I don’t exactly know when my love affair with bone marrow began, but suffice it to say that if I see it on a restaurant menu, I have to order it.
A 2 ounce serving of beef bone marrow has over 500 calories, so diet food it is not. But it has some calcium and “good” fats, especially if the cow was grass-fed. Each 2 ounce serving has over 54 grams of fat, although most of it is unsaturated. How much protein it has depends on the marrow, but there are those carnivores out there that swear by bone marrow’s almost magical health food properties.
But whether it’s good for you or not, the main reason to eat bone marrow is taste. And I’ve found that when it comes to eating it, there are no gray areas…people either love it or are grossed out by it.
Bone marrow played a very important role in the development of mankind as a species. Long before we had the skills to hunt for our own food, about 2 million years ago, we feasted on the bones of fallen prey…or more accurately, what was inside the bones of fallen prey. A diet of fatty, high-calorie bone marrow meant that early man didn’t have to rely on the digestion of roughage alone to survive, and it allowed for the “luxury” of the development of larger brains.
Fast-forward to today, where the only critters that appreciate bone marrow are our dogs—if they’re lucky enough to get a bone—or foodies like us!
Aside from higher-end restaurants, bone marrow might be difficult to find at first. But you can certainly ask your local butcher for some—he’ll even cut them lengthwise or into short cylinders for you for easy access. I get mine online, with bones from grass-fed cows.
Cooking bone marrow couldn’t be simpler: a little salt and pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, then bake in a hot oven until bubbly and caramelized. Spread it on toast in the morning with your eggs, smear it on top of your steak instead of butter, or just scoop it right out of the bone.
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