before you. Of course, you can entrust this business to a professional. Any mutton seller will certainly agree to help you - of course, not for thanks. As a rule, in the form of payment, slaughterers and dividers take payment for their work not in money, but in meat. But if you are sorry to part with part of the carcass or just want to learn something new, do not give in to difficulties and drag the whole carcass home. Believe me, not only a strong man, but also a fragile woman can butcher a lamb. Although still this work is considered male. Using our illustrated guide, you can easily cope with the task.

A simple cutting scheme

If on the question of how to butcher a ram, you hear from someone strict recommendations about the order of work and the number of parts, of course, you should listen to the advice. But it is impossible to consider any version as the only correct one. There are many ways, each of them is good in its own way. Your task is to understand the algorithm and act in a way that suits you.

In some countries of Central Asia, it is customary to divide the lamb carcass into exactly 22 pieces, making cuts at each joint. Of course, in those parts they know a lot about lamb, but from a practical point of view, this is more a tribute to traditions, and not rationalism.

Usually, it is optimal to cut the carcass into components, which are indicated in the diagram below.

Site preparation, necessary tool

Before slaughtering and butchering a ram, you need to make sure that everything you need is at hand. If you are also faced with the task of slaughtering an animal, you will need a very sharp knife, rope, a metal tube and basins. And for cutting, a heavy hatchet of a small size, a knife and a small hacksaw are useful. The last tool is more innovative than traditional, but it is very convenient to work with it. With the help, you can easily cut the ribs into even and neat portioned pieces.

Cutting is convenient to carry out on a spacious table. Take care of a sufficient number of cutting boards, dishes, rags. Set up a container of water in which you can rinse your hands.

First step: cutting into main parts

Let's not argue about how to properly butcher a ram's carcass, and first of all we will separate the back from the front. Start from the stomach, and when you get to the spine, sharply arch the carcass, as if trying to break the back. Most likely, you will not succeed, but the integrity of the spinal column will be violated, and this is exactly what we need. Now you can see between which vertebrae to insert a sharp knife to make an incision.

If you can’t do this manipulation with a knife, use a hatchet. Remember: you need to use it only in cases of emergency, at other times giving preference to a knife. When cutting a bone, the hatchet crumbles its edge, and crushed bones are not the most the best seasoning to meat. The knife works more delicately.

What part of the half carcass should I start working with? It doesn't matter at all, but most pros prefer to deal with the hind legs first.

Working with the back of the carcass

Before butchering a ram, you probably noticed that its meat is covered with dense white fat. Especially a lot of it in the fat tail. Separate it as carefully as possible, set aside separately.

Now we separate the legs. If you manage to carefully separate the leg at the joint, you won’t even have to make special efforts. Otherwise, you will have to tinker. Set the shanks aside.

Now take one hip aside, trying to determine through the muscle layer: where does the head of the femur enter the acetabulum? Loosen the joint, insert a knife into it, cut the joint of the bones. Now you can easily separate the thigh. Lamb ham - real delicacy which has a lot of meat. Separate both legs and set them aside. The spine with the pelvic bones remained. You can cut it immediately into 2-3 parts.

Shoulder separation and cutting of the front part

When wondering how to butcher a ram carcass, you probably already imagine what you will cook from it. Looking at the front part, anyone will even intuitively guess that it is necessary to separate the forelimbs from it, and cut off the ribs with meat from the spine. So we do: we separate both rudders. Separately chop the neck.

Fat

You can cut all the fat layers from the carcass if you do not like too fatty meat. A lot of ram and interior fat - they cover the internal organs. But you need to store and use these types of fat separately from each other. For example, interior can be easily melted, and fat tail can be salted like lard.

ribs

How to cut a lamb into beautiful portioned pieces? This is where a hacksaw comes in handy. On average, the length of the costal bone should be 10-12 cm, then it will be convenient for you to cook from this product different dishes Yes, and it will also be convenient to eat.

Cut the ribs into plates. It can be separated from the spine, or you can use it.

Portions

You already understand how to butcher a sheep properly. If you plan to use the whole carcass at once for cooking holiday dish, you will have to continue cutting. Remember: for pilaf, lagman or stew, you must cut the meat into pieces of equal volume. In these cases, the fillet is cut from the hams, and the bones are used to make the broth.

You did not purchase the carcass at all in order to devour it in a day? then the prospects open up before you wider. Pack the meat, depending on what exactly you plan to cook. The thighs can be left whole, because when baked they are considered one of the most famous delicacies not only in Asia, but throughout the world.

The use of various in cooking

You know how to butcher a ram, now you can easily cope with the task. But this is only half the battle, the most important thing is ahead. Many wonderful dishes are prepared from lamb, be sure to master a few recipes and you. Minced meat is used for samsa and other traditional pastries, meat is baked and fried. And the glory of lamb shish kebab thunders even far beyond the Caucasus Mountains. Even if you just fry the meat pieces in a pan, season with spices and garlic, and then let the meat stew, you will get an excellent result that will be a well-deserved reward after all the hard work.

The diagram shows which main parts are obtained when cutting the carcass of a young lamb. The connection between the main diagram and the rest of the drawings is carried out using numbers that number the parts of the carcass.

Tender meat from herbivorous lamb, between about 3 and 12 months of age, should be a clear, soft pink in color. Gradually, when the animal matures, the color of its meat darkens accordingly, and in an adult ram at the age of two years, the meat is crimson-red. Dirty shades of meat from both young and adult animals are a sign of poor quality. The bones of a young lamb have a light pink-blue hue and are slightly porous; the bones of an adult ram are hard and white. Fat, hard and dry to the touch, should be white. A milk lamb has tasted only milk in its life. Its flesh is light pink in color. Dairy lambs are usually sold whole, gutted or cut into quarters.

1 - Neck

An inexpensive piece with a rich flavor, the neck is sold whole, cut into pieces or chunks, also known as neck rings or neck circles. Neck dishes require a long cooking time to soften the meat. Therefore, it is most often extinguished.

2 - Neck and back piece

Its best to stew. This piece can be bought whole or cut into several small chops. The neck and cervico-dorsal piece are sometimes not separated and sold as a whole. In this case, it can be deboned to produce either two neck fillets or, if the fillet is left undivided, a double neck fillet. The neck fillet can be boiled or stewed; double neck fillet can be stuffed before cooking

3 - Loin (front)

This tender piece with ribs is sold whole or divided into cutlets. Cutlets can be pan-fried, grilled or baked. Loin can be used to make an elegant roast. For special occasions, the two halves of the loin can be folded so that the ends of the ribs cross over to form a dish called Guard of Honor. The same thing, but with closed ribs is called: roast "Crown"

4 - Loin (back)

This part is usually cut into chops for frying either on the grill or in a pan. By taking it whole, you can make a small roast out of it in the oven. The back of the loin consists of the fillet, the tender meat young lamb, and loops, also a tender, completely lean piece. Connected by the spine, this part can be chopped across; such pieces are called "double fillets" or "butterfly" chops. The entire piece forms a magnificent piece known as the "short" saddle. The “long” saddle is the uncut back of the loin and the kidney part.

5 - Renal part

Just like the loin, the kidney part can be divided into chops for grilling or pan frying. You can cook a roast from a whole piece, it can also be stewed.

6 - Back leg (ham)

The most popular part for roasting the carcass of a young lamb. The hind leg has a lot of tender, lean meat and few bones. Sometimes the leg is divided into loin and shank; the sirloin can be cut into several small pieces, often called ham chops and commonly used ham chops and used for pan frying or grilling. A "long" leg, or back quarter, is a piece consisting of the kidney part of the back and one's own leg.

7 - Brisket 8 - Shoulder

The shoulder blade is sold as a whole or divided into two pieces: the shoulder part and the knuckle. The meat of the shoulder blade is tougher than the meat of the hind leg, but still quite tender; it is suitable for grilling, baking, boiling and stewing. Part of it is separated from the bones.

Technological instruction

INTRODUCTION

Cutting, boning and trimming of lamb and other types of meat is carried out in accordance with: “Technological instructions for boning and trimming of meat”, “Technological instructions for the production of large-sized semi-finished products from beef, pork, mutton (goat meat)”, as well as other regulatory documents approved according to established order.

Meat on the bones is subjected to deboning in a chilled, thawed, steamed and cooled state in the form of carcasses, half carcasses.

The meat supplied for cutting, deboning and trimming must have a temperature in the thickness of the muscles at a depth of at least 6 cm from the surface:

• chilled and defrosted from 1 °С to 4 °С;
• steam room - not lower than 35 ° С;
• cooled - not higher than 12 ° C.

Carcasses, half carcasses, before deboning are subject to examination by a veterinarian and only with his permission they are used for processing.

Before being handed over for cutting and deboning, the meat is weighed by category, then the marks are cut off, with the exception of those applied with food pink paint. Half carcasses usually go to processing without tenderloin.

In case of receipt of half-carcasses with tenderloin, it is removed before cutting and sent for the production of semi-finished products or for sale.

1. CHARACTERISTICS OF RAW MEAT

In the share of raw meat used for the production sausage products, whole muscle and restructured meat products, semi-finished meat products, packaged meat are occupied by mutton and goat meat. Meat is a complex of tissues: muscle, fat, bone, connective, nervous, blood, as well as lymphatic and blood vessels. The main components of meat are water, proteins, fats and minerals. The presence of proteins and fats in meat causes its high nutritional value. The meat of different animals has a different composition.

Lamb meat brick red with different shades depending on the age and fatness of the animal. On the cut, the meat has a thin and dense granularity, marbling is not observed. The consistency of lamb is less dense in comparison with beef. Raw and boiled meat has a delicate, pleasant, somewhat specific smell. Adipose tissue is white, dense, non-crushing, with a peculiar smell.

2. CLASSIFICATION OF MEAT BY THERMAL STATE

2.1. Meat no later than 1.5 hours after slaughtering and cutting carcasses, which has a temperature of 36-38 ° C (beef), 35-36 ° C (pork) in the thickness of the muscles of the hip part (at a depth of at least 6 cm) is called doubles. In this state, it is recommended to use it for the production of stuffed and boiled sausages, wieners, sausages and meat loaves. The duration of time from the moment of slaughter of animals to the process of deboning should not exceed 1.5 hours. Beef of I, II categories and pork of P, III, IV fatness categories without skin with normal (NOR) and high (DFD) value are sent for deboning in a paired state. pH (beef: normal (NOR) pH = 6.3-6.5; (DFD) pH = 6.5 and above; pork: (NOR) - pH = 5.7-6.2; (DFD) - pH = 6.3 and above.

2.2. Meat subjected to cooling after cutting carcasses to a temperature not exceeding 12 ° C and having a drying crust on the surface is called cooled down.

2.3. Chilled meat is called meat that, after cutting the carcasses, is cooled to a temperature of 0 to 4 ° C and has elastic muscles and an unmoistened surface, covered with a drying crust.

2.4. frozen meat has a temperature at a depth of 1 cm from -3 to -5 C, and in the thickness of the thigh from 0 to 2 C. During storage, the temperature throughout the volume of the half carcass should be from -2 to -3 ° C.

2.5. Frozen meat has a temperature in the thickness of the muscles not higher than -8 ° C.

2.6. defrosted meat is considered, in which the temperature in the thickness of the muscles of the thigh and shoulder blades near the bones under artificially created conditions reaches a temperature of 1 ° C.

3. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR MEAT

meat characteristic- lamb and goat meat (lower limits)

GOST 1935-55 "Lamb and goat meat in carcasses"

3.1. LAMB of the first category:

The muscles are developed satisfactorily, the spinous processes of the vertebrae in the back and withers slightly protrude, subcutaneous fat covers the carcass with a thin layer on the back and slightly on the lower back, on the ribs, in the sacrum and pelvis, gaps are allowed.

3.2. LAMB second category:

The muscles are poorly developed, the bones protrude noticeably, on the surface of the carcass in some places there are slight fat deposits in the form of a thin layer, which may be absent.

• Meat - mutton or goat meat, which has fatness indicators below the specified requirements, is classified as lean.
• Meat - lamb and goat meat is released for sale in whole carcasses with tails (with the exception of fat-tailed sheep), separated legs (without tarsals and fetlocks), with the presence of kidneys and perirenal fat inside the carcasses.
• Lamb and goat carcasses without tails, kidneys and perirenal fat are allowed for release for sale.
• On carcasses released for sale, industrial processing or storage, the presence of remnants of internal organs, blood clots, fringes, contamination is not allowed.
• On frozen carcasses, in addition, the presence of ice and snow is not allowed.
• Carcasses should not have surface damage, bruising, bruising. It is allowed to have strips and breakdowns of subcutaneous fat in an area not exceeding 10% of the surface of the carcass.
• The fatness category of meat - mutton and goat meat with trimmings and breakdowns of subcutaneous fat exceeding 10% of the entire surface, is established in accordance with the fatness of the slaughtered animal.
• It is not allowed to be released for sale, but is used for industrial processing for food purposes: meat - mutton and lean goat meat; meat - lamb and goat meat, frozen more than once; meat - lamb and goat meat is fresh, has not changed color in the neck (darkened); meat - mutton and goat meat with trimmings and breakdowns of subcutaneous fat exceeding 10% of the surface of the carcass.

4. STORAGE OF MEAT IN CARCASES, CUT

During storage, meat is grouped by type (beef, pork, lamb, etc.), fatness categories, purpose (sales or industrial processing) and thermal state (chilled, frostbitten, frozen, thawed). During storage, the temperature and relative humidity of the air are recorded. The quality of the stored meat in the meat chambers is monitored by the veterinary service. Meat, which, according to the conclusion of the veterinary service, is not subject to further storage, is immediately sold or transferred for industrial processing.

4.1. Storage of chilled and frozen meat

Chilled meat with a temperature in the thickness of the thigh of 0 ... 4 C is stored in a suspended state in refrigerators. Half-carcasses and carcasses of meat are placed on overhead tracks of storage chambers with gaps of 20-30 mm. Beef in quarters and cuts and pork in half carcasses can be stored hanging in universal containers, which are installed in 2-3 tiers in height, depending on the height of the chamber.

Frozen meat is intended for industrial processing. It is stored in refrigerated chambers in a hanging state (on overhead tracks or universal containers) or in stacks-cages: lamb carcasses - in 7-8 rows with a total height of up to 1.7 m without the use of rack spacers. Cage stacks are stacked on flat wooden pallets lined with clean paper.

The duration of storage of frozen meat should not exceed 20 days, including: storage after freezing at a meat processing plant - up to 3 days, transportation in a wagon or car with machine cooling - no more than 7 days in summer and 10 days in winter.

Chilled and frozen meat is stored at an air velocity of not more than 0.2 m/s, temperature and relative air humidity indicated in Table 1-1.

Table 1-1. Storage parameters for chilled and frozen meat in carcasses, half carcasses, quarters and cuts:

Type of meat	Air parameters in storage rooms		Permissible storage periods (including transportation), days, no more
	Passport temperature	Relative humidity, %
Chilled (hanging) in half carcasses quarters	-1	85	16
Lamb, goat meat in carcasses	-1	85	12
Frozen all types (in stacks or hanging)	-2 to -3	90	20

Fluctuations in air temperature during storage should not exceed ± 1 C.

These dates are subject to change by the Veterinary Service depending on general condition meat.

4.2. Frozen meat storage

Meat frozen to a temperature in the thickness of the thigh -8 ° C is stored in refrigerator chambers packed in dense piles.

Frozen meat is stored in chambers at a temperature not exceeding -8 ° C, relative air humidity - 95-98% and natural air circulation (0.1-0.3 m / s). In some cases, on refrigerators that do not have technical means for creating a temperature of -18 ° C in the storage chamber, storage at a temperature not higher than -12 ° C is allowed.

Storage limits unpackaged frozen meat of various types depending on the air temperature in the chamber are shown in Table 1-2.

Do not put meat in one stack or container different types and fitness categories. When storing meat in stacks, the bottom row is placed on slats or grates.

Table 1-2. Storage parameters for frozen meat in carcasses, half carcasses and quarters:

The height of the stack depends on the height of the chamber, devices that ensure its strength and the means of mechanization of cargo operations used. Stacks are placed on floor gratings. A label of the appropriate form is attached to each stack on the side of the freight passage with the designation of the type and category of fatness of meat, the date of freezing or stacking in a stack. The loading rate of 1 m3 of the cargo volume of the chamber with unpackaged frozen meat is conditionally accepted as 0.35 tons.

For various types of meat, the loading density of 1 m3 of cargo volume is, tons:

• Lamb frozen in carcasses - 0.28.
• Frozen pork in half carcasses - 0.45.

An increase in air temperature in the storage chambers during their loading and unloading is allowed by no more than 4 °C, fluctuations in air temperature during storage should not exceed ± 2 °С. It is allowed during the period of stable frosts (air temperature is not higher than -12 C) to store frozen meat in uncooled rooms (warehouses).

5. PREPARATION OF MEAT FOR CUTTING

• Before being sent for cutting, meat carcasses (half-carcasses) are examined by veterinary and sanitary doctors in order to determine the presentation and further use.
• Chilled and thawed carcasses (half-carcasses, quarters) are cleaned from dirt, blood clots, and brands are also removed. If necessary, after dry stripping, carcasses (half-carcasses, quarters) are washed with water having a temperature of 30 to 50 ° C under pressure (1.47-105-1.96-105) Pa in a washing machine or from a hose with brushes.
• Frozen meat is thawed.
• Frozen meat sent for defrosting must meet the requirements of the current regulatory documentation.

5.1. Thawing meat in carcasses, half carcasses and quarters

• Meat defrosting is carried out in accordance with the "Technological instructions for thawing meat in carcasses, half carcasses and quarters", approved by the Committee of the Russian Federation for the food and processing industry on July 29, 1993.
• Meat in carcasses, half carcasses and quarters is thawed on overhead tracks in special chambers designed for thawing, and in some cases for subsequent short-term storage.
• Defrosting chambers are recommended to be placed outside the refrigerator circuit, in close proximity to the cutting, boning and trimming rooms.
• The mass of meat, the duration of the process and the temperature and humidity conditions of the defrosting chambers are recorded in a special journal.
• Before loading frozen meat in the defrosting chambers, the necessary temperature and humidity conditions are created.
• Carcasses, half-carcasses and quarters of frozen meat are weighed, sorted into categories of fatness and transported along overhead tracks to defrosting chambers. Carcasses, half carcasses and quarters of meat of approximately the same condition with gaps of 30-50 mm are placed on each hanging path of the defrosting chamber.
• Meat defrosting is carried out at an air temperature of 20 + 2 C, relative air humidity of at least 90%, air velocity at the thighs of a half carcass from 0.2 to 1.0 m/s.
• The defrosting of meat is considered complete when the temperature in the thickness of the muscles of the thigh and shoulder blade near the bones reaches 1 C.
• The duration of defrosting at an air velocity of 0.2 to 0.5 m/s is for: half carcasses of beef weighing up to 110 kg - no more than 30 hours; pork half-carcasses weighing up to 45 kg - no more than 24 hours; lamb carcasses weighing up to 30 kg - no more than 15 hours.
• The duration of meat defrosting at an air velocity of more than 0.5 to 1.0 m/s is for: half carcasses of beef weighing up to 110 kg - no more than 24 hours; pork half-carcasses weighing up to 45 kg - no more than 18 hours; lamb carcasses weighing up to 30 kg - no more than 10 hours.
• When loading from 10 to 30% of the capacity of the defrosting chamber with half carcasses or carcasses with a larger mass indicated above, the duration of defrosting is increased by 10%, provided that the defrosting chamber is fully loaded.
• After the end of defrosting, the meat is washed with tap water with a temperature: for half carcasses and quarters of beef and lamb carcasses - not higher than 25 PS; for pork half-carcasses - not higher than 35 C, subjected to a 10-minute exposure to drain water, cleaned contaminated areas, weighed and transported for cutting, deboning and trimming.
• Thawed meat may be kept before cutting on the overhead tracks of accumulation chambers at a temperature of 4 ± 1 ° C and a relative humidity of at least 85% for no more than 8 hours.
• Subject to the specified parameters and terms of defrosting and subsequent exposure, the mass of meat does not decrease.

6. CUTTING LAMB CARCASES

Before deboning, the carcass is cut into three parts: scapular, thoracic and posterior (Fig. 1):

Rice. one Scheme for cutting lamb carcasses:
1 - scapular part; 2 - thoracocostal part; 3 - back.

First operation. When cutting, the shoulder part is separated along the shoulder cut.

Second operation. To separate the back part, the pubic fusion is cut with a billhook - the symphysis of the pubic and ischial bones.

Third operation. The right and left hind legs are cut off at the junction of the ilium with the sacrum and along the line passing between the last lumbar vertebrae and the sacral part at the level of the iliac wing.

6.1. Lamb deboning

The previously dissected parts of the lamb carcass are sent to the deboning:

• scapular,
• middle,
• hind legs.

6.2. Blade deboning

The techniques for deboning the left and right lamb shoulder parts are similar. When deboning the shoulder blades, the scapular cartilage is removed along with the scapular bone. The humerus and radius can not be separated.

The scapular bone is placed on the table with the inner side up, with the scapular bone away from you. The muscle tissue is separated from the right and left sides of the humerus by moving the knife away from you. The muscle tissue from the right side of the radius and ulna and the ulnar tubercle is separated by moving the knife first towards itself and then away from itself. After that, the blade is rotated 180° with the blade bone towards the deboner.

The muscle tissue from the large head of the humerus, the head and the right edge of the scapula is separated by moving the knife towards itself. With the left hand, the subscapularis muscle is cut from the cartilage. The shoulder joint is cut and the coracoid process of the scapula is cleaned. Then the scapula is turned with its inner side to the table, the head of the scapula is pressed with a knife and, taking the articulation of the humerus and forearm with the left hand, the muscle tissue is jerkily separated from the outer surface of the scapula.

After removing the scapular bone, turn the scapula with the forearm away from you and moving the knife away from you and towards yourself separate the muscle tissue from the outer side of the radius and the olecranon. Then the muscle tissue is finally cut off from the humerus.

Rice. 2. Separation of muscle tissue from the surface of the humerus

Then the meat is cut off from the left side of the humerus and shoulder bones (Fig. 3):

Rice. 3. Separation of muscle tissue on the left side of the humerus and scapular bones

Holding the radius bone with the left hand, by moving the knife away from oneself, it is separated from the right side of the humerus (Fig. 4):

Rice. 4. Separation of muscle tissue on the right side of the humerus

After that, the muscle tissue is cut off from the right side of the radius (Fig. 5) and the left side of the ulna (Fig. 6). In this case, the knife is directed from the articulation of the radius and humerus towards itself:

Rice. 5. Separation of muscle tissue on the right side of the radius

Rice. 6. Separation of muscle tissue on the left side of the ulna

Having cut the meat from the protrusion of the ulna towards itself with the movement of the knife, the tendons of the elbow joint are cut with the movement of the knife from left to right and the ulna and radius are separated from the humerus (Fig. 7). The ulna and radius are cleaned completely, with the exception of the interosseous space (where minor traces of muscle tissue are allowed):

Rice. 7. Separation of the ulna and radius from the humerus

Turning the scapula 180 ° with the scapula towards itself, they clean the head of the scapula, make a cut in the separated muscle tissue, insert the fingers of the left hand into it, and with the simultaneous effort of the left hand and the movement of the knife along the surface of the bone, they tear off the meat from the inner scapula (Fig. eight). Holding the head of the scapular bone with the right hand, the meat is torn off with the left hand and the scapular cartilage is broken (Fig. 9). In some cases, the cartilage is not cut, but muscle tissue is cut from it:

Rice. eight. Separation of muscle tissue from the shoulder blade - cleaning from the inner surface

Rice. 9. Separation of muscle tissue from the scapular bone - cartilage fracture

Then the tendons of the shoulder joint are cut off, the scapula is brought to the edge of the table and, holding the scapula with the thigh of the left leg, the head of the scapula and the coracoid process are cleaned from the outside.

In this technique, the left hand holds the shoulder blade by the humerus. With the left hand, the scapular bone is separated from the muscle tissue with a jerk towards itself (Fig. 10), while resting with the right hand on the head of the humerus:

Rice. 10. Section of the scapula

The outer and inner surfaces of the scapular bone are cleaned from the film. Minor traces of muscle tissue are allowed on the head of the scapula. With a circular motion of the knife, they clean the upper head of the humerus from the meat (Fig. 11). The upper head and body of the humerus are cleaned completely. Minor traces of muscle tissue are allowed on the lower head.

Rice. eleven. Separation of muscle tissue from the inside of the humerus

6.2.1. Deboning of the middle part (cut)

The dorsal-costal part is laid on the table with the right side, with the neck part to the left. Starting from the last lumbar vertebra, on the right and left sides of the middle part, the muscle tissue is separated from the ends of the transverse processes, the last rib and the surface of the costal cartilages. Then, on the left and right sides of the dorsal-costal part, the brisket is cut off and cleaned from the outside. By moving the knife towards and away from you, they clean the lumbar part from the inside. After that, the box is placed on the left side of the table and the movement of the knife away from you cuts the muscle tissue at the articulation of the ribs with the dorsal vertebrae.

The muscle tissue from the transverse processes of the right side of the lumbar vertebrae is separated by the movement of the knife from itself. With a zigzag movement of the knife away from you, muscle tissue is cut from the lumbar vertebrae. By moving the knife from right to left, the lumbar and dorsal muscles are removed from the spinous processes of the lumbar and dorsal vertebrae on the right side of the spinal costal part.

After separation of the large dorsal muscle, the dorsal-costal part is turned with the spinous processes to the boner with the neck part to the left and, starting from the last rib to the 1st, the muscle tissue is separated from the ribs of the right side as follows (Fig. 12). With the left hand, the muscle tissue of the last rib is pulled back and, by moving the knife from top to bottom, the muscle tissue is separated from the left and right sides of the rib at the same time. The knife should slide on the flat surface of the ribs:

Rice. 12. Separation of muscle tissue from the ribs

After removing the meat from the ribs, cut off the muscle tissue from the cervical vertebrae (Fig. 13). To do this, turn the dorsal-costal part with the neck part from the deboner at an angle of 450. With a zigzag movement of the knife away from you and towards you, the muscle tissue is removed from the right side of the cervical vertebrae. Boning is performed from the last cervical vertebra to the atlas:

Rice. thirteen. Separation of muscle tissue from the cervical vertebrae

The dorsal-costal part is turned 180 ° with the neck part towards itself and with a zigzag movement of the knife away from itself and towards itself, the muscle tissue is separated from the lower part of the cervical vertebrae. Turn it over to the right side with the neck towards you and with a zigzag movement of the knife away from you and separate the muscle tissue from the cervical vertebrae towards yourself.

Starting from the last rib, in the direction of the cervical vertebrae, with the movement of the knife, the muscle tissue is cut towards itself at the junction of the ribs with the dorsal vertebrae. Muscle tissue from the transverse processes of the left side of the lumbar vertebrae is cut off by moving the knife away from you.

With a zigzag movement of the knife away from you in the direction from the last rib to the sacral part, and then with short movements of the knife from right to left, starting from the last lumbar vertebra, the lumbar and dorsal muscles are separated from the spinous processes of the lumbar and dorsal vertebrae of the left side of the spinal costal part. Then it is turned at an angle of 45 with spinous processes from the deboner and, starting from the last rib to the 1st, the muscle tissue is separated from the ribs of the left side of the box in the following sequence: the muscle tissue of the last rib is pulled with the left hand and the muscle tissue is cut from top to bottom by moving the knife fabric on the right and left side at the same time. The knife should slide on the flat surface of the ribs (Fig. 14):

Rice. 18. Department of muscle tissue on the right side of the femur

At meat processing enterprises of small capacity, the method of carcass deboning of mutton, combined with trimming, has become widespread, i.e., each deboner divides the carcass into a shoulder part, hind legs and middle part, and also debons all parts, with simultaneous trimming.

Features of this method are as follows:

• When deboning the scapular part, the scapular cartilage is not cut, but removed along with the scapular part, the brisket is separated from the carcass along with the costal cartilages, which are cleaned from the meat.
• When stripping the spinous processes of the spines and separating the lumbar and dorsal muscles, the occipital-spinous ligament is simultaneously cut out of the meat.
• first, second and third.

  7.1. Meat trimming for sausage production

  Lamb trimming techniques are similar to beef trimming techniques. When trimming deboned lamb, tendons, cartilage, bruises and thick films are cut out. When trimming mutton I and II categories of fatness, respectively, 1.5 and 2.0% of connective tissue and cartilage are isolated from the mass of meat without bones. Food waste (tendons, cartilage, films) obtained during meat trimming is used to make jelly and liver sausages. Adipose tissue is used in the production of boiled, semi-smoked, boiled-smoked and raw smoked sausages, as well as meat loaves. Non-food waste (brands, stripping, bruising) is used for the production of feed and technical products.