Shelf Life of Bone Marrow?

[Chris]

Does anyone know the shelf life of bone marrow in the refrigerator? I just defrosted it in the Fridge on Saturday, and I'm just getting around to it. I heard somewhere that it has a tendency to go rancid quickly. But, then I also heard that it can keep for a number of weeks. So I come to you, my fellow RP brothers and sisters. And I ask you: What is the truth? How long does it keep? When do you know when it has gone bad?

[goodsamaritan]

In my experience, I buy beef bones that have been broken open same day or at point of buying.
It tastes best super fresh.
Then probably 1 day in the refrigerator.
At the most 2 days in the refrigerator.

Some bone marrow immediately becomes dry in the ref and those only taste good at opening.

So my rule of thumb is eat fresh.

[TylerDurden]

There are two types of raw marrow. One is soft and creamy, and reddish in colour, and will rot very quickly indeed at room-temperature. The other is a dry as sawdust type and, I think, will last much longer.

[RawZi]

   I like it as fresh as possible not having been frozen and left at room temperature covered gently all day except for fowl and pig marrow not sitting out.

    Does all marrow have stem cells?

[jessica]

how would one go about getting into a big yak bone this women gave me?  its about a foot long, maybe  4 inch circumference, looks like a human femur...hammer it?  i dont have any clean saws around, is there an inexpensive saw that will work for bones?

[eveheart]

how would one go about getting into a big yak bone this women gave me?  its about a foot long, maybe  4 inch circumference, looks like a human femur...hammer it?  i dont have any clean saws around, is there an inexpensive saw that will work for bones?

When I have to get marrow out by hand, I use a hacksaw - the kind of hand saw used to cut metal. I cut the knuckles off, then cut once through the midsection of the bone, and poke out the marrow with whatever fits inside, like a butter knife or a chopstick. Otherwise, I get a butcher to cut the bone in half the long way on a butcher's bandsaw.

Hammers mess things up.

[Adora]

I used a hammer it worked but I was picking bone chunks out of marrow. I have a big meat cleaver that goes through coconuts. That I use like a hammer. Its not as messy. Do you have a sharp axe or hand axe? Watch for flying bone in the face. I go for the joint end of the shaft there is softer bone there and it is easier to get at.

[eveheart]

...but I was picking bone chunks out of marrow... flying bone in the face.

Yeah, that's why I use a hacksaw! LOL

[Wolf]

There is no whole foods very close to me, but I once was able to stop by one on the way home from the beach (it is the closest whole foods and about an hour or two drive from home) and when I was there I bought some grass-fed marrow bones.  I'm pretty sure they were fresh never frozen, and cut up right when I bought them since the guy asked for a few minute before they could have the bones ready, so I figure they were cutting them right then and there.

The marrow was soft and creamy and reddish, and I don't remember how long I kept it in the bones for, but I remember I did at one point scrape out all the marrow and into a glass jar/bowl thing with a cover.  That marrow was the most delicious stuff I have ever eaten in my life, and I wish I could get it every single day.  I know I limited how much I could eat of it so that it would last me, and so I'm pretty sure it lasted me about a week kept fridgerated.

I've tried buying other marrow bones since then, but the only other grass-fed ones I can find are kept utterly frozen solid as rocks.  I don't know if it's the same soft marrow as I had before, since it's frozen completely hard, but I think it's more the other type of marrow.. and it's hardly appetizing at all, I try to leave it in the fridge so that it will soften and not be rock-hard-frozen, but then it starts to stink real bad after a couple days and I have to throw it away.  I haven't even eaten any of it.  I want the whole foods marrow I got before, again.   

[Chris]

There is no whole foods very close to me, but I once was able to stop by one on the way home from the beach (it is the closest whole foods and about an hour or two drive from home) and when I was there I bought some grass-fed marrow bones.  I'm pretty sure they were fresh never frozen, and cut up right when I bought them since the guy asked for a few minute before they could have the bones ready, so I figure they were cutting them right then and there.

The marrow was soft and creamy and reddish, and I don't remember how long I kept it in the bones for, but I remember I did at one point scrape out all the marrow and into a glass jar/bowl thing with a cover.  That marrow was the most delicious stuff I have ever eaten in my life, and I wish I could get it every single day.  I know I limited how much I could eat of it so that it would last me, and so I'm pretty sure it lasted me about a week kept fridgerated.

I've tried buying other marrow bones since then, but the only other grass-fed ones I can find are kept utterly frozen solid as rocks.  I don't know if it's the same soft marrow as I had before, since it's frozen completely hard, but I think it's more the other type of marrow.. and it's hardly appetizing at all, I try to leave it in the fridge so that it will soften and not be rock-hard-frozen, but then it starts to stink real bad after a couple days and I have to throw it away.  I haven't even eaten any of it.  I want the whole foods marrow I got before, again.   

Thant's been my problem as we'll with marrow. I haven't found the soft fresh kind that everybody raves about. I can only get mine frozen, and when it thaws it's dry and resembles more like suet. WF selection in #4 and #5 meats has gradually declined in the past year or two. I can no longer get certain cuts anymore consistently fresh. Even the local farmers that sell grass fed meats @ farmers markets, all of their selection is frozen. I found a local rancher yesterday that can supply me with fresh cuts of meat. I'm going to ask him about including some marrow bones as well.

[Adora]

Most of my bone marrow is frozen too. It is the only thing I still like frozen. But I don't leave them in the fridge, and the stuff is strong so, I don't think either of you are doing it wrong. When I get a fresh bone I eat it all in the first 3 days or, I freeze the rest. Since I've been putting it on my skin I sometimes leave it in the fridge a whole week. I'm just really used to it, and it doesn't stink or taste bad any more just stronger, like mild vs. sharp cheese.
   I take it out of the freezer and dig it out with a butter knife, bamboo stick, I get creative. Don't scrape the edges at first or you will get trabecular bone matrix mixed in (I like it now, but not at first). When I first ate bone marrow I warmed it in a barely warm stove (a little melts but the rest goes creamy and it mixes better) Then, mix mustard powder, garlic powder and salt. It's good. You will love it. Dip chunks of meat in it and chew you will feel like you died and went to heaven. Lick your utensils clean and you'll start to like the plain marrow. I still like all of my fats wrapped in a small piece of meat, and I chew them if they are cold. It gets buttery in your mouth as you warm it's nice.
   If it's a big bone or you only want a little (I only eat a little because I like it every day). Then, put the bone and remaining marrow back in the freezer.

[Wolf]

The frozen marrow bones I left in the fridge for a few days actually got moldy and the bones changed colour.. it didn't look good at all and smelt similar to milk gone bad(to me).. and my parents were complaining about the smell in the fridge.

[Adora]

I throw out anything moldy. Maybe you could adjust your fridge to colder, to decrease humity. I also wrap my meat and bones in parchment, and put on a platter to catch any drips. The unbleached parchment allows more circulation and I enjoy fresh meat 7 days with minimal age changes and frozen about 5.

[Wolf]

I don't think the cold is the problem, sometimes things I put in the fridge get frozen.  The packaging might be the problem, my dad would probably freak if I just left bones sitting on a plate or just wrapped in parchment, and say I can't eat stuff that's been left out/unsealed blah blah, so I have to be able to hide it if I wrap it weird or find some other way to keep it.. and it can't smell, either..  and I don't have a lot of room for stuff.

[jessica]

wolf maybe you should just call parchment butcher paper? and wrap it loosly and put it on a plate?  i have meat out around the folks i live around, they are SUPER regular, american cheese white bread top roman normal, BUT, i keep everything very clean, and they are kinda sloppy in their areas, so that makes a huge difference too. 

i will probably invest in a hack saw, i always need more tools   i got some pretty decent little marrow bones but they are frozen, the marrow still tastes really good and has great texture when it is thawed, i know the farmer, hes a really great guy, hes also given me some liver which is pretty tasty, but his meat is super lean so i opt for another farm for that...and YAK MEAT, yum, i have a feeling inger would enjoy it as it tastes to me very similar to elk