Characteristics of Boning Knife A boning knife must be extremely sharp. Because a dull knife will rip through the meat rather than slice it, you will waste meat and your food presentation will suffer. For quicker and safer meat piercing, boning knives have long, thin, flexible blades with sharp tips. To extract raw flesh from the bone, the blade is made to cut through ligaments and connective tissue. Boning knives must be exceptionally sharp, and a harder blade will hold its edge for a longer period of time. For cutting tougher meats like pork or beef, use a strong boning knife. When force is required for boning, stiff boning knives won't bend.