Last time, we talked about choosing the best bones to make rich, gelatinous bone broth. This week, I want to show you how meat and bones can work together to create delicious, nourishing meals for your family.
When we cook meat on the bone, we receive more than just wonderful flavor. As the meat slowly cooks, the bone, marrow, connective tissue, and cartilage contribute richness to the meat itself, making the meat easier to digest and therefore easier for our body to absorb the nutrients from the meat. When making a stew or similar dish with bone-in meat, the cooking liquid also contains this richness.
Depending on the recipe, that flavorful liquid can become a comforting soup, a beautiful gravy, or even a nourishing bone broth right in the same pot. In today’s newsletter, I share three of my favorite beef recipes to help you enjoy every delicious—and nutritious—part!
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Table of Contents
- US Wellness Meats Giveaway Ends Soon
- Easiest Roasted Bone Marrow Recipe
- Traditional Bone-In Pot Roast with Nutrient-Dense Gravy
- Easy Beef and Barley Soup That Makes Bone Broth Too
- Have You Ever Tried “Steak Butter”?
- Looking for Bone-in Meats?
- The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
- The Modern Pioneer Pantry
- Start Your Traditional Foods Journey
- Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
- Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
- Kitchen Academy Videos
- Shop for My Favorite Items
US Wellness Meats Giveaway Ends Soon
But first…If you haven’t entered the US Wellness Meats Giveaway yet, be sure to do so today! The giveaway ends on Monday, September 28, 2026.
US Wellness Meats is giving one lucky winner a delicious head start on stocking a traditional foods kitchen. The prize includes:
- $150 worth of products from US Wellness Meats
- A signed copy of The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
- A signed copy of The Modern Pioneer Pantry
In addition to the US Wellness Meats products, my two cookbooks will provide plenty of inspiration for turning wholesome ingredients into delicious meals and building a well-stocked traditional foods kitchen and pantry. (Learn more about my Modern Pioneer Cookbook Series.)
Be sure to visit the official US Wellness Meats giveaway page for the complete entry instructions, eligibility requirements, and ending date.
Update: Watch my US Wellness Meats unboxing and learn about the best bones for making beef bone broth.
Easiest Roasted Bone Marrow Recipe
If you have never tasted roasted bone marrow, this is the perfect place to begin. It may sound like something reserved for an expensive restaurant, but it is surprisingly easy and economical to prepare at home.
In my Easiest Roasted Bone Marrow Recipe, I’ll show you how to roast marrow bones in just 15 minutes. Once the marrow is warm and soft, you can scoop it from the bone and spread it on toast with a sprinkling of sea salt. It has a rich, buttery flavor with just a hint of beef—and it is absolutely delicious!
Traditional Bone-In Pot Roast with Nutrient-Dense Gravy
Nothing says comfort food quite like a tender pot roast surrounded by carrots, onions, and potatoes. But this is no ordinary pot roast!
I make my Traditional Bone-In Pot Roast recipe with a bone-in chuck roast and braise it low and slow until the meat is falling-off-the-bone tender. You can braise it on the stovetop or in the oven, making this a wonderfully flexible recipe for a cozy family meal or Sunday supper.
As the roast cooks, the marrow, collagen, and other flavorful goodness from the bone enrich the braising liquid. Then I show you how to transform that liquid into a smooth, luxurious gravy to spoon over the meat and vegetables. Nothing goes to waste, and every part of the meal is filled with traditional goodness.
Easy Beef and Barley Soup That Makes Bone Broth Too
This hearty Beef and Barley Soup is truly a complete meal in a bowl. It is filled with tender beef, vegetables, barley, and a deeply flavorful broth—but its secret is the special cut of meat used to make it.
I prepare this Easy Beef and Barley Soup recipe with a 7-bone roast, which is a center-cut chuck roast containing a bone shaped somewhat like the number seven. If you can’t find that particular cut, don’t worry. Another bone-in chuck roast will also work beautifully.
As the roast simmers, it cooks the beef until tender while extracting collagen and flavor from the bone. You are essentially making your soup and a light bone broth at the same time! Once the meat is tender, it is shredded and returned to the pot, creating a satisfying soup that is especially welcome when the weather begins to cool.
Have You Ever Tried “Steak Butter”?
If you have never tried bone marrow, I want to encourage you to taste it at least once. If you like steak and you like butter, chances are you are going to love bone marrow! It has a wonderfully rich, buttery flavor with just a hint of beef, which is why it is sometimes nicknamed “steak butter”!
A Treasured Tradition in Our Family
I started feeding bone marrow to my son, Benjamin, when he was just a toddler, and he loved it. Now he is a grown man, and whenever he sees roasted bone marrow on a restaurant menu, he orders it—often much to the initial dismay of his friends! But once he persuades them to take a taste, they generally discover that they love it too.
And whenever Ben comes over to our home, and I have marrow bones tucked away in my freezer, they are one of the first things I cook for him. Some foods simply carry us through the years, becoming part of our family memories as well as our family’s traditional way of eating.
A Nourishing Addition to Your Traditional Foods Kitchen
Anything we can do to nourish and fortify the health of our family and friends is a good thing, and bone marrow is certainly one of our treasured traditional foods. Dare I say, it may be one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet!
When we learn to enjoy these old-fashioned foods—and perhaps even begin to crave them—we are taking another wonderful step on our journey toward creating a traditional foods kitchen.
So the next time you see marrow bones at your butcher, farmers market, grocery store, or online from US Wellness Meats, bring a few home or order them and give roasted bone marrow a try. You may discover that “steak butter” becomes a new family favorite at your home, too!
Looking for Bone-in Meats?
If you can’t find grass-fed bone-in meats in your neighborhood supermarket or farmer’s market, check out US Wellness Meats.
- Use discount code MARYNEST and my link for a one-time 15% savings off regular-priced items on your US Wellness Meats order. You can shop for a variety of products, including:
This post is not sponsored. I’m a long-time customer of US Wellness Meats because I have always been impressed by the quality of their products. Check out my US Wellness Meats unboxing video to see the types of products you can get, including bones for beef bone broth!
Order YOUR COPY Now!
The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
Seasonal ingredients, traditional techniques, and nourishing recipes. Over 85 traditional, from-scratch recipes! Discover for yourself how you can use simple ingredients and traditional techniques to cook the modern pioneer way.
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The Modern Pioneer Pantry
Simple ingredients, timeless techniques, and a well-stocked pantry. Discover over 100 nourishing recipes to preserve food and turn pantry staples into homemade meals. Build a wholesome, traditional pantry—just like a modern pioneer!
Start Your Traditional Foods Journey
Sharing my passion for traditional cooking goes beyond my YouTube cooking school—it also comes to life in the pages of my cookbooks. Both of my books, The Modern Pioneer Cookbook and The Modern Pioneer Pantry, are proudly published by Penguin Random House.
The first is filled with time-honored recipes to help you create a traditional foods kitchen, while the second is your complete guide to home food preservation. Order both books today to start or continue your traditional foods journey.
Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
For an extensive list of the traditional foods you can make and purchase to stock your pantry, be sure to download my free 36-page Traditional Foods Pantry List. This comprehensive eBook is full of links to recipe videos, helpful articles, and more!
Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
Are you looking for more traditional foods videos? If so, I invite you to join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy. Members of this optional paid YouTube community get access to exclusive videos and other members-only perks. Plus, your YouTube comments include a special members-only badge.
Kitchen Academy Videos
How Much of Each Natural Remedy Should You Make?
Use your family’s needs, past experience, and seasonal habits to decide how much to prepare for your Healing Pantry.
Baking Questions Answered with Ted and Mary!
Join me and my husband Ted for a Q&A filled with practical kitchen tips, helpful techniques, and answers to your baking questions.
Baking with Whole Grains: The Maslin Method, Grain Mills, and America’s Bread Basket
Explore whole grain baking with The Maslin Method, fresh-milled flour, grain mills, heritage wheats, and more.
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- Order The Modern Pioneer Cookbook - Get a hardcover book of Mary's nourishing recipes from a Traditional Foods Kitchen. This bestselling cookbook is published by Penguin Random House with their DK imprint.
- Order The Modern Pioneer Pantry - Get Mary's latest hardcover cookbook about preserving food and making delicious meals from your Four Corners Pantry. Mary's second cookbook is also published by Penguin Random House.
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Favorite Kitchen Supplies
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