Abstract: A method is disclosed for mechanically deboning animal thighs for separating and collecting meat therefrom and an apparatus (1) for performing the method, including automated individual processing steps. The processing steps include: grasping a thigh bone of an animal thigh at a hip knuckle with a bone holder (17); cutting tissue near the hip knuckle; and engaging the thigh bone adjacent the bone holder with a meat stripper (165). The processing steps further include: moving the bone holder (17) and meat stripper (165) away from one another in a direction substantially coextensive with the longitudinal extent of the thigh bone; allowing the meat stripper (165) to pass over the knee knuckle; and collecting the meat separated from the bone. In particular the method includes and the apparatus (1) performs the process step of cutting tissue adjacent a knee knuckle of the thigh bone, prior to allowing the meat stripper (165) to pass over the knee knuckle.