Does The Bone Change The Flavor Of A Roast?

DOES THE BONE CHANGE THE FLAVOR OF A ROAST

BEEF BONE IN ROASTS

            Prime Rib Roast Bone In

            Chuck Roast Bone In

PORK ROASTs BONE IN

            Rib Portion Pork Roast Bone In

            Loin Portion Pork Roast Bone In

            Center Cut Pork Loin Bone In

            Fresh Pork Shoulder Bone In

            Pork Butt Bone In

            Fresh Ham Bone In

            Prime Rib and Bone In Chuck Roasts are the two most common beef roasts with a bone that you should be able to find today.  It is possible to cut other roast with a bone but it adds no advantage to the finished product.  Both of these roast are also available boneless.  Is one way better than the other?  That’s a question for the ages and a question of personal preference.  I’m sure that you can find an argument both pro and con for cooking a roast with a bone and whether the flavor is improved by cooking with the bone still in.  Personally I believe the flavor has more to do with the way the roast must be cut in order to leave the bone in.. What do I mean by that?  Well a butcher making a chuck roast boneless not only removes any bone but will also have a tendency to remove excess fat from the roast.  This process will affect the flavor of the roast more than removing the bone will.  Most boneless chuck roast are also made from only the under blade part of the chuck.  The top blade has been removed, this part includes the blade meat, which has great flavor and is the second most tender pieces of meat.  Having said this I’m sure that an argument can be made for “picking on the bone” after the rest of the roast is gone.  Prime Rib is a similar type of roast that is leaner in its’ boneless form.  I do believe that the meat between the bones when left on the roast and cooked offers a great flavor because of the grain and marbleing that is present in the meat.  Chewing on a rib bone seems to fulfill a primitive need that seems to be in most of us.

            When eating a pork roast from the center or rib portion loin, I always prefer a bone in roast.  The added flavor that comes from the meat between the bones (which when it is boned out it is removed with the bone and is refered to as baby back pork ribs) contains a great amount of flavor.  They not only have flavor on their own, but the protect the lean loin from drying out when cooking.  The fresh ham and the fresh shoulder do not gain from this type of advantage when cooking as the bone is internal and the internal part of the meat is very lean.  The same idea applies to Pork Butt with an internal bone but the meat of a pork butt has so much flavor already that the bone offers nothing additional.