How To Prepare And Serve Bone Marrow - Honest Cooking

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I learned to appreciate “weird” foods from the French side of my family. While my Southern/Scotch grandmother filled our bellies with her chili and soups, cookies and fudge sauce — the Caribbean/French side swooned over things like boudin noir (blood sausage), accras (codfish fritters), calves liver, and marrow. In fact, once when I was ten, my grandmother, Madou, served a whole calves brain topped with tomato sauce for dinner one night. Picture that… and then picture my horrified 10-year-old response.

However, the boudin noir is amazing. I still love calves liver, the accras is a family-wide favorite and I always claim any leftover marrow bones from dinner.

For those of you who’ve decided to stick around, you’re gonna love this.

My first recollections of marrow came from my grandfather who would always greedily pick the beef bones from the pot or platter and noisily suck the marrow out. It’s like intense umami butter – with a fatty richness that coats your tongue. I can’t get enough – so much so – that whenever I see them on a menu or in the market, I get them.

Restaurants can source the long bones and butcher them vertically, like a long narrow serving dish for the heavenly marrow. Diners scoop out the marrow and spread it on bread or toast points. My butcher doesn’t cut the bones vertically, so I work with the cross cut bones and that’s just fine. I like to rub a little garlic on grilled bread and finish with fresh parsley and a little lemon zest – kind of like a gremolata. With a glass of red wine or bubbly, it’s positively DECADENT!

How to Prepare and Serve Bone Marrow

1. Preheat the Oven

• Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C).
• Line a baking sheet with foil.

2. Prepare the Marrow Bones

• Place the marrow bones cut-side-up on the foil-lined baking sheet.
• Sprinkle with kosher salt.

3. Roast the Marrow Bones

• Roast the bones in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes. The marrow should be soft and starting to pull away from the bone.

4. Grill the Bread

• While the bones are roasting, heat a grill to medium-high heat (about 400°F / 200°C).
• Grill the bread slices on both sides until browned and crisp, with some charred bits for added flavor.
• Transfer the grilled bread to a sheet pan.
• Rub one side of each bread slice lightly with the raw garlic clove. The crispy bread will act as a grater, infusing it with garlic aroma and flavor.

5. Prepare the Garnish

• Finely chop fresh parsley.
• Zest a lemon.

6. Serve the Marrow Bones

• When the marrow bones are done roasting, transfer them to a serving platter.
• Sprinkle with chopped parsley and lemon zest.

7. Enjoy!

• Serve the marrow bones with the grilled garlic toasts.
• Use a small spreader knife to scoop out the marrow and spread it on the bread, like butter.
• Enjoy immediately while warm.

Recipe Notes

• Bone Marrow Cut Lengthwise: If your marrow bones are cut lengthwise, adjust the roasting time to about 15 minutes. The marrow should still be soft and pull away from the bone easily.
• Garlic Flavor: Don’t overdo the garlic rubbing; a light touch gives the perfect hint of flavor.

FAQ: Bone Marrow at Home

Do I need to soak the bones first? Not in this method. With good-quality bones, a rinse is fine — but soaking isn’t part of the process here and doesn’t add much unless you’re trying to clarify the appearance for restaurant plating.

How do I know when the marrow is done? It should be soft, starting to pull slightly from the edges, and have a bit of movement when nudged. You’re not aiming for a full melt — it should still be spreadable, not liquid.

Can I use bones cut lengthwise instead? Yes. If your butcher gives you canoe-cut bones, just reduce the roast time to around 15 minutes — they cook faster and expose more marrow surface.

What’s the point of rubbing garlic on the bread? The garlic clove hits the rough, grilled surface and leaves just enough raw bite to balance the richness of the marrow. No raw garlic chunks — just aroma and sharpness.

Can I make this ahead of time? Not really. This is one of those dishes that needs to be hot from the oven, bread grilled fresh, marrow still spoonable. If you’re serving guests, time it to hit the table while warm.

Is bone marrow safe to eat? Yes. It’s essentially fat and connective tissue from inside beef bones. Just make sure it’s fully cooked — soft, hot, and bubbling slightly — and serve it warm.

Pairing Suggestions Red wine with some structure (a Syrah, Bordeaux blend, or even a Côtes du Rhône) stands up to the fat.

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Description

You’ve had the sinfully rich, buttery, fatty bone marrow dishes at restaurants, but now it’s time to make your own. Here’s how to successfully prepare, roast and serve bone marrow at home.

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 pounds marrow bones, cut crosswise about 1-1/2" thick (900 g)
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4-5 slices bread from a boule or country loaf with a sturdy crust
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• Chopped parsley, for garnish
• Lemon zest, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat the Oven

• Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C).
• Line a baking sheet with foil.

2. Prepare the Marrow Bones

• Place the marrow bones cut-side-up on the foil-lined baking sheet.
• Sprinkle with kosher salt.

3. Roast the Marrow Bones

• Roast the bones in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes. The marrow should be soft and starting to pull away from the bone.

4. Grill the Bread

• While the bones are roasting, heat a grill to medium-high heat (about 400°F / 200°C).
• Grill the bread slices on both sides until browned and crisp, with some charred bits for added flavor.
• Transfer the grilled bread to a sheet pan.
• Rub one side of each bread slice lightly with the raw garlic clove. The crispy bread will act as a grater, infusing it with garlic aroma and flavor.

5. Prepare the Garnish

• Finely chop fresh parsley.
• Zest a lemon.

6. Serve the Marrow Bones

• When the marrow bones are done roasting, transfer them to a serving platter.
• Sprinkle with chopped parsley and lemon zest.

7. Enjoy the Bone Marrow

• Serve the marrow bones with the grilled garlic toasts.
• Use a small spreader knife to scoop out the marrow and spread it on the bread, like butter.
• Enjoy immediately while warm.

Notes

• Bone Marrow Cut Lengthwise: If your marrow bones are cut lengthwise, adjust the roasting time to about 15 minutes. The marrow should still be soft and pull away from the bone easily.
• Garlic Flavor: Don’t overdo the garlic rubbing; a light touch gives the perfect hint of flavor.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Category: Appetizer
• Method: Roasting
• Cuisine: French

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 230g
• Calories: 620
• Sugar: 1g
• Sodium: 450mg
• Fat: 52g
• Saturated Fat: 23g
• Unsaturated Fat: 26g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 24g
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 14g
• Cholesterol: 150mg

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