Ham on the bone” redirects here. For the Gwar song, see America Must Be Destroyed. Meat on the bone, also bone in filet roast bone-in meat is meat that is sold with some or all of the bones included in the cut or portion, i.
Examples of meat on the bone include T-bone steaks, chops, spare ribs, chicken leg portions and whole chicken. Meat on the bone is used in many traditional recipes. The principal effect of cooking meat on the bone is that it alters the flavour and texture. Albumen and collagen in the bones release gelatin when boiled which adds substance to stews, stocks, soups and sauces. Others are primarily eaten by cutting off the meat, such as steaks, but possibly picking up and gnawing the bone when otherwise finished.
Smaller fish are often eaten whole, with the bones. Examples include whitebait of all sorts, anchovies, and smelt. Meat on the bone typically cooks slower than boneless meat when roasted in a joint. Individual bone-in portions such as chops also take longer to cook than their filleted equivalents. Meat on the bone is quicker and easier to butcher as there is no filleting involved. As a result, meat on the bone can be better value for money. The presence of bones may make meat products more bulky, irregular in shape, and difficult to pack.
Bones may make preparation and carving difficult. However, bones can sometimes be used as handles to make the meat easier to eat. 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. As a result, import of meat on the bone remains more restricted than that of filleted meat in many countries.