Just curious. Had one of my new senior clerks ask me why I cracked the bone on the saw on lamb loin before I knife cut. The reason is clear to me. I get an even cut lamb loin chop with minimal sawdust. I even had a meat manager who only cut loins by knife. How do you quys cut your saddle loin chops?
Forgot to mention, our fresh NZ loin chops went on sale for $7.99 lb. today, so I'm cutting maybe 10 to 12 loins a day. My motto over the last 45 years has been, if you cut pretty lamb it will sell.
Saddles I split into two loins by the saw and knife them like I do bone in pork chops and bone in ribeyes. Then I cut it on the saw. Looks clean and even. I agree about the sawdust. I find the less sawdust on the product, the longer the shelf life because of it turning dark too quickly. I also do grass fed bone in beef steaks and veal, buffalo etc. this way because they turn quick and are more expensive.
I like to split the double loin on the saw and then take each half and cut a very shallow nick (on the saw) between every vertebrae. Then I finish by knifing it. One advantage of this, is you display less bone. It looks a lot better when cut exactly between each vertebrae. One disadvantage is you have only the one choice on how thick to cut them.
Some coworkers chop the loins with a cleaver. No pre nicking on the saw. Just split the double loin and then chop it. I'm not good at that, so I do it the way described above.
A 3rd method in the same style, is to just cut right through it with a large steak knife. No pre nicking, no cleaver. With a whole bunch of force, just cut through the meat and bone (between vertebrae's). I tried it and can't do it. But I've had a few coworkers who can. I cut veal chops this way, but that's baby baby veal. About a week old. Soft bones.
I was taught to knife lamb loins just like you'd do beef or pork (knife first, then saw it). But I don't like that way as much as nick and knife.
I also do some moonlighting on my days off at Safeway. Most Safeway cutters just buzz them. However, I still nick and knife at Safeway. Unless told not to, I'll continue doing it that way.
The problem with nick and knife at Safeway is they don't break their own lamb. Their loins come in not cut "correctly". Meaning each end may be broken in the middle (or some other fraction) of the vertebrae rather than between them. The end pieces will be of various thickness rather than matching all the others.
The blade on the saw can get very hot and burn the meat, causing it to turn darker quicker. You want to avoid that on the more expensive cuts, except shortloin of course.
Knife cutting lamb makes a huge difference in case presentation. I cut it exactly the way burgermeister does (Crack it on the saw then knife thought it). I thought I was the only cutter in America to cut it that way! Most cutters knife it til they hit bone then finish it on the saw. It comes out straighter for me the way I do it though.
Knife cutting lamb makes a huge difference in case presentation. I cut it exactly the way burgermeister does (Crack it on the saw then knife thought it). I thought I was the only cutter in America to cut it that way! Most cutters knife it til they hit bone then finish it on the saw. It comes out straighter for me the way I do it though.
