Is bone hotter than meat?
Michael King
Updated on March 17, 2026
If your meat thermometer touches bone, you will get a higher temperature reading. But if you measure the meat near the bone, it may read as much as 10 degrees lower than the rest of the cut. It's always best to find the densest part of the meat and steer clear of the bone when reading temperature.
Does bone heat up faster than meat?
The main effect of cooking with the bone-in on your steak is insulation. Bones take longer to heat up and longer to cool down than beef. As a result, meat right next to the bone can come off the grill 5°to 10° cooler than the rest of your steak.Does bone conduct heat?
But it also means that the bone does serve at least one important function: it insulates the meat, slowing its cooking, and providing less surface area to lose moisture. Bone on its own is actually a superior conductor of heat than meat.Does meat by bone cook faster or slower?
1 Go boneless to cook faster.Bones take much longer to heat up than the rest of the meat and will actually insulate the meat around it. This means that you'll be cooking longer with a bone-in cut of meat. Without a bone, the meat cooks much faster. This is the case with chicken, pork belly, beef, or even fish fillets.