Just realized I've been deboning chicken thighs all wrong for 15 years

I was at a demo last month at the local meat lab in Portland (free workshop, highly recommend). The guy running it watched me for about 30 seconds and goes 'you're fighting the oyster, not following it.' Turns out I was digging into the meat instead of sliding the knife along the bone curve. All those years of hacking away and I could have saved 5 bucks a week in wasted meat. Has anyone else had a moment where a simple tip from a stranger completely changed your cuts?

2 comments

2 Comments

fisher.charlie11d ago

What exactly was the 'fighting the oyster' guy doing different?

hannah_wright11d ago

Different approach actually. I watched a few butchery videos on YouTube and decided the whole "follow the bone" thing is overrated for home cooks. The oyster thing makes sense in a pro kitchen where you're doing 50 thighs in an hour, but for a few at home I actually get cleaner meat by just cutting the bone out with kitchen shears. Way less waste than trying to be fancy with a knife, and I don't have to worry about scraping my knuckles. Plus shears let me get right up against the bone without mutilating the meat. Tried the knife method for a month after reading that and went back to my old way. To each their own though.