The fat found in bone marrow is one of the most nutrient and calorically rich sources of food available on the planet. The marrow, abundantly found in the shank bone, has a savory and full bodied taste that can often be referred to as “meat butter” which makes sense when you taste how it melts in your mouth. This high fatty food is many times overlooked or disregarded, but truth is it’s easily digestible and packed with healthy fats and vitamins that shouldn’t be ignored. Personally, I love the taste.

• To ensure the fat is of the best quality I look for shank bones that are from 100% grass fed cows. If that is difficult, try for organic.
• Two sources that I have gotten from are whole foods and uswellnessmeats. Even if the shank bones are not on display ask the butcher if there are leftovers in the back.
• The center cut of the shank holds the most marrow. If you have a butcher cut the bones for you, ask for them trimmed approx. 3 inches in length. The smaller length increases surface area to the water and helps release more nutrients into the broth.

To prepare

It is popular to roast or boil the marrow bones.

Roast ~3in bones in the oven at 400° F for about 20 minutes or until the marrow is fully cooked through. Browning the bones first will help improve the flavor of a bone broth, which I have yet to try.

You can also just choose to boil them in a large soup pot which will provide bone broth for a week. The meat, fat, bone and cartilage help to make a rich gelatinous broth.

Boil the bones till the marrow is cooked through which takes about 10-20 minutes (depending on the thickness of your bones) I scoop it out to enjoy and save the rest for later.

You can store the rest of the marrow in the refrigerator; just reheat in some broth when you’re ready to eat.

Soup Tips

• When making the soup I like to incorporate a shank bone with the meat still on it which adds even more flavor to the broth.
• Many of the benefits come from the fats, so don’t toss the fats away, consume it as well.

• ESSENTIAL! Be sure to add in 1 tbsp ACV as it creates an acidic environment that helps draw minerals out of the bones.

• You can simmer the bones for a minimum of 24 hours, or up to 48. TIP: The longer a bone broth cooks, the more nutritious and mineral-dense it will become.

• Remove the foamy layer that occasionally forms at the top of the pot while simmering. This gook isn’t of any benefit.

• I take the meat out of the soup earlier so it doesn’t overcook. The shank meat is done when you can easily pull it apart with a fork, but is still a little pink in the very middle.

• When done, let the broth cool, remove bones and strain. Reheat to add and cook vegetables such as celery, carrot, onion and parsley. Don’t overdue it on the veggies as that can lead to a bitter finished product.
  
• Store in glass mason jars which keeps it fresher than plastic.

Healing abilities

• Many soup bones contain cartilage, which converts to gelatin with a rich source of amino acids like glycine that enhances detoxification. Cartilage is also a source of chondroitin sulfate which helps heal arthritic joints.
• Bones are a rich source of minerals. Not just calcium, but also magnesium, phosphorus, silicon and sulfur which are essential to health.

Here is a partial listing of conditions that broth benefits:
Aging skin, allergies, anemia, anxiety, asthma, atherosclerosis, attention deficit, poor digestion, brittle nails, Celiac Disease, colic, constipation, dental degeneration, depression, diabetes, diarrhea, fatigue, food sensitivities, fractures, gastritis, heart conditions, high cholesterol, hyperactivity, high blood pressure, hypoglycemia, low immunity, inflammation, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, insomnia, reflux, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, memory loss, muscle cramps or spasms, muscle wasting, osteoporosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, seizures, weight loss due to illness, wound healing, and more!

If at the end of all this you still don’t find yourself wanting to eat beef marrow, the least you can do is feed it to the dog.