Gristle, anyone?

[BudgieBalls]

Just curious to know - do you eat the gristle when you eat a chicken leg, for example.

Im sat here next to DP who seems to think it's the done thing and everybody does it (I know for a fact his mum does it), I on the other hand think it's disgusting and is not supposed to be eaten.

This is not reserved for chicken gristle - he even eats the ends on spare ribs. Makes me feel sick listening to him crunching away on it 😷

Aibu to think this is not normal and he should stop this revolting habit?

No, I don't like them. In my village skin, bones and internals were left for animals and birds to munch on. I too believe that the meat part is for humans and rest for animals. We should leave something for them too.

I do but then again I'll eat prawn tails

I eat prawn trails too but gristle is gross. Ugh!

Yuck. Mil can frequently be seen removing every last ‘edible’ piece from seafood or meat.....with accompanying noises. I admire her approach but the idea of eating the gristle, chewing on the shells etc makes me heave.

I don't understand how gristle can be unhealthy. Hmm?
My OH eats everything and any type of meat as he say if it's been bread and killed it's only right it get eaten.
I'm more particular and am happy for him to eat the manky bits. The kids take after him. Who am I to force my views on my kids. They enjoy a stew with marrow or broiler chicken to suck the bones.

I gag at gristle, fat, anything like that - I think it’s a sensory thing. Bones too!

No I'm pretty picky about meat. Hate hard bits and most bits of fat - the only exception on fat is if it's mellowing a bit of crispy pork or duck skin and is not at all chewy. I like semi-fatty lamb or beef going in stews or curries as it provides flavour and generally renders entirely over the long cooking period. My best friend's dad always ate the knuckles of chickens; hearing the crunch gave me goosepimples.

Although like others, I do eat prawn tails - but they crunch in a crisp way.

I'm sad this thread isn't about King Gristle and how he rules

If you mean the cartilidge (the white stuff at the end of the chicken leg) then yes I eat it....as long as its cooked properly. My DW won't - and saves hers for me.
But no to gristle - the fatty chewy bits in meat.

No. But love the fat/skin on meat.

Interesting thread.

My own take is that if you eat meat you should eat all of the animal...

I can't really understand why you should be squirming about eating gristle, intestines, offal etc but happy to eat muscle.

I can understand if there's a texture issue, but that's easy to solve usually based on how you cook it.

Roast marrowbone on toast is a favourite in this house

In the interests of full disclosure I'll admit that tripe has me defeated however I cook it.

To be honest, I have always hated the very word GRISTLE ,so no,don't like,or eat any. I was born in the war years though,and remember well,that lots of people ate fat and gristle and skin off any meat that they might get hold of. !!

@kennelmaid by that score no one should be vegetarian because I can't stand most veggies.

This is why I stopped eating sausages years ago, that lump of gristle between your teeth...

Me too. Haven't eaten a sausage since I was about 6. I have tried intermittently but I always get that lump of gristle. Is every sausage stuffed full of the stuff? It's fucking disgusting ffs.

Yes it's one of those words that matches it's subject/object.

I like most skin & some fat, but never gristle - that's the cat's treat

I can't stand any fatty, gristly, hard bits on meat. Years ago we were visiting Russia as students. One evening at the canteen the only item on the menu was chicken thighs. My friend and I picked at them, ate the meat and left the "yucky" bits, while the Russians around us ate every last bit leaving only the bones.
The old lady clearing away our plates shook her head at us sadly.

This thread is really helping with my diet, my stomach is heaving and I dont feel like eating a thing! Especially at the chicken skin sandwiches - blurgh. I honestly didn’t know anyone purposefully ate gristle.

When my mum used to make roast leg of lamb there was always a fight about who got to stick a straw down the hole in the bone to suck out all the marrow.

No I don’t I can’t eat any fat on meat it just makes me feel sick. If I get a bit I wasn’t expecting I have trouble finishing my meal.

What the heck! (what the waters) To posters who find it hard to finish a meal once they've found gristle etc, I wrap it up in a tissue and throw in the bin, then forget about it.

How weird, eating gristle? I don't mind it, that is it doesn't make me feel sick, but I wouldn't eat it.

Fat and skin, ok in moderation.

I wouldn't eat gristle, I admit I didn't think anyone did! I don't eat a lot of meat anyway. Love prawns but wouldn't eat the tails - yuck.

I love cartilage and the chewy bits (tendons?). Also love pork fat and pork rinds/skin, chicken skin. Slow cooked oxtail bones have lovely gelatinous bits to nibble on the ends.

It used to be much more common to eat the whole animal. Dripping on toast anyone? Beef tea?

Oh gristle yuk! I rarely eat meat but hate the fatty bits when I do. Usually only eat meat if I've prepared it myself. Remember huge grobbly squeaky lumps in sausages - retch. Not a fan!

I don't eat the gristle but the skin is my favourite part. I can't even wait to sit back down to eat it, I just peel it off and scoff while carving.