Bone-in vs boneless for stew meat, I keep going back and forth on this

So last month I got a whole chuck roll from a local farm in Lancaster and decided to break it down for stew. I did half bone-in and half boneless just to see. The bone-in batches came out way richer, almost like the marrow did something, but the yield was a pain and I lost time trimming. Then my buddy who runs a shop down the road says he never sells bone-in for stew because customers think they're getting cheated on weight. But the old school guys swear by it. I've been at this for like 5 years and I still can't decide which way to recommend. Anyone else flip flop on this? How do you handle it when someone asks for stew meat, do you just give them whatever's leftover or do you actually cut to order?

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seanperry12d ago

Honestly I used to be all boneless for stew, figured it was just wasted weight and hassle. But then I tried a batch with the bones in, like you did, and the broth came out so much deeper I felt stupid for skipping it all those years. These days I split the difference, I keep the bone-in for folks who actually ask about flavor and give boneless to the ones who just want a easy weeknight meal.