You do what you’re told — you learn What’s The Difference Between Stock And Broth? You include plenty of bones, soft tissue, and even bones with marrow when making bone broth.
But then…
…you find some (or all) of the marrow is still in the bones — not in the broth — when it’s done cooking.
Is that ok? Should you extract the marrow or… just figure it’s all good?
Tami T. is wondering as well: “Do bones need to be broken at the end of the cooking cycle in order to release the marrow?”
Great question, Tami! Let’s talk about it today on #AskWardee.
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The Question: How To Release The Marrow Into The Broth?
Tami T. asks:
Do bones need to be broken at the end of the cooking cycle in order to release the marrow?
My Answer:
Before I give you the quick and easy answer, let’s first get on the same page…
Why Bone Marrow In Broth?
“Ick” some of you might be thinking.
Bone marrow? Why would anyone willing eat that, much less put it in their broth on purpose?
I happen to think it’s delicious — in fact, I will scoop out marrow from roasts and such and spread it on bread or crackers to eat on the spot. Yet there are very good nutritional reasons to include marrow in your broth.
Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, creator of the GAPS Diet, says this:
“Meat and fish stocks provide building blocks for the rapidly growing cells of the gut lining and they have a soothing effect on any areas of inflammation in the gut. That is why they aid digestion and have been known for centuries as healing folk remedies for the digestive tract.
The gelatinous soft tissues around the bones and the bone marrow provide some of the best healing remedies for the gut lining and the immune system; your patient needs to consume them with every meal.”
My friend Megan from Eat Beautiful is a master at this; she creates beautiful, creamy, and thick bisques (see #4 of this post) by blending broth that’s made with fat, soft tissue, and marrow with well-cooked veggies and healing herbs and spices like ginger.
So now that we all agree that marrow is important to include in bone broth… 🙂
What are the best ways to extract marrow for bone broth?
The Best Ways To Extract Marrow For Bone Broth
Once again, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride comes to our rescue with one idea for getting that marrow out and into your bone broth. She says:
“Strip off all the soft tissues from the bones as best as you can to later add to soups or encourage your patient to eat all the soft tissues on the bones. Extract the bone marrow out of large tubular bones while they are still warm: to do that bang the bone on a thick wooden chopping board.”
Since she doesn’t specify when this can happen, I’ll add a bit from my experience. I have been able to extract marrow just after the bones are roasted or even at the end of making broth. So, yes, Tami, you would break the bones at the end to release the marrow if it’s not already released.
If I do it at the end of broth-making, I don’t usually bang my bones on a cutting board; I tap them strongly on the side of the pot so the marrow falls out right where it’s wanted.
To get every little bit out, the best tool is… a chopstick or a nutcracker (the long thin pokey ones). Yes! Just poke it around in there where normal spoons won’t reach and scrape off all the marrow. Sucking also works. 😉
Finally, another easy way to release marrow is available to you if your marrow bones are pre-cut open by the butcher. Then you would roast them at 375 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit for a half hour or so. This adds amazing flavor to your broth and is worth it just for that. Before tossing the bones into the stock pot to make broth, scoop out the marrow. Then, add both marrow and bones to the stock pot.
So, Tami, you’re on the right track!
And I’m especially excited that you’re making broth with marrow because that makes it so much better!
I hope these tips help!
How To Eat Bone Broth
When people are on a gut-healing diet, they know to consume lots of broth. Trouble is, it can get boring.
So, here are 8 ways to eat broth (without drinking it straight) and 5 ways to make your broth more exciting. 🙂
And if you haven’t already… take a peek at more Traditional Cooking skills with my free video series. Click here to sign up!
Helpful Links:
- FREE Traditional Cooking Video Series
- 8 ways to eat broth (without drinking it straight)
- What To Do With Bitter Broth?
- 82 Ways To Heal Your Gut
- Top 5 Nutrient-Dense Foods For Your Family
- GAPS Diet book
- Eat Beautiful gut-healing eCookbook from my friend Megan
Do you include marrow in your broth? How do you release or extract the marrow?
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I have attempted to make a bone broth from pork bones. While I did make an incredibly flavorful stock, it never gained the jelly consistency that the recipes said was essential. I have to avoid all beef related sources due to beef showing up on an IgE test. Do you have any suggestions?
Hi Lisa,
You may need a greater bone and joint ratio to water. The joints help with gel. Here’s an excellent article from Megan, one of our writers, on making broth (be sure to check out the comments also). http://eatbeautiful.net/2014/07/23/megs-bone-broth/
~Millie, TCS Customer Success Team
What about adding vinegar to the pot when you are cooking the broth to leach minerals from the bones? Maybe that is a separate point from the value of the marrow.
Personally, I do not release the marrow into the broth, but I’m with your dad to eat it directly (usually on toast with a sprinkle of sea salt). I’m sure the value is the same.
Hi Barbara,
Yes, adding vinegar will help pull nutrition from the bones. 🙂
~Millie, TCS Customer Success Team
What about chicken bones where the bones are not cut up like the beef bones?
Hi Diane,
Some people crack the bones to remove the marrow. It’s still beneficial.
~Millie, TCS Customer Success Team
I love this thread, these are some of the thoughts I juggle while in the kitchen. I extract the marrow out but it never dissolves or blends. Do you all blend it in? Cut it up? Leave it whole? As it stays a solid, does the lucky broth eater who gets it on their spoon get all the marrow benefits or do the nutrients from the marrow leach in to the broth?
Yes, I think about marrow quite a bit! 🙂
Thanks
Hi Debra,
A blender (regular or wand) is very helpful for adding in the marrow and other bits. You can choose how much to blend it to quite smooth or not all the way.
Love that you “think about marrow quite a bit!”
~Millie, TCS Customer Success Team
I have an easy way to release the marrow. When you look at the cut bone with the marrow in it, there usually is a large opening on one side and a smaller opening on the other. I take a wooden spoon, which has a round stick part as the handle, and poke through the small opening of the bone to push out the marrow on the other side. It usually comes out in one large piece. Of course I do this after it is soft by cooking it.
Hi,
When I make a stock I end up with some sort of gray flakes that settle to the bottom of the pot. What are they? I throw it out but maybe I am not supposed too. Would it be marrow? It happens when using any bones.
Thank you
Hi Alina,
This is probably sediment from things that fall off bones and tissue. Completely normal and okay to keep and use. 🙂
~Millie, TCS Customer Success Team
Thank you for sharing these tips for when I try making my own bone broth. Quite busy, so I tried Au Bon Broth. And it was surprisingly tasty. I think it’s great because I already feel the changes with my health.
My wife is Filipino and they have been making bone broth from beef for quite some time. I tried it out of curiosity last year and… have been making my own since then. I don’t know if its the broth, but I do feel better since I started to consume this liquid regularly.
Thanks Wardee =) reading this keeps me going.
P.S. I think I’ll start with lamb soon.
And speaking of bones, I noticed the chicken bones are easy to break up after pressure cooking, so I pureed them w/ water in my blender & gave that to my dog. Now I’m wondering if I could consume that myself? The chichen was homegrown. Does anyone eat the blender iced bones?
I also wondered yhis as Ive cooked the brith for 48 hrs the bones are disintergrating so can I eat the bones with the marrow ? Did you get any advice ?
Hi, Caterina,
That is a very interesting concept. I suppose you can if they are cooked and soft enough to be blended well enough so there is nothing sharp.
~Peggy, TCS Customer Success Team
I found a really good recipe for making like a bone marrow fake butter log. If I roast the bones and take out the marrow are the bones then worthless to bake bone broth? Does the bone broth needs the marrow?
Hi Kristine,
The bone marrow is not essential for the bone broth. 🙂
~Danielle, TCS Customer Success Team
I found that pressure cooker bones are able to be blended, which I then add to the jars before I pour in the cooked liquid. My feeling is there is still nutrient value left in the bones.
I can’t get the marrow out of the end of the beef bones they’re very hard
Hi, Doug.
You can gently scrap with the end of a butter knife.
~Danielle, TCS Customer Success Team