Forum

Okay, growing up on a butcher-it-yourself farm I thought soup bones were pretty much any bones one would use of stock and broth. I also thought marrow bones were cut so that one could cook and access the marrow - cross cut or "canoe" cut. Why do I keep seeing the label "marrow bone" on bones intended for stock in which the marrow is inaccessible? Or is my use of the terms limited to rural areas?

There is a difference in the type of bones and the nutritional content of the resulting broth. Soup bones are typically larger cuts of bones that have been trimmed of meat and may include a mixture of different types of bones, such as beef shanks or short ribs. Marrow bones, on the other hand, are typically cut from the center of long bones, such as the femur or the humerus, and are rich in marrow. The broth made from marrow bones will be richer and more flavorful than that made from soup bones, and will also contain more fat and nutrients, such as collagen, glycine, and minerals.

The center cut from long bones are what I expect when I ask for marrow bones. But at the market, I get the end of the long bones or larger soup bones.