Purchasing and Seasoning Bone Marrow
Ask your butcher to cut the bones you want to buy. Before you take your marrow bones home, ask your butcher to cut the bones for you lengthwise to make the roasting process easier. Having your butcher cut the bones this way makes the marrow easier to separate from the bone when you are ready to eat it. If you want to eat marrows directly from their bones after cooking, look for sturdy bones with lots of marrow inside. Ask the butcher to cut the bones crosswise so that they are about 3 inches (7.6 cm) high.
Purchase 1 cut marrow bone per appetizer serving. Roasted bone marrow is often served as an appetizer dish. The amount of marrow in each bone section will vary, but most bones yield about 1.5 ounces (43 g) of marrow. If you are making bone broth from your roasted marrow bones, purchase 2 pounds (0.91 kg) of marrow bones to make about 2 US quarts (1.9 L) of bone broth. If this is your first time roasting bone marrow, purchase a few extra bones in case you make any mistakes. Ask your butcher if they have any recommendations for how many bones to purchase for the meal you want to make.
Brine your marrow bones in a salt bath before you roast them. Place the bones in a container with 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of salt per 1 cup (240 mL) of ice water. Refrigerate the bones for 12-24 hours before you want to roast them. When you are ready to roast your bones, drain the water and dry the bones with a paper towel. For a quicker preparation, sprinkle salt and pepper on all sides of the marrow bones right before you roast them. Season the bones with just salt and pepper to make the rich marrow flavors stand out.
Roasting and Serving Bone Marrow
Preheat your oven to 450 °F (232 °C). Marrow needs to be roasted in a hot oven so that it loosens from the bone. Loose marrow is easier to separate from the bone when you want to eat it.
Roast the bones for 20-25 minutes on a baking sheet or a roasting pan. After 20 minutes check to see if the marrows are cooked by gently poking them with a fork or metal skewer. If the fork or skewer goes into the marrows easily, they are ready to eat. If you feel that the marrows are too stiff, continue roasting them for another 5 minutes and check again. Some marrow fat will have dripped onto the pan. If you want to roast cut bones, place them marrow side up on the baking sheet or roasting pan. If you are roasting uncut bones, stand the seasoned bones upright in a roasting pan.
Allow the marrow bones to cool for a few minutes before serving. The marrow is too hot to enjoy right after it comes out of the oven. Once the marrow bones have cooled enough to touch, separate the marrows from the bones with a spoon.
Serve the marrow as a spread on toasted bread. A bone marrow spread is a rich and nutritious topping for toasted bread. Squeeze some lemon juice over the marrow to balance the flavors of the dish. If you are serving uncut marrow, you can use a spoon to eat the marrow. You can also suck the marrow directly from the bone.
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