Method of deboning animal thighs for separating and collecting meat therefrom and apparatus for performing the method

Abstract

A method and apparatus are disclosed for mechanically deboning animal thighs for separating and collecting the meat therefrom. The method includes the steps of grasping a thigh bone of an animal thigh at a hip knuckle with a bone holder, cutting tissue adjacent a knee knuckle, cutting tissue near the hip knuckle, and engaging the thigh bone adjacent the bone holder with a meat stripper. The method also includes moving the bone holder and meat stripper away from one another in a direction substantially coextensive with the longitudinal extent of the thigh bone, allowing the meat stripper to pass over the knee knuckle, and collecting the meat separated from the bone. The apparatus includes a plurality of processing stations for carrying out the individual steps, with the processing stations being arranged along a path of conveyance defined by a conveyor chain moving through a predefined path.