As I mentioned before, one of the reasons I purchased a beef shank was for the marrow bone. Well, this beef shank did not disappoint. There was a nice sized marrow bone right down the middle of the shank, and by the time it was done braising, the bone slid out effortlessly.
I had read a lot about marrow but for some reason it was hard to visualize what it was exactly, except that it was very rich and good on toast. The best description I’ve heard is that it’s like “meat butter.” But it’s not uniform in its look or texture, like butter is. It was mottled in color – a mix of bits of white, brown, and grey colored fat. It’s a little gelatinous, too, and as I spread it on bread (sprouted sourdough toast), it eventually melted into the toast like butter.
Getting it out of the bone was a bit of a challenge. I used a narrow butter knife to scrape it out, but it kept getting caught on the rough inside walls of the bone. There are special marrow spoons out there for the purpose of extracting the marrow, and I can see how that would have made the job easier. Eventually I got it all out.
M. Wells, a restaurant in Long Island City that recently closed, had marrow on their menu – they served the bone sliced lengthwise, cut side up, so it was so easy to get to the marrow. They served it with escargots, too! Quite a rich meal.
And yes, the marrow from my beef shank was extremely rich – probably the richest fat I’ve ever tasted. I understand that a lemon-parsley sauce goes well with it, to cut the richness. Next time, I’ll have that on hand.
Now, why would I want to eat it? Well, it’s delicious. It’s rich in monounsaturated fat, B vitamins, minerals (calcium , magnesium, zinc), lecithin, methionine (an amino acid), an likely fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin K. It’s very easy to digest, too.
I enjoyed the bone marrow so much, that I put in an order for marrow bones with my CSA. I’m looking forward to it!
This post is participating in Real Food Wednesday, hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop.
