Abstract: A method and apparatus for filleting meat from bone containing meat material wherein at least one of the knuckles of the piece of bone which passes through the meat material, is removed before the meat is stripped from the bone. Alternatively, the meat piece is cut approximately in half, resulting in two meat pieces, each including a straight or central bone section surrounded by meat with only one knuckle. Thereafter, the knuckle of the meat piece is placed into a slot of a holder and clamped by means of a piston. The apparatus includes a knife assembly on a frame movably mounted relative to the clamp, with the frame carrying first and second pairs of coacting knife members configured and positioned for defining a meat stripping opening. The meat piece is clamped with the straight or central section of bone aligned for placement within the meat stripping opening with the knife members of the knife assembly initially in proximity to the knuckle.