gristles

Tough meat parts

Gristles is the plural of gristle—tough, cartilaginous tissue found in meat.

While gristle as a mass noun covers the substance generally, gristles refers to distinct pieces: She picked the gristles out of her stew.

The word emphasizes individual bits of the unpleasant chewy matter rather than gristle as a category.

anatomy

cartilage

Flexible connective body tissue

fibrous · elastin · joints · meniscus · labrum · fascia · periosteum · matrix · synovial · capsule

butchery

cartilage

Flexible connective body tissue

fat · meat · steak · chop · brisket · shank · ribeye · sirloin · flank · cleaver

texture

chewy

Resisting easy biting

fibrous · gelatinous · sinewy · crunchy · gnarly · unappetizing · inedible · off-putting · unsavory · unpleasant

Opposites
meat texture and tenderness

gristlestender meat

Easily chewed protein

tenderloin · filet mignon · prime cuts · lean meat · soft tissue

edibility and palatability

gristleschoice cuts

Superior portions of meat

delicacies · succulent meat · melt-in-your-mouth

tissue composition

gristlesmuscle

Contractile body tissue

flesh · soft tissue · meat · fat

Family

gristle, gristly, gristliest, gristlier

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Negative · Everyday, not technical · Rated G