French trim

To French trim means to cut and scrape the meat, fat and skin off the end of a bone, so a clean length of bone sticks out of the meat. It is done most often on a rack of lamb, a pork or veal rack, rib chops, and some chicken pieces. The bare bone looks neat on the plate and gives you a handle to hold.

How to do it

For a rack of lamb:

1. Lay the rack fat side up, bones pointing away from you.
2. Decide where the clean bone should start. A common point is about 5 cm (2 inches) from the end of the bones.
3. Cut across the fat down to the bones along that line.
4. Turn the rack over and cut between each pair of bones from the line to the end, then cut away the meat and fat between them.
5. With the back of a paring knife, scrape each bone clean on all sides, pushing toward the end.
6. Wipe the bones with a paper towel to lift off the thin membrane.
7. Trim the fat cap on the eye of the meat to about 3 mm (1/8 inch).

Why it works

The thin meat at the end of rib bones dries out and burns before the thick eye of the meat is cooked. Taking it off means only the part that cooks evenly is left. The clean bones also make it easy to cut the roast into chops at the table.

Common mistakes

• Cutting into the eye of the meat when you remove the fat between the bones.
• Leaving shreds of meat and membrane on the bones. They burn black in the oven.
• Wrapping the bare bones in foil only when they are already dark. If you want them pale, wrap them before you roast.
• Throwing away the trimmings. Brown them for a quick sauce.

In recipes

"Frenched rack of lamb" or "French-trimmed chops" have clean rib bones. A chicken breast with the first wing bone left on and frenched is often called an airline breast or a chicken supreme. Butchers will French trim a rack for you if you ask.