The Roasted Bone Marrow / Bone Broth Experiment
This was my first time ever having Roasted Bone Marrow. Frankly, I had ZERO idea what to expect.
All I knew is I had to try it, because well, it’s allegedly the highest, bestest, supremest brain food that is available out there, it’s super nutrient dense, does absolutely awesome things for your body and yadi yadi ya. Plus, well, I had some in the freezer from my previous beef order. Now it was either me who was gonna get it, or the dogs.
I figured I owed it to myself to at least give it a try…
While doing a little bit of research on the subject, I happened to learn that, apparently, this would be Anthony Bourdain’s dish selection for his last and ultimate meal.
Uhm, I thought to myself. Surely, if a man deems this dish worthy of having as his final meal, then it has to be some kind of undervalued treasure, an exquisite delicacy of some sort. Or at the very least, a more than acceptable fare…
All that information was more than enough to convince me that I NEEDED not only to try bone marrow, but I needed to LIKE IT.
And so began the great Roasted Bone Marrow experiment…
It is said that one should try and select bones that are fairly large with big thick tubes of marrow. And they shouldn’t be too tall either, because then it would make it really hard to get all of that precious marrow out.
Of course, one could always get their butcher to slice them in half for them. Or one could also get the long, narrow bones that usually come pre-sliced.
Sprinkle the bones generously on both sides with salt and pepper and set them on a baking sheet. Some fat will leak out during cooking, so make sure that your baking sheet has a little bit of a rim to it ‘cuz you wouldn’t want to lose a drop of that precious fat!
That, or, you wouldn’t want it to end up at the bottom of your oven, now would you?
The bones need to roast at a fairly high temperature, for about 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness.
You want to take them out of the oven when they get nicely crispy and golden and the marrow becomes soft and starts to bubble a little bit. Be careful not to overdo the cooking, or your marrow will end up completely melted down. The marrow, when done roasting, should be enjoyably warm but not exactly hot.
Looks like it’s ready… let’s dig in! THIS, is what Roasted Bone Marrow looks like.
It has a soft, slightly gelatinous, fatty, creamy texture… uhmmmm, my fork seems happy, but my mouth is really not sure.
I can’t say that I was really looking forward to tasting it, but hey, after I’d gotten this far, I wasn’t about to back out.
So I took the fork to my mouth. Hmpft. It has a soft, slightly gelatinous, fatty, creamy texture… and a taste that I really couldn’t describe. Seriously. I cannot find a single word.
All I know is, I’m not a fan… yet!
Still, I tried another bite but that was the end of this experiment for me. Oh, I’m not saying that I’m totally giving up on the idea of eating / liking bone marrow. I’m saying that it’s probably an acquired taste. One that I WILL acquire. Only not today.
For the time being, we will be putting these bones to good use and still benefit from all of the marrow‘s super powers by turning it into a luscious broth.
Oh, but by all means, if YOU have acquired the taste already and enjoy eating Roasted Bone Marrow, do yourself a favor and go to town before you go through with the following steps!
Dump all of your Roasted Bones into a large saucepan or stockpot. Don’t forget all the precious fat that’s at the bottom of your baking sheet!
That’s liquid gold for ya… and flavor galore right there!
Throw in the rest of the ingredients, namely salt, pepper, pickling spice, a carrot that you’ve broken into 2 or 3 pieces, a celery rib which has been given the same treatment, an onion, skin and all, cut into quarters, a few cloves of garlic and a handful of [not so fresh anymore as you can see] parsley
Oh, and 8 cups of water, too!
After 60 to 90 minutes of simmering time, you will want to strain your stock through a fine mesh sieve, then let it sit for a few minutes, just to make sure that you get every last drop of stock out of this.
Notice how all the marrow has disappeared, leaving nothing but a gaping hole in the center of that bone? That’s a good thing. It means that it’s now IN your broth.
Now for the taste test…
It smells fantastic, I can already tell you that much. But let’s pour ourselves a nice cup of that delightful warm broth.
Now THAT, I like! It has a bold yet very mild and even delicate flavor to it, if that’s even possible… and in the mouth, it really feels super smooth and silky. This will be a very good way for me to make friends with the flavor of Roasted Bone Marrow.
Then we’ll start working on texture. And in the event that texture and I never see eye to eye, at least I know I have this alternative that I can resort to.
Served with a few pieces of Home Made Beef Jerky, this broth makes for a delightful, tasty and satisfying mid-afternoon snack.
But of course, you can very well use that broth in your favorite soups and various recipes. On that idea, I am completely sold. From now on, I can guarantee that I will choose Bone Broth over Chicken Stock any day. Without so much as a moment’s hesitation!
Although someday, hopefully, that Marrow will be long gone before the bones make it to the stockpot.
Roasted Bone Marrow / Broth
Ingredients
For the Roasted Bone Marrow
- 1 lb grassfed beef marrow bones
- Salt & pepper to taste
For the Bone Broth
- 8 cups water
- 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 1 tsp pickling spice
- 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
- 1 large carrot, broken into 2-3 pieces
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 onion, cut into large chunks
- 1 celery rib, broken into 2-3 pieces
- a handful fresh parsley
Instructions
To make the Roasted Bone Marrow
- Preheat the oven to 425°F
- Place the marrow bones on a baking sheet and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper (on both sides, please!)
- Roast bones in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, until they turn golden and marrow becomes soft and just barely starts to melt. You want to take them out of the oven when they get nicely crispy and golden and the marrow becomes soft and starts to bubble a little bit. Be careful not to overdo the cooking, or your marrow will end up completely melted down. The marrow, when done, should be enjoyably warm but not exactly hot.
- Remove to a plate and serve with a side of fresh leafy greens, or continue with broth making
To make the broth
- Add the roasted bones along with all the rest of the ingredients to a large saucepan or stockpot.
- Bring to a roaring oil then lower heat, partly cover and simmer for 1 to 1½ hours, until the flavor of the broth is to your liking.
- Strain through a fine mesh sieve and serve, or use in your favorite soups/recipes.
Nutrition
If you’ve tried this recipe, please take a minute to rate the recipe and let me know how things went for you in the comments below. It’s always such a pleasure to hear from you!
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You can also make bone broth SUPER easily in a slow cooker. Here’s how!
Still not sure about bone broth? Read this in-depth guide to all the benefits
76 Comments on “The Roasted Bone Marrow / Bone Broth Experiment”
This is super interesting Sonia.
After reading this post, I’ll definitely pass on the bone marrow but I’ll have a bowl of that amazing broth. Looks so good!
Ah, but you need to at least taste the marrow before you throw it in the stock. You can train your brain to like anything, you know. At least, that’s what I think… And what’s the marrow done to you to deserve you turning your back on it like that, without even giving it a chance? Don’t take my word for it, you might like it so much you’ll want to roll yourself in it! 😉
But I’ve tried bone marrow before with risotto Milanese. Basically it’s saffron risotto with a roasted bone marrow on top, and I didn’t enjoy, at all.
If that’s OK with you, I’ll stick to broth! 🙂
Ah, well, if you’ve already tried it, then it’s an entirely different story! Yeah, I think it’s ok with me. Permission to stick to broth granted! 😉
I’m 82 and I loved bone marrow when I was a little girl. I always asked for and got the piece of fried sliced ham that had a round bone in it and I sucked the marrow out. I was delicious!!
Sonia — I LOVED eating the DELICIOUS bone marrow out the the soup bones my mother prepared. I remember asking, “What’s that?” and having her say, “It’s the marrow. It’s delicious and it’s good for you. Eat it” It didn’t look very good, but of course it was! Fast forward to my adult life, and I’ve done of lot of great cooking, but unfortunately, I haven’t used bones the way she did.
But I’m going to now!! Thanks for a post that is at once helpful and a blast from the past!
Aw, thank you for sharing your blast from the past, Andrea, that’s just so sweet! Glad I’ve inspired you to cook bone marrow just like your mother used to. I’m sure that it’ll be a real feast! 🙂
The restaurant Ox in Portland has a clam chowder to die for. On the menu it is listed as:
Fresh Clam Chowder, Smoked Marrow Bone, Scallion, Jalapeño
A 5-6 inch bone cut lengthwise garnishes the bowl. We were a little skeptical at first but after one taste, all of us at the table were scraping out that marrow… we were practically like a pack of dogs fighting over a bone! It was perfect with the soup and the soup was incredible. AND everything else that came to the table was amazing as well. Now I think I will make some soup and use your recipe to get started. Thanks!
Smoked Bone Marrow… now I really LOVE the sound of that. I really need to give it a try, as soon as I get to use my outdoor grill again!
That soup sure sounds delicious too. I think I too will use it as inspiration. Thanks for that, Andy! 🙂
Great recipe I cannot wait to try it. Don’t forget to add 1 – 2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to the broth while simmering. This help to draw more nutrients from the bones.
Really? I did not know that. And for sure, it must add the most interesting flavor, too! I will make sure to do that next time! Thanks for the tip, Joann! 🙂
….And for the biggest draw from the bones simmer overnight on LOW in crockpot for at least 24-48 hrs. If you want all the calcium, magnesium, trace minerals and good gut healing collagen…just make sure it’s not factory farmed bones you are leaching dry! The apple cider vinegar really helps pull nutrients from the cartilage etc. You don’t taste the vinegar in soups/final product/stock….and skim!
I have a recipe for slow cooker bone broth here: https://thehealthyfoodie.com/slow-cooker-beef-bone-broth/
Looks so delicious. I must try this one. Family would also love to taste this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Sonia, I used this post to make my own bone broth. I make my own stock, beef and chicken, as the first step in my two day soup recipes. Roasting the bones first was a new step for me, not a lengthy or difficult step; I found the flavor much different from the non-roasted-meat-only version I’ve been using. I really like the bone broth better! And! Bones are very inexpensive! Interestingly, one of the recipes I looked at said that the bones would become soft and “fall apart”. That did not happen in my stock pot. It looks like the bones you used remained intact as well. I just wasn’t ready to have it simmer for days to achieve that state. I’ll stick to your method! Thanks for this post, it has added a level of flavor I will enjoy in my already pretty darned good soups.
Well, theoretically, from what I read, bone broth is supposed to simmer for 24 to 48 hours in order to get all the nutritional benefits from the marrow. I suppose that after all that time, the bones are probably a lot softer. Guess I’ll have to try it someday, but if I do that, I’ll have to do it in the slow cooker or oven. No way I’m leaving an open flame unsupervised while I sleep or am away.
I will, however, always roast the bones prior to making the broth. It does add a lot of flavor, doesn’t it? 🙂
Well I cooked mine for 48 hrs per Wellness Mama and my bones did not become soft and fall apart either. Plus the bone broth was horrible and almost black. It was only simmered on low and even so had an almost burned flavor. What a waste of good bones.
I LOVE bone marrow and I actually am making broth right now! If the texture bothers you, try it on some toast points. Also, grab some light greens like arugula, parsley, etc and lightly dress them with lemon juice…put that on your toast point along with the marrow (spread it like you’re spreading butter on toast). This is how I got one of my friends to love bone marrow on the first try. Yummmm!!
The problem with this Danielle is I don’t eat bread… But I will definitely have to give marrow another try, sometime!
Ahhh. Sorry, I didn’t know. This is my first visit to your blog. 🙂 Well you will definitely need to try it again!
Thank you for the recipe. My 15 yr old daughter would have eaten all the marrow if I’d let her, but I wanted to try the stock recipe also. Guess we will be getting more marrow bones… 🙂
HAHA! More marrow bones is never a bad thing!!! I really wish I did like it. Maybe I oughta give it another try soon. 🙂
Ok…i remember as a child my grandmother sucking the marrow from the chicken bones. At the time I’m thinking gross! Who would want to eat that???
Forty or so years later here i am suffering from arthritis. I found an article saying how wonderful bone marrow is for the body. I made a small pot but was afraid to eat the fat that rose to the top. I skimmed it off. Did i ruine the benefits of the stock?
Is eating the fat healthy?
Waiting for your reply and thank you for the answers in advance.
Cindi 🙂
According to what I read, Cindi, to reap the full benefits of bone broth you must one, use bones from well sourced animals (i.e. grassfed, pastured), let your broth simmer for at least 24 hours (longer is even better) and add a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to it, which helps in extracting all the precious nutrients from the bones and marrow. When refrigerated, a successful bone broth should become “gelified” and a nice coat of fat should form at the top. Of course, you shouldn’t remove that. If your bones come from well sourced animals, that layer of fat is super healthy indeed.
Now if you don’t do ALL of the above, you don’t necessarily ruin the benefits of the stock. You just don’t get the FULL benefits, that’s all. In the end, I guess you’re better off getting some of the benefits than none at all! 🙂
Thank you Sonia. 🙂
Wow! It was quite simple to make. Ill ask the butcher next time (whether grass fed or what ever) and make another batch. This time I’ll use fat and all!
Thanks for your quick reply Sonia!
Cindi 🙂
Thanks for this wonderful recipe. I love bone marrow soup and roasted bone marrow. The key to eating bone marrow is you have to eat it with rice or potatoes, it’s super tasty that way and you don’t feel that gelatinous thing lol.
Oooooh, I bet it must be fantastic with mashed potatoes, or cauliflower! 🙂 I’ll be sure to try that!
Sonia,
I am going to try this and see how it goes. It’s nice to know that if the marrow itself doesn’t rock my world that I have an alternative use for the project. There is a butcher shop near us and they make a compound butter with marrow and we use it to top off the tops of our steaks – you know like some places do with butter or bleu cheese and butter. It’s delish that way – but when isn’t butter on anything not delish! LOL
Ooooh, I love the idea of a roasted marrow compound butter. Something that I need to keep in the back of my mind… Thanks for the inspiration!
After trying an approach from another blog and failing miserably, I will be cooking it for a MUCH shorter time. Thanks Sonia for being my go to resource. I was so looking forward to my first taste but I was overwhelmingly disappointed.
I’ll be starting my next batch today!
I use pressure cookers to make batches of chicken stock. I always add one or two cartons of chicken livers which really enhances the flavor and nutrition. Would three to five hours in a pressure cooker compare to 24-48 hours of cooking at a simmer for the beef bones?
I wouldn’t know, Kathryn… I’d have to research that. My favorite method for making bone broth now would be the slow cooker. It’s so easy. You basically just dump everything in there, start the cooker on low and let it go for 24 to 48 hours. Easy as pie, and sooooo delicious. Plus, it makes the house smell so good!
Hi Sonia:
I could do with your bone marrow today!
I’m feeling lousy. Somewhere between cold and flu.
My grandma would make bone marrow and then spread it on toast.
Just wonderful! May I have your leftovers?
Have a Joyful Day :~D
Charlie
I would gladly let you have my leftovers, Charlie! Get some rest, and get better! 🙂
Love your writing style! Now why didn’t I think of that? just made a pot of super yummy bone broth and then discovered the bones had a ton of marrow in them – not to be wasted, but I get you about the texture. Extracted the marrow and put it back into the broth, threw out the empty bones. Now I was left with broth, veggies, marrow and fat. II Vita-Mixed the whole thing and came out with a smooth, luscious and creamy textured soup. So good! Next time I plan to get grass fed bones and roast the marrow first like you did.
Roasting the bones first adds so much flavor to the broth! Love your idea of Vitamixing everything… I might give that a shot next time I make some broth. It just HAS to be super delicious!
My paternal southern grandma used to suck the marrow out of the bones right at the table. Any bones, not just marrow bones lol. Im sure she was raised that way (one of 10 kids) and natively, the culture was getting the most nutrition it could from the precious little amount of food it got. She usually just made big pots of beans, and also pots of collards, cooked with hamhocks and they ate that till it was gone (she had 10 kids too). But she could fry a chicken HOOWHEE and she’d chew the gristle off the ends of those bones too. She made head cheese (my maternal grandpa loved scrapple which is offal too & from what I can figure close to head cheese), chitlins, tripe, you name it. Head to tail was how we all lived till the early 1900s or in the “backwards” places, till the 1970s. Such a shame that science trumped common sense. Such a shame the greed and corruption in the food industry (incl the FDA) that financed the junk science that robbed Americans of food eaten for millennia–real food.
I am still trying to get myself used to marrow. I buy cured ham steaks, bone-in. I make myself eat the marrow. I actually enjoy it now. Someday I will treat myself to beef marrow bones and of course make serious bone broth with them!
And I have to say, a cup of bone broth with turmeric, pepper (to increase absorption of the turmeric) and dulse flakes in it…AHHHHHH.
I would rather have it than chocolate cake and I, uh, LIKE chocolate cake!
Completely satisfying.
(and a nice way to get my daily dulse!)
When I was a little kid, my mom would pound round steak, flour it and fry it with the round steak bone with marrow. She always gave me the bone/marrow, which I totally loved !!!! Still love bone marrow to this day….so do our dogs ! LOL !
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I was looking to make beef bone broth, and came across your blog. I’m trying your recipe, but instead of quick roasting the marrow, I cooked it at 350 for an hour (based on a few other recipes I found). When I tasted it wasn’t that gelatinous. I wonder if cooking it lower and longer helps with the texture?
Interesting. It must’ve melted a great deal, though… Still, I might have to give that a try! Thanks for the tip, Diane.
Just read your blog on bone marrow prep. My mom is sick with stages of leukemia and is always needing blood transfusions and just heard her platelets are low. I am going to try her on bone marrow which is suppose to be good for platelet function and good for blood clotting.
Recently I made bone marrow and cooked it about 20 minutes; the top was bubbling and fat was melting out of the bottom, but inside it was still somewhat red. Even when I put it back in for 5 more minutes at 350 degrees it was still pink inside. Is this safe to eat? A different kind of bone marrow? Usually it becomes gray/yellow. I’ve never seen the pink bone marrow before; somewhat scared to try it.
Hi Sonia, I’ve been eating bone marrow since i was a kid. But I must say your recipe looks delicious to me. But I’m wondering have you never had oxtails soup? Same concept but the taste is so much better. You can add tons of vegetables too, no need to strain it, and you get to eat the meat alone with the marrow.
Sheila: When the marrow is pink, it’s not cooked enough. It’s just blood, but still you want to make sure it’s cooked all the way through. 10 minutes is too short of a time if the bones are thick and if there’s lots of marrow. The other solution is to flip the bones so that they cook on both sides.
Ok, I love eating bone marrow. I devised to make the bone broth last night. I’d have to say it’s ok. Just tastes strange to me. I do have to force myself to drink it.
1. I had it in the fridge, made last night, how long does it stay good for, or can i freeze in now or is it too late to freeze.
2. What recipes can I add bone broth to?
The broth can definitely be frozen and will keep for months in the freezer. I like to freeze mine in individual 1 cup servings, so I can easily use it or add it to dishes when needed. In the refrigerator, it will keep for a few days, 4 to 5 at most.
Bone broth can be used in any recipe that calls for broth, basically… soups, stews, sauces and the likes, or you could use it to cook rice, potatoes or other vegetables, to give them that much more flavor.
One question. When the broth is done, you do throw out the veggie, right? No nutrients left in them?
Yes, you throw everything out indeed. It’s done its thing!
I remember as a kid my mom would give us a piece of bread and butter and she would spread bone marrow on it. YUM! I need to get some bones!
“Grill Marks”, a restaurant in Greenville, SC serves marrow bones with a high quality hamburger. You scoop out the marrow and garnish your burger with it! Tastes like the best steak you ever ate!
Sounds yummy! Bit too far for me to actually go and try it out, unfortunately, but I’ll definitely keep it in mind for if I’m ever in the area!
Your recipe looks delicious Sonia! I found that Au Bon Broth is a great alternative when I’m too busy to make my own broth. Their organic broth is heavenly!
My Southern German family has always used the marrow from beef bones to make dumplings – it’s a traditional component of Swabian wedding soups. Push out the raw marrow before roasting the bones, then render it carefully in a skillet – you’ll have some solid residue left which can be re-used in other dishes or just thrown out. Make a dough from soaked and squeezed white bread, one egg, breadcrumbs as necessary, and the melted marrow, and season with salt, pepper, parsley and nutmeg. Form very small round dumplings that can be used immediately or frozen for use in a good quality bouillon (just put the frozen dumplings in the warm soup, just long enough to heat them). Extremely yummy and nourishing.
Hi Sonia , just came across this while searching net . I just made my first batch of grass fed bone soup . Found out I have the beginnings of osteoporosis of the hip and found this to help build bone density among many other things … now what I need to ask is this glory stuff came out almost whole from the marrow bones . It looks like pure fat to me . Is this the stuff that is so important and if so how do I attempt to eat this glob lol? I forgot where I read what to do with it . Yours is roasted first so I hope you know something out this … I await Anxiously your answer. Many thanks in advance. Brenda from Tampa ,Fl
People like to eat it like that or spread it on a piece of toasted, crusty bread… I personally don’t care much for it, but it’s an acquired taste, I guess!
So I have the marrow after the broth is done, do I just break it up and put it back in the broth?
If you don’t care for eating it, yes!
thanks!
Just made my first batch of the slow cooker bone broth.
Nice layer of fat on top of my mason jars.
How long will this last open in the refrigerator?
Can I freeze a jar of the broth?
Thank you
It will last for several days in the fridge… I usually keep mine about 4 to 5 days. You could freeze it, although I wouldn’t suggest freezing it in a glass jar. Personally, I like to use zippable bags to freeze.
I made this yesterday and it is VERY good. Other bone broth recipes call for roasting the bones and then slow cooking them for 24 plus hours. The time commitment was a deal killer on those recipes…. and I’m retired! Your recipe was much more flavorful anyway. In using marrow bones, does this impact cholesterol levels in a negative way? I am thinking not because there is no fat on the bones, but I wasn’t sure. Your recipe was so good that I will make it again, especially since it wasn’t so difficult. Thank you.
Can I use the fat left over from roasting the beef bones? What can it be used for? Thanks!
……..a variation on your theme. Tie the marrow into the bone with a piece of thread ( both ways X )Apply the ground pepper and salt before lowering the bones into the saucepan and applying water.
On serving the broth place a side plate with a marrow bone and some lightly buttered thin brown bread next to each guest and suggest they try the marrow on the bread ( or thinly sliced toast)
It goes down very well ……but unfortunately there’s only enough for one serve!!
Thanks for this post! I’m always making bone broth and I do indeed use the fat and the marrow, but this time I scooped out the marrow after the roasting to try it in a recipe, but didn’t have time to make it. I’ve had it in the fridge for two days and plan to use it tomorrow, though I know the texture will probably not be the same. Looking forward to reading more of your posts later.
I read that you don’t eat bread–is that because you’re following a paleo diet? I have discovered some very good bread type recipes made with things like plantains, cassava flour, tigernut flour, etc. Hope you have found something like that since then.
Haha! Thanks for that Valerie. In fact, since then, I’ve started eating bread again… it’s meat I don’t eat anymore! But thanks for the tip!
The reason you didn’t like the marrow is because that slippery snot-like texture all by itself, is not appetizing even to someone like me who loves marrow! Marrow must be spread like butter, on toast. For the full yummy effect. Give it another try sister.
I have gone vegan since posting this, so I’m afraid I will have to pass on trying it again… but yeah, I can totally understand what you mean, Ruth!
Since I’m a bone marrow Aficionado, I really love this recipe and I use a lot of bone broth in my cooking. It has a nice silky taste. I did cook it longer because I have more bones. Thanks
No, this is broth not stick. Bone stock is cooked for at least 8 hours and I cook mine for 16. I have a beautiful gelatinous stock that will do all those good things for your body. The best way to get all of that valuable collagen is time, or a pressure cooker.
In Making the Broth, #2, you said to bring to roaring oil, How does that taste? I’ve never cooked it before.
I’m pretty sure that was a typo, and the author meant ‘rolling boil’.
I tried making bone broth for the first time a few weeks ago from a different recipe. It said to roast the bones for an hour so I did .Fat filled my cooking sheet and gave off a horrible burning oil smell! Now I read in your directions that this was the marrow completely melted! And I threw it away not knowing better. Can’t wait to do it correctly this time – thank you!
Easy and delicious
You should brine the marrow for 24 hours before roasting, that pulls some of the impurities out and let’s the salt soak into the fat. I also have something along with it to cut the fat a bit. I like it on crostini with onion jam. The acid and crunch make a big difference.
You have to eat it with bread ,and sprinkle with salt and pepper or paprika
Marry me?