Roasted Bone Marrow Recipe

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Roasted bone marrow is ultra decadent, rich and just so incredibly delicious. And you can make it right at home instead of spending a fortune in a restaurant!

I discovered roasted bone marrow years and years ago watching a cooking show (what show I cannot remember). I made it once and just fell in love with how easy (and cheap) it is right at home.

Because it typically cost upwards of $20 for the bone marrow appetizer at many restaurants. I mean, that's a lot of money to pay for a bone marrow appetizer!

I paid $5 for a package of 4 bones - enough to feed 4 people. Way cheaper. And the recipe is ultra easy.

Plus, bone marrow, while it does contain a lot of fat, it's mostly unsaturated fat and filled with vitamins and minerals.

Don't forget to check out the bone marrow web story.

Ingredients

Beef marrow bones can be found at a lot of grocery stores, or you can get them at your local butcher. You can also find marrow bones on Crowd Cow.

If you have the option, have the butcher cut from the center of the leg as it has the most marrow. And obviously, the higher the quality of bone, the better it will taste (that's why I linked to Crowd Cow above - their bones are pasture raised and organic).

I prefer to use a large flake style salt for serving the bone marrow, like this Maldon salt. Maldon salt has an amazing flavor, and the thick flakes make for a perfect boost of flavor for the bone marrow.

Just regular coarse sea salt can be used in the water.

What are Marrow Bones?

Bone marrow is the soft, fatty tissue located on the inside of many bones. It has tons of nutrients and collagen, which are all wonderful health benefits.

The marrow bones typically used by restaurants (and in this recipe) comes from the femur bone of the cow.

Step By Step Instructions

Place the bones in a large container and add 1 teaspoon of coarse sea salt for every cup of water. Water should be covering the bones.

Refrigerate for 12-24 hours, changing the salt water every 4-6 hours.

Drain them and pat them dry.

Preheat your oven to 450F degrees. 

Place raw marrow bones on a baking sheet lined with foil (for easy clean up). You can use as many or few bones as you would like.  Sprinkle each bone with a pinch of sea salt.

Roast bones for about 20-25 minutes. The marrow should be soft all the way through, with a little marrow leaking out in the bottom of the pan.

Insert a skewer or small knife in the middle - it should go through very easily, like warm butter.

Let sit for about 5 minutes or until cool enough to touch.

Scoop out with a small knife and spread on toasted bread. Sprinkle with a little coarse sea salt and serve. **use sea salt to taste - I typically use just a pinch with my fingers.

What Goes With Bone Marrow?

A nice light salad like this strawberry spinach salad is the perfect balance against the richness of the bone marrow.

You can use it in sauces to pair with beef, like this mushroom sauce or cooked with this slow cooker beef pot roast for extra richness.

A lot of Vietnamese soups use beef marrow in the broth. Use a little bit in the Instant Pot beef pho (just a little - may be one bone's worth) or this chicken pho to enrich the broth.

You can also serve it as an appetizer to a homemade steak dinner (make it fancy like the restaurants). These sous vide scallops or sous vide flank steak would be awesome restaurant quality main dishes!

Expert Tips

1. This recipe can be easily doubled, tripled, or made to accommodate any number of people. Just use a larger pan and roast using the same instructions.
2. Soaking the marrow bones helps to remove blood and impurities from the bones. You can technically skip this part, but I think it makes the bones better.
3. The marrow should be hot and ultra tender in the center - a knife should go right through it like warm butter.

Can You Freeze Bone Marrow?

Marrow bones freeze well, and I typically even buy them frozen from the butcher shop.

You can also freeze bone marrow out of the bone after it is cooked. Just store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Thaw in the fridge overnight and warm.

Did you make this bone marrow recipe? Leave a comment and let me know how it turned out!

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