Roasted Marrow Bones
If you’re an unabashed carnivore like me, you just haven’t lived until you’ve had roasted marrow bones.
Roasted marrow bones are a simple, delicious treat that’s surprisingly easy to make at home. Just roast the bones, then scoop the marrow out, spread it on toast, and top it with a little parsley salad. Voila: Instant carnivorous bliss.
Roasted marrow Bones: Love ‘em or hate ‘em?
“Ew, Mouse. Scoop out the marrow? As in, the stuff INSIDE the bones? Gross.”
Yep, yep. I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. But if it’s yours, man oh man: The whole thing is a sumptuous, decadent, and unarguably meaty experience. I absolutely love the stuff.
Roasted marrow bones got a good mention on the recent Meat-Fest episode of Food Network’s The Best Thing I Ever Ate—which is what prompted me to beat a hasty path to the nearest meat counter.
Even if you don’t like the show, this episode is worth watching if you can catch it. They featured some absurdly mouthwatering stuff. (I’m talking whole roasted beasts, etc.)
Here’s my obligatory disclaimer, because I know someone is going to give me grief: Like many delicious things, this ain’t the healthiest thing in the world. So just don’t indulge every night, OK?
About marrow bones
Roasted marrow bones aren’t widely consumed in the States (though who knows, maybe that’s changing), but they’re considered a delicacy overseas. Mostly fat with a little bit of protein, the bones are most commonly roasted or poached.
I’ve had my eye on this book for a while. (Anyone have it? What do you think?)
If you’re committed to eating marrow like a pro, you could even get yourself a couple of marrow spoons—long, thin spoons that look like something a cheesemaker would use to take a core sample out of wheel of cheddar as it ages. (If you’d rather forgo the pomp and circumstance, a slender spoon or thin knife will totally do the job, as well.)
Marrow spoon
I know a lot of folks who have never done this, so here’s how to make Fergus Henderson’s roasted marrow bones.
Who is Fergus Henderson?
Henderson is the chef owner at St. John restaurant in London. Anthony Bourdain counts him as his favorite food person (and bone marrow among his favorite comfort foods, go figure).
Wonder why? Have a look at Henderson roast some bones with Mark Bittman.
Henderson is also the author of The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating, a book which hinges on the philosophy of eating the whole animal—trotters, tripe, and all.
(Can you see why I loved him instantly? For further evidence, have a peek at his other book, Beyond Nose to Tail.)
Shopping for marrow bones
For this recipe, use beef marrow bones, or veal marrow bones if you can get your paws on them. A lot of major grocers will carry them. If you can’t find them, hit up a Whole Foods or butcher shop and talk to the folks behind the meat counter.
Here are the four I got.
Some bones may be dotted with a little blood. (Hey, they’re bones.) That’s just fine. If it bothers you, you can push the marrow out, and soak it overnight in cold water, changing the water a few times. Henderson didn’t mention doing this, so I didn’t bother.
What kind of bread is best for marrow on toast?
Use a good, crusty loaf of French bread.
Slice it on the thin side and toast it lightly.
The short version of this recipe
Roast. Spread. Inhale.
Read on for slightly more detailed instructions—with photos.
Roasted Marrow Bones
Adapted from Fergus Henderson’s recipe
4 center-cut beef or veal marrow bones, about 3 inches long (mine were about 5 inches long, so I roasted them a little longer)
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1 shallots, thinly sliced
1 tsp. capers
1 Tbls. olive oil
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
kosher salt, to taste
Thick slices of crusty bread, toasted
Serves about 4
Roast about 20 minutes
Roast the marrow bones
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Grab your marrow bones.
Stand them up on end in a baking dish. They’re going to ooze a little from the bottom as they cook, so choose a dish that has a little depth to it. I used a glass 8 x 8 pan.
Most bones will have one end that’s a little wider. Put that end on the bottom, so they’re less likely to tip over when you move your pan.
When your oven’s up to temp, pop the pan in.
Roast at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes, until the marrow is soft and the bones are brown.
Make the parsley salad
Chop up your parsley.
Peel your shallot and slice it thinly.
Toss the chopped parsley, shallot, and capers into a bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle with kosher salt to taste.
Mix with a fork to combine the ingredients.
Take the marrow bones out of the oven
When the bones are done, they’ll look about like this.
Mmmmm….
Spread the marrow on the toast
At this point, your counter probably looks like this.
Have at it! Scoop out a little marrow.
Spread it on a piece of toast. Top with a little parsley salad.
Enjoy!
Have you had roasted marrow bones?
Did you like them? If you haven’t, would you try them? Leave a comment and let me know!
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20 Comments
Yep I’ve roasted marrow. A few times. Personally I love it. The boyfriend tried it and had stated he would like it w/ more condiments….I just roasted and used the basic salt/pepper thing.
yup !!! love them …. we even use them for soup …. not the healthiest too…
Isn’t it funny how as a young girl this was so readily available to our mothers for using in making soups and stock, then disappeared, and now has returned… Such a lovely post/site, and of course a’marrowing tasty lesson!
You just gave me an idea for a paring on my new website http://www.partnersinwineclub.com
Love it!
Elizabeth
Oh man, I am so glad I wasn’t the only one absolutely swooning during that episode of TBTIEA. Particularly Chris Cosentino’s Leg of Beast meal at Incanto. I mean, really! That shank looked amazing anyway, and then, well then there were the marrow bones. Yummmm…
The salad topper looks so delicious! Especially on top of the fatty marrow. I am quite thinking of getting some small beef shanks, with heavy-on-the-marrow bones. I figure I can roast them up, have the marrow on toast with the condiment and then also have some meat. I think I see a weekend project emerging!
Wow! I will be keeping this one in my back pocket for after Easter, I gave up all red meat for Lenten season. But these roasted beef marrow bones look fabulous.
CCR
=:~)
I had this at St John’s and love it! ahh, I have to go back for more!
okay I just learned something totally new today, I seriously have never heard of roasting marrow bones. I’ve seen them chucked out into the garbage and I always thought they looked gross. After seeing how you created a spread out of it, I have to say this is something I’d be willing to try. definitely putting this on my “must experiment” list
Haven’t tried this, but I need to. Seems so primal and decadent at the same time.
Thanks for this! I have the Bones cookbook (to answer your question — I really like it!) and she insists it’s absolutely necessary to soak the marrow bones first. I have been dying to get Henderson’s book(s) — it’s on my wishlist (hopefully someone will buy it for me). I see you say Henderson’s recipe doesn’t mention the soaking — and it sounds like you didn’t do any soaking either. There have been a couple of times I’ve thought, “hey, i’ll roast marrow bones” and I’ve forgotten to pre-soak and then just didn’t make them. Looks like it turned out fine for you without soaking, which definitely boosts the chance I’ll do this the next time I want to indulge.
OH YES! This is so good on toast with salt and pepper.
Very evil but delicious
I need to find me some marrow bones. I love marrow. I love Fergus Henderson! I’m drooling at your photos right now.
This was a very informative post! I just bought some beef leg bones from my local asian market.
This looks wonderful. I plan on trying this in the next week. Thanks for the recipe. I love your site!
There is a chapter in “It Must Have Been Something I Ate” by Jeffery Steingarten all about roasted marrow bones! I seem to remember that he has the butcher cut his in 1/2 length-wise. That seems like an even better way to roast so that more of it gets browned and tastie! I think I’m working up the nerve to give it a try! Thanks for the step by step!
When I was a child there were dishes that were beloved by my siblings and me that were budget stretchers for my mother. We loved not only the food but the story of living on a seaside farm in Ireland and having these dishes as part of a thousand year culinary heritage. In the winter she would roast long beef bones and we would eat the roasted marrow over colcannon (mashed potatos with onion and cabbage) or on fresh baked bread. In summer we would go to the coast of New Hampshire and harvest periwinkles and dulse. Home we’d go to my grandmother’s to eat the boiled periwinkle dunked in melted butter, onions and garlic, with new boiled potatos.
We thought of it as eating old-school heritage treats; urban kids eating peasant food. Little did I know we were gourmands in training.
I’ve had marrow bones, lamb and beef both. I have never soaked them before.
I read about roasted marrow bones years ago, but never fixed them at home. For a long time, I looked for antique silver marrow spoons in the States. Couldn’t find them. On a trip to England, I finally found a pair of silver plate spoons at the Portobello Road market in London. I have used them for scooping the marrow from lamb shanks in oso bucco, but that’s all.
I copied Fergus Henderson’s recipe from the internet a couple of years ago. Now I am DEFINITELY going to make them SOON.
Yum! I just made them tonight for the first time!
No one should feel guilty about eating them, though- in case you haven’t heard, saturated fat is being de-vilified. It doesn’t cause heart disease like we’ve been told and it doesn’t make you fat. It’s the processed carbs that do both of those things. There is a great NY Times article called “What If It’s All Been A Big Fat Lie?” by Gary Taubes that is worth reading.
So, roast those marrow bones and eat them without guilt!