[eli5] why is hot meat easier to pull off the bone than cold meat
In: 0
Muscles (meat) are held to bones with protein based tissue, specifically tendons. When proteins are heated, they break down and don’t do the same job as well; with tendons, they weaken enough that they no longer hold the muscles to the bones and it is easy to separate them.
Additionally, while the meat is cooking the fat that is in/next to the muscles is melted and spreads out touching both the meat and the bones. If the meat is then cooled and refrigerated, the fat solidifies. Fat, just like the wax in a candle, will stick to anything that it is touching while it cools. For meat, this means it holds the meat together and holds onto any bones that is in the meat as long as the fat is solid.
Latest Answers