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To Boil Marrow Bones

Boiled marrow bones served upright with bread.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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To Boil Marrow Bones

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Have the butcher saw the large ends of the bones so they can stand upright.

  2. If possible, place the bones in the same manner they will be boiled.

  3. Make a paste with flour and cover the ends where the marrow is visible.

  4. Tie a cloth over the bones.

  5. Remove the paste before serving.

  6. Serve the bones upright in a napkin with slices of bread.

  7. Boil for 2 hours for large bones or 1 hour for moderate-sized bones.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Large marrow bones
Provide the marrow, a rich fat that softens and becomes spreadable with prolonged heat.
Flour
Forms a paste that seals the exposed marrow ends so the marrow stays in during boiling.

The step that matters

Boil for the time matched to bone size. Heat must penetrate the bone to soften the marrow fully, so larger bones need the longer boil. Too short a boil leaves the marrow firm, while the size guide helps prevent overcooking.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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