BONES
Q: Here’s one for you: bone-in or bone-out?
I’ve always wondered about this one myself, so I ran a
series of tests. Many chefs say that cooking meat on the
bone is always a better idea because the bone contributes
lots of flavor. I’m skeptical. First of all, most of the flavor in
a bone is deep inside, in the marrow. If you ever make a
stock out of just bones, you’ll find that it’s almost tasteless
unless the bones are cracked first. And as far as flavor
penetration goes, there’s very little movement of molecules
across a piece of meat. Even marinating overnight will only
get you a couple millimeters of penetration (more on that in
a moment). What chance does any flavor from the bone