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Meat on the bone orbone-in meat[1] ismeat that is sold with some or all of thebones included in the cut or portion, i.e. meat that has not beenfilleted. The phrase "on the bone" can also be applied to specific types of meat, most commonlyham on the bone,[2] and tofish.[3] Meat or fish on the bone may becooked and served with the bones still included or the bones may be removed at some stage in thepreparation.[4]
Examples of meat on the bone includeT-bone steaks,chops,spare ribs,chicken leg portions and whole chicken. Examples of fish on the bone include unfilletedplaice and some cuts ofsalmon.
Meat on the bone is used in many traditional recipes.[5]
The principal effect of cooking meat on the bone is that it alters the flavour and texture.Albumen andcollagen in the bones releasegelatin when boiled which adds substance to stews, stocks, soups and sauces.[6] The bone also conducts heat within the meat so that it cooks more evenly and prevents meat from drying out and shrinking during cooking.[4][7]
Meat on the bone typically cooks slower than boneless meat whenroasted in a joint. Individual bone-in portions such as chops also take longer to cook than their filleted equivalents.[6][8]
Meat on the bone is quicker and easier to butcher as there is no filleting involved. Filleting is a skilled process that adds to labour and wastage costs as meat remaining on the bones after filleting is of low value (although it can berecovered). As a result, meat on the bone can be better value for money.[7] However, relative value can be hard to judge as the bone part of the product is undesirable in many cultures, for larger bones are inedible. Various portions may contain a greater or lesser proportion of bone.
The presence of bones may make meat products more bulky, irregular in shape, and difficult to pack. Bones may make preparation and carving difficult.[9] However, bones can sometimes be used as handles to make the meat easier to eat.[6]
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a contagious disease affectingcloven-hoofed animals. Because FMD rarely infects humans but spreads rapidly among animals, it is a much greater threat to the agriculture industry than to human health.
FMD can be contracted by contact with infected meat, with meat on the bone representing a higher risk than filleted meat.[10] As a result, import of meat on the bone remains more restricted than that of filleted meat in many countries.[11]
Meat and fish served on the bone can present a risk of accident or injury. Small, sharpfish bones are the most likely to cause injury although sharp fragments of meat bone can also cause problems. Typical injuries include bones being swallowed and becoming trapped in the throat,[12] and bones being trapped under the tongue.[13]
Discarded bones can also present a risk of injury topets or wild animals as some types of cooked meat bone break into sharp fragments when chewed.[14]
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as "mad cow disease", is a fatal brain disease affecting cattle. It is believed by most scientists that the disease may be transmitted to human beings who eat thebrain orspinal cord of infected carcasses.[15] In humans, it is known asVariant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (vCJD or nvCJD), and is also fatal.
The largest outbreak of BSE was in theUnited Kingdom, with several other countries affected to a lesser extent. The outbreak started in 1984, and continued into the 1990s, leading to increasing concern among governments and beef consumers as the risk to humans became known, but could not be quantified. Many countries banned or restricted the import of beef products from countries affected by BSE.
Animal brain and spinal cord had already been removed from the human and animal food chain when, in 1997,prion infection was also detected in thedorsal root ganglia within thespinal column of infected animals. As a result, beef on the bone was banned from sale in the UK as a precaution.[16][17] This led to criticism that the government was overreacting.[18] TheEuropean Union also considered banning beef and lamb on the bone.[19] The UK ban lasted from December 1997 to December 1999, when it was lifted and the risk from beef on the bone declared negligible.[20]
The phrase "meat on the bones" is usedmetaphorically to mean substance. For example, "I expect that we'll start putting some meat on the bones of regulatory reform"[21] indicates an intention to add detail and substance to plans forregulatory reform and implies that these plans were previously only set out in broad or vague terms.
The phrase to "flesh out" relies of the sameimagery in which a basic idea is likened to askeleton or bones and the specific details of the idea to meat or flesh on that skeleton.
Boneless meat ismeat that is notbone-in, i.e. does not have the bone attached. In general boneless cuts, while being considered by some people not as flavorful, will typically cook faster and do not require eating around or carving around the bone.[22]
Boneless chicken is sometimes considered healthier than bone-in from a dietary fat content perspective. A downside is that theskin typically included in bone-in meat may help prevent the chicken from drying during cooking, causing the food to retain more moisture andflavor.[23]
Boneless chicken breasts are considered by some to be versatile and easy to handle compared to bone-in breasts.[24] Boneless chicken breasts may be lower in fat and a better source of protein.[25][26] Typically, boneless chicken wings are not made from actual wings but from chicken breasts. Real wings have skin, bone, andcartilage, which may make separating it from the bone harder than simply cooking the meaty breast.[27] Producers sometimes prefer this method of making "boneless wings" aswholesale chicken breast can be cheaper.[28]
TheOhio Supreme Court ruled that boneless chicken wings can legally contain bones. The court found the term "boneless wings" refers to a style of cooking, and patrons may expect to find bones anyway. The court explained, "A diner reading ‘boneless wings’ on a menu would no more believe that the restaurant was warranting the absence of bones in the items than believe that the items were made from chicken wings, just as a person eating ‘chicken fingers’ would know that he had not been served fingers."[29]
Bonelesspork chops are sometimes used as a sandwich filling due to being easier to prepare,[30][31] but can become dry and tough if not cooked properly, according to theWall Street Journal, which recommends not cooking to above an internal temperature of 145 °F (63 °C).[31] Using cuts that are at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick can also help prevent drying out.[30] Typically a boneless pork chop is a deboned rib or loin chop.[30]
Bonelesslambchops have similar considerations with relation to ease of preparation and flavor.[32]
