When making a pocket in meat for stuffing, like a chicken breast, or pork chop, it is important to make the opening small, but the pocket wide enough to accommodate all the filling.
First lay the meat flat on the counter. Lay your hand on top and use a thin boning knife and make a small incision in the about midway in the side of the meat.
Then, keeping the knife parallel to the counter, draw the knife through the meat in a circular motion to open up the pocket. If you feel pressure on your hand, it means that the knife runs the risk of poking through the chop of meat.
Fill the chop and then seal shut with a tooth pick if needed.
Use this same technique for large cuts like a breast of veal and sew them shut with butchers twine.
To make a tunnel in a filet of beef or long roast, poke a hole with a boning knife from one end, turn the meat around and then cut from the other end. Then use a chopstick or a wooden spoon to open up the cavity.

Instructor: Robert Bleifer