Roasted Beef Bone Marrow Appetizer

Name: Roasted Beef Bone Marrow Appetizer
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: ⅓ baguette (cut into ½" slices); 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 1 clove garlic (peeled); 4 pounds marrow bones (you can use cross cut or canoe cut); ½ teaspoon kosher salt (or sea salt); ¼ teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground); 2 tablespoons parsley (chopped); 1 teaspoon lemon zest

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Inside: Where to buy marrow bones, cross cut vs. canoe cut marrow bones and how to cook marrow bones.

Roasted beef marrow bones are luxuriously rich and make an impressive appetizer or first course for special occasions. Known for its wobbly, gelatinous, melt-in-your-mouth texture and savory flavor, it’s usually spread on grilled or toasted bread to enjoy. This beef bone marrow recipe includes a few flavor enhancements that take the decadent dish to the next level.

Roasted marrow bones on a platter with toasts.

You might think that roasted beef bone marrow is only available at a fancy restaurant and requires a Michelin-starred chef, but it’s not. It’s an easy recipe to make at home in about 30 minutes with minimal effort.

An impressive bone marrow appetizer is perfect for special occasions like Christmas, New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day as well as for birthdays, anniversaries and date nights.

What is bone marrow?

Marrow is the soft, spongy material in bones (medullary cavities) where blood cells, stem cells, and immune-boosting cells are produced. Bone marrow produces blood cells and platelets and stores fat.

Beef bone marrow is harvested from the femur, shank or tibia bones of a steer raised for butchery.

The femur is the most prominent bone, yielding the highest ratio of marrow to bone; it’s also a straighter bone, which produces more uniform cuts for serving; use a spoon to dip into the marrow and spread it onto toast points.

cross cut marrow bones on a counter top.

Other bones from the lower leg (tibia or shank) are sliced crosswise. Because they’re smaller, they don’t need as long to cook, and the marrow will pop right out of the center when pressed. Either one works for this recipe.

Why you’ll love this recipe:

It’s a dramatic, high-impact dish that will WOW!
It’s also an easy, low-stress recipe that anyone can make.
You can use cross-cut or canoe-cut beef marrow bones; a butcher will cut them for you.
Roasted beef marrow is like eating beef-flavored butter and it’s delicious on lightly toasted or grilled bread.

Ingredients:

Beef Marrow Bones–cross-cut marrow bones are more commonly found in grocery stores, but if you have a good butcher, you can usually get canoe-cut, which has an even more impressive appearance and is easy to scoop onto toasts.
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper–to season the bone marrow. You can also use fine sea salt.
French Baguette or Country Loaf–cut into ⅓”-½” slices. If you have a larger round boule, cut the bread into slices, then cut each slice into smaller 2-3 bite sections.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil–brushing oil over the bread will help it become golden and crunchy in the oven.
Garlic–to season the toasted bread. Rubbing the garlic over the crisped bread will give a subtle flavor, but be careful not to rub too aggressively, or the raw garlic flavor will overpower the more subtle beef flavor of the marrow.
Parsley–I used flat-leaf Italian parsley, but curly parsley works well too.
Lemon Zest–Use a microplane zester to remove only the bright yellow zest and none of the bitter white pith. The zest adds a little pop of freshness to the marrow appetizer.

Step-by-step instructions:

Cut the bread into ½” thick slices and arrange on a baking sheet. Brush both sides with olive oil and bake at 375° F for 6-8 minutes on one side. Flip them and bake for an additional 5 minutes until golden and crisp.

2. Gently rub one side of the toasted bread with a clove of raw garlic, just to give the bread a faint garlicky flavor.

3. Increase the oven temperature to 450° F. Arrange the beef marrow bones on a rimmed baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 12-15 minutes for canoe cut and about 10-12 for cross-cut, depending on the size of the bones.

4. While the beef bones roast, use a microplane to zest a teaspoon of lemon zest (yellow parts only) and finely chop the parsley.

5. Combine the parsley and lemon zest to combine and set aside.

6. Lightly season the roasted beef bones with the lemon-parsley mixture.

Serving on a platter with toasted bread.

7. Arrange the beef marrow bones on a platter with the garlic-rubbed toast to serve.

Pro-Tips:

Source your marrow bones from a reliable butcher to get the best quality bones.
Ask your butcher to soak the bones to remove excess blood or impurities. (My butcher, Cameron, from Beauregard’s Fine Meats and Butchery) immediately offered to do this for me when I placed my order.
If your butcher doesn’t offer this service, you can do it yourself using 1 cup of water to 1 tablespoon of salt. Soak the bones for 12-24 hours to remove the impurities, changing the water a few times during the soaking period, known as brining.
Some recipes call for longer cooking times (20-25 minutes for larger bones), however I cook the bones at a higher temperature. If you use a lower cooking temperature, they may take longer to get to that gelatinous, rendered state.
Don’t worry about a few errant bits of blood streaks after the bones are cooked. That’s normal.

Roasted beef marrow bones on a round platter.

Swaps & Variations:

Grill the bread slices instead of baking. This will keep it more chewy and add a charred flavor.
If you don’t want a garlic flavor, skip the garlic on the bread.
Purists can skip the lemon and parsley blend.
For variety, lightly season the beef bone marrow with other seasoning blends or dry rubs. Don’t overdo it, though; you want to taste the marrow.

Scooping bone marrow with a small wooden trowel.

FAQs

Where to buy marrow bones?

You can sometimes find them in a regular grocery store, but to get the best quality or specialty canoe-cut portions, seek a reputable butcher in your area. You can also order marrow bones online.

How to cook marrow bones?

If you plan on eating marrow straight from the bones, roasting is preferred. If you’re using the bones for beef bone broth or to add body to soups or sauces (like this bordelaise sauce recipe), the marrow will be poached or simmered in the broth or liquid.

Are beef marrow bones good for you?

Yes, they can be considered healthy. They contain collagen, which is good for bones and skin; glucosamine, which reduces inflammation and joint pain; and adiponectin, a protein that breaks down fats and helps maintain insulin sensitivity. Beef marrow also contains vitamins and minerals, such as Vitamins A, B12 and E, riboflavin, Phosphorus and Thiamine. However, according to this WebMD article, it’s also high in fat, with 12 grams per tablespoon.

More elegant appetizers you’ll love:

Roasted Beef bone marrow on a toasted slice of bread.

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