Butchering: Ideal place to separate the feet?

[KittyHawk]

We are running into issues where sharp bone ends on the legs are puncturing our freezer packaging. We are currently using a cleaver to chop the legs off. Is there another tool or another method that would make for a cleaner cut, cleaner finished product?

Thanks!

 

[GypsyG]

I stick an icepick in the joint and twist to break the cartilage loose and then use a sharp knife to cut at the joint.

 

[Beekissed]

Could you debone prior to freezing? If not, you could slit the meat on the inside of the leg bone, break that bone half way up, then allow the meat to provide cushion.

 

[TaylorBug]

I only butcher about half a dozen at a time and my neighbor helps me out since he’s more adept at butchering than me. He taught me to sever the tendons in the joint and then bend the foot backwards to break the bone. Sometimes it takes a bit of work to get the foot completely severed from the leg but we've never had problems with puncturing the packaging

 

[Pastor Dave]

Unless you're wanting a "handle" to hold while eating, you're not even getting that much meat in the area in question. You could remove that lower leg bone at the thigh and not lose much meat. BUT, all the other suggestions I have read on here are good too. Deboning takes more time and effort, but nothing left to puncture the packaging.

 

[Pastor Dave]

The other thing I forgot to add is, if you have two hind legs with sharp tips, I will pair them and stab the sharp bones from one into the meaty thigh of the other and for best descriptive purposes it creates a "69" shape