With meagre meat and only scallions for greens, this slow cooker bone marrow soup is essentially bone broth served with the bone so that the marrow can be scooped out with a spoon for optimal experience.

Course: Soup

Cuisine: International

Tag: Beef bone marrow, Slow cooker

Cook’s notes

This is one of those recipes that my older daughter, Sam, would call a no-brainer. Just put the bones in the slow cooker, add spices and seasonings, turn on the slow cooker and go to sleep. When you wake up the next day, it’s ready.

For best results, choose beef shank bones with one end closed. That way, the marrow stays inside even if the bones fall sideways during cooking.

Are the bones cooked in water or broth? Just plain water. The slow cooking will turn the water into broth. If this were a stew, I’d opt for broth for the cooking liquid, but this is a soup and cooking the bones in broth might result in something too rich that it’s already overwhelming. So, just water.

The cooking liquid is tasted after the bones have been scooped out and transferred into bowls. Seasonings are adjusted to make sure it tastes perfect.

Now, the dining part. Will a spoon fit into the bone’s cavity? That depends on the size of the bone and the cavity. If the diameter of the cavity is narrower than the width of a soup spoon, provide a teaspoon (one with a long handle is ideal) for scooping out the marrow.

And if the cavity is narrower than the width of a teaspoon? Well, you have two options:

1. Provide a wooden spatula—the kind the accompanies ice cream—or a popsicle stick.

2. Something I’ve never tried but have

Slow cooker bone marrow soup

Prep: 2

Cook: 12

Total: 12 2

Servings: 3 people

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Equipment

Slow cooker

Ingredients

3 pieces cross-cut beef shank bones
4 cloves garlic
1 onion halved
½ teaspoon dried rosemary (a whole sprig if using fresh)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
finely sliced scallions to serve

Instructions

Place the beef shank bones in the slow cooker. If one side is closed and the other side open with the marrow exposed, place the bones closed side down to prevent the marrow from falling out.
Add the garlic cloves, onion halves, rosemary, salt and pepper to the bones.
Pour in one and a half to two liters of water (depending on the size of your slow cooker).
Set the slow cooker on LOW and leave for twelve hours.
Place the beef shank bones in soup bowls.
Taste the broth; add more salt and pepper, if needed. Strain.
Pour strained broth over the beef shank bones.
Sprinkle in finely sliced scallions before serving your no-frills slow cooker beef bone marrow soup.