Bone Marrow Part 1..........

I hope you all are well on this late, snowy and incredibly foggy evening. This will be a two part newsletter on bone marrow and how delicious and good for you it is. This weather is perfect for thinking about crusty loaves of sourdough, roasted and salted marrow bones, sweet roasted garlic and maybe some sliced perigord truffle and you have yourself a freaking amazing winter time snack that is good anytime of the year.

Bone marrow has been used in cuisine for centuries and has had what I would consider a resurgence in the United States. While used in most high end restaurants it wasn’t until recently you started to hear about people craving bone marrow and making it a part of their diets. People have finally realized the amazing benefits of eating marrow for health and wellness as well as eating it because it’s pretty fantastic on the palette.

Fortunately, we have plenty of options for high quality beef, bison and wild game bone marrow. I had the pleasure of using Tangen Draw Bison Marrow bones for a tasting the other night and to say that it was outstanding is an understatement. It was just so clean, buttery, rich and nutty with a soft creamy mouthfeel better than butter! From simple preparation to more elaborate and elegant it’s a wonderful addition to any meal and to your overall diet.

Some of the benefits to adding it to your regular diet and cuisine are healthy bones and skin. Marrow is full of collagen which improves the health of both and is also extremely rich in glucosamine which can help prevent osteoarthritis and help reduce inflammation and help to relieve joint pain. Glycine and conjugated linoleic acid are abundant in marrow which have been shown to have anti inflammatory properties and help to reduce diseases such as cancer, heart disease, arthritis and depression. So basically you get deliciousness and health and wellness at the same time. Sounds pretty good to me.

Marrow does contain a high level of fat and calories so while it is a beneficial food source just keep that in mind if it becomes a food obsession. Marrow is extremely high in Vitamin B12, Riboflavin, Iron, Vitamin E, Phosphorus, Thiamine and Vitamin A. I did find serving size information of marrow taken from wild caribou. One tablespoon of caribou marrow contains 110 calories, 12 grams of fat and 1 gram of protein. I would say on average you’ be looking at 2 tablespoons per canoe cut bone once roasted. Some will give you a bit more and some less. it will also depend of the type of animal used.

Some of my favorite uses of this amazing treat are finishing sauces, folding it into grass-fed butter or raw butter if you can find it, roasted, smoked, custards, Pot au Feu and my favorite Ris de Veau, Champignons des bois et os a moelle et truffe. However you want to use it, marrow makes a great accompianment or a primal showpiece for a beautiful first course.

You can use the traditional 2” to 3” cut round marrow bones or the canoe cut bones which are split lengthwise like the pictures above. Either will do just fine and yield great tasting marrow. I think if you want to spoon it out and eat it with crostini and a pinch of sel de mer I would opt for the traditional cut bones. If you want to scrape it out and use it for butters or other applications and use the longer split bone for a plating surface the canoe cut will be the one to use. However, both will work for either application you choose. I personally like the traditional cut for just eating. The texture holds together better for spooning and eating. I like the canoe cuts for smoking and using the bone as part of a dish if possible.

Cooking marrow:

Pre heat your oven to 425 convection or 450 regular

Place bones on sheet tray

salt and pepper

Lay fresh thyme sprigs over the bones as shown above

Roast for about 20 min

Once finished drizzle with high quality olive oil and a pinch of finishing salt

You really can’t go wrong for a quick, satisfying and delicious meal. Above I have Tangen Draw Bison terres major tartare served in its bone, wild juniper smoked bison marrow fritter fried in Tangen Draw Beef Tallow, black truffle, fermented serviceberry and wild juniper. Something different than baguette or sourdough. The fritter was extremely light and crisp and once you bit into it the flavor of the smoke and creaminess of the marrow just added that little bit of texture and fat to the extremely lean and raw bison terres major. It was quite delicious!

Scott (The Traveling Ungulate)