Bone marrow burger… Just the name itself sounds like an expensive, fancy burger that you’d have to visit a high-end pub to enjoy. But you can make these delicious burgers with smoked or oven-baked bone marrow right at home!
As I write this post, I’m literally wiping the beef fat and roasted garlic aioli from the side of my mouth. It isn’t often that you have a burger that makes you immediately want to shout its praises from the rooftops (or on the internet). But here we are… the dishes aren’t even cleaned from making this bone marrow burger, but I just couldn’t wait to tell you about it.
Now, we’ve had some fantastic burgers in our time, with our favorite being the classic smash burger.
But what happens when you take a smash burger and make it ultra gourmet? A burger that would probably appear on a fancy, big city restaurant menu with a $25 price tag?
You get this delicious and surprisingly easy to make smash burger with bone marrow:
What Makes this the BEST Burger I’ve Ever Had:
These awesome bone marrow burgers have everything you want in a rich, decadent burger including:
- bone marrow – Appropriately dubbed “beef butter”, this melds into the 80/20 ground beef for extra richness.
- homemade roasted garlic aioli – This simple sauce perfectly compliments the fatty beef.
- crispy, caramelized diced onions – By cooking the onions a bit past “well done”, they crisp up slightly and have incredible flavor.
- brie and cheddar cheese – Because packaged American just won’t do for this ultra-luxe smash burger.
- brioche bun – The soft, pillowy texture and sweet flavor of the brioche bun makes this burger feel even more gourmet… plus, brioche buns are the only buns that belong on a burger, in my opinion.
Ingredients for Bone Marrow Burgers
For the burgers:
- bone marrow – More notes on this star ingredient down below.
- ground beef – We used 80/20 ground beef, which is our preferred beef for all smash burgers.
- diced onions
- cheese – No way was I slapping a slice of American cheese on my bone marrow burger… so I went with a more gourmet cheese option. A combination of creamy brie spread and black pepper cheddar elevate this burger even more.
- salt and pepper – I kept the seasoning very simple for my beef patties, because I really wanted the other flavors to shine through. Of course, you can substitute your favorite burger seasoning.
For the roasted garlic aioli:
Roasted garlic aioli is one of the easiest burger sauces to make, but it does take a bit of time to roast the garlic, so be sure to plan ahead. Here’s what you need for a simple homemade roasted garlic aioli to top your burgers:
- one whole head of garlic
- mayonnaise
- olive oil
- lemon juice
- Worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper
What is Bone Marrow?
We won’t get into an anatomy lesson here, but in culinary terms, bone marrow is the soft, fatty substance found inside the bones of animals, typically beef and veal bones. You may see it referred to as either “bone marrow” or “beef marrow”. Bone marrow is often described as tasting buttery, meaty, and slightly sweet and nutty.
This decadent ingredient is considered a delicacy and can be used to add a creamy texture and rich flavor to various dishes. Or, you can also scoop the cooked marrow out of the bone and spread it on crostini or crackers with a bit of sea salt, herbs, or parsley salad.
Notes about Buying Bone Marrow
Gourmet ingredients like this one are sometimes difficult to find, but I was able to find marrow bones in the meat cases of two local grocery stores. Here are some questions you may have about this specialty ingredient:
Where can I buy bone marrow?
The two grocery stores near me that sell marrow bones are Publix and Ingles. Look in the meat case of your store, or ask the butcher if they sell bone marrow. In my local Publix, the bones were in the freezer section, so be sure to check there as well.
If you can’t find marrow bones at your local grocery store, then they are available to purchase online. Just do a quick Google search and you’ll find tons of online butchers that will ship the product straight to your door.
What types of bones are best?
When it comes to marrow bones, there are two main cuts: the “canoe” cut and the cross cut.
Canoe Cut – The canoe cut is sliced in half lengthways, and measures about 6-8″ long. When the marrow is scooped out, the remaining hollowed-out bone looks like the shape of a canoe, hence the name.
Cross Cut – Cross cut marrow bones are sliced into sections that are about 2″ thick. The marrow is then found inside the center of the round medallions.
For this burger recipe, look for the canoe cut bones. With this cut, the marrow is easier to remove, and you get more smoke flavor when you cook the bones on the grill, because more of the marrow is exposed.
How expensive is bone marrow?
The marrow bones are typically sold by weight, which means that you’ll pay a high price per ounce of marrow. That’s because the cost includes the actual bones themselves, which weigh much more than the marrow inside of them. Just for reference, I paid about $9.00 for 4 good-sized bones, and I used 2 of the bones for this smash burger recipe. The bones were priced at $2.48 per pound.
How to Cook Bone Marrow
While it sounds like a fancy ingredient that would require specialty tools or above-average culinary skills, bone marrow is actually incredibly easy to prepare. In fact, it’s probably one of the easiest things that you will ever cook on your grill because it only requires a few basic ingredients and very little prep work.
To cook the marrow for my bone marrow burgers, I just rubbed the exposed marrow with a very thin layer of avocado oil. Then, I sprinkled on a small amount of my favorite all-purpose seasoning, a great mix of butter, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Here’s what the bones looked like before I put them on the grill:
Next, I smoked the bones on my Pit Boss pellet grill for about 40 minutes at 300 degrees F.
*NOTE – The marrow is fully cooked when it is soft, pulls away from the bone easily, and has a jelly-like consistency. Be careful to not overcook the marrow, or it will completely liquify and you won’t be able to eat it. If you’re not familiar with your grill temperatures, then be sure to check the marrow after about 20 minutes, so as not to overcook it.
After about 40 minutes at 300-325 degrees F, the bone marrow should look something like this, with nicely browned areas:
Let the smoked bone marrow cool down just a bit so that you can handle the bones. In the meantime, you can prepare the other ingredients for your burgers.
How to Make a Bone Marrow Burger
Here’s a detailed guide to the steps that I followed to create the most amazing marrow burgers on the griddle:
Preparing the Burger Sauce
A simple homemade roasted garlic aioli and bone marrow burgers are a match made in heaven, so I definitely recommend you try this easy sauce to top your burgers!
To roast the garlic:
Start by cutting the top 1/4 off the head of garlic so that the individual cloves are exposed. Place the two pieces in a piece of aluminum foil like this:
Then, drizzle the cut side of the cloves with about 1/2 – 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and fold the aluminum foil up around the garlic, just like you would for a foil packet dinner.
Bake the foil packet in the oven at 375 degrees F for about one hour. When it’s done, unwrap your foil pack of garlic goodness and allow that beautiful, fragrant roasted garlic to cool down a bit so that you can handle the bulbs. Then, you can just squeeze the soft garlic cloves out. Turn the head upside down, squeeze gently, and the garlic will come out in a paste-like consistency.
Add the roasted garlic to a bowl with the other aioli ingredients, including mayonnaise, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Mix together well, and your sauce should look something like this:
When you taste it, you’ll notice a little bit of “bite” from the lemon, which pairs perfectly with the fattiness of these burgers. Set the aioli to the side while you prepare the burgers.
Preparing the Other Burger Ingredients
First, preheat your griddle or skillet to a medium heat to begin caramelizing the diced onions, since they will take the longest to cook. I sautéed my onions in a bit of butter for extra richness, and I cooked them until they were browned for extra flavor and texture.
While the onions are cooking, prepare the cheese for your beef marrow burgers. The cheese choice is up to you, but these two cheeses paired perfectly with my burgers:
- Alouette Creme de Brie – A brie spread that has a very mild flavor… To me, this had a very faint resemblance to gorgonzola.
- Tillamook Smoked Black Pepper White Cheddar – This may be difficult to find in your grocery store, as I found it at the specialty cheese counter. You can substitute a high-quality white cheddar.
These two cheeses, when mixed together, had a consistency that was similar to pimento cheese. The brie spread acted as a binder of sorts to hold the shredded cheddar together.
If you want to shave a few bucks off the ingredient cost for this recipe, you can definitely use different cheeses. Gouda, white cheddar, or Swiss slices would probably also work.
Here are all of the prepared ingredients that I used for my marrow burgers:
Making the Beef Patties
Next, mix the smoked beef marrow and ground beef. You should be able to easily scoop the cooked marrow out of the bones and into a bowl like this:
Add the ground beef and mix well with your hands until the marrow is evenly distributed in with the beef. Then, form the mixture into large balls that are about 1/4 pound each.
I used exactly 1 pound of ground beef, so this was fairly easy for me. I just divided the beef mixture into 4 equally sized portions and rolled them each into balls like this:
Cooking the Bone Marrow Burgers
Here’s where the ol’ griddle burger debate comes in… to smash or not to smash?
The fat content of these bone marrow burgers is much higher, so if you choose to go the smash burger route, then I suggest that you make larger beef balls to start out. The typical 3 ounce balls, when smashed on the griddle, shriveled up to very small patties.
For the best results, I found that a “medium” smash worked well… I didn’t smash the burgers into paper thin, lacy patties like classic smash burgers. Instead, I smashed the balls into patties that were about 1/3″ – 1/2″ thick. This still allowed me to get a great maillard reaction and a nice burger crust, but the burgers were better sized to fit on the brioche buns.
After smashing the meat down on the hot griddle, season the burgers simply with salt and pepper. Then, when the burgers are about halfway cooked through, flip to the second side and immediately add the cheese.
Also, whether you serve your burgers as a single patty or stack two smash burger patties on top of each other for a double burger is up to you. My wife preferred the single patty, because the smaller amount of meat allowed the roasted garlic aioli to really shine through, but I preferred the double burger. Both were fantastic, so try building your burgers both ways to see which you prefer.
One note – The cheese choice was not the greatest for melting, so I used my creme brûlée torch to help melt the cheese on top of the burgers. You can also try doming the burgers to help along the melting process, but be careful not to overcook the marrow burgers while you’re waiting on the cheese to melt.
When the burgers are cooked through, remove them from the griddle and allow the excess grease to drain just a bit.
I typically like my smash burgers fresh right off the griddle, but we found that letting the burgers rest for about 3-4 minutes actually allowed some of the excess fat to seize back up, resulting in a better burger.
Then, you’re ready to build your burgers! Just spread a good amount of the aioli on the bottom toasted bun, top with the caramelized onions and a burger patty, and your delicious bone marrow burger is ready to serve!
I hope you love these bone marrow smash burgers as much as we did! And if you’re looking for some other creative ways to up your griddle burger game, then check out some of our other burger recipes:
- Super Easy Reuben Burger – This is one of the easiest burgers you’ll ever make on the griddle, and it’s loaded with flavor!
- Pub Burger with Homemade Beer Cheese – With a pretzel bun and a simple beer cheese sauce, this thick pub burger is another awesome gourmet-style burger to try on the flat top grill!
- Juicy Lucy Burgers – These cheese-stuffed burgers are a delicious take on the classic cheeseburger.
Bone Marrow Burgers (with Roasted Garlic Aioli)
Ingredients
- 2-3 marrow bones *Enough to yield about ½ cup of cooked bone marrow.
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 lb 80/20 ground beef
- cheese of your choice *See notes
- 2-3 tablespoons butter
- 4 brioche buns
- salt and pepper *Or substitute your favorite all-purpose seasoning like Shake That All Purpose Seasoning.
For the Roasted Garlic Aioli:
- 1 head garlic
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Roast garlic for the roasted garlic aioli. Cut the top ¼ off of the head of garlic, exposing the cloves. Add about ½ tablespoon of olive oil to the top of the cloves. Wrap the garlic bulb in aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 375 degrees F for about one hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to the touch.
- Make the roasted garlic aioli. Squeeze the cooled garlic out of the bulbs into a medium bowl. Add the mayonnaise, lemon juice, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside.
- While garlic is roasting, preheat grill or smoker to 300 degrees F and cook the marrow bones.
- Place the bones on a wire rack on top of an aluminum foil lined baking sheet, with the cut side facing up. Apply a very thin layer of olive oil to the cut side of the bones. Sprinkle on a small amount of salt and pepper or your favorite all-purpose seasoning. Cook the marrow bones on the grill for about 40 minutes, or until the marrow is lightly browned and has a jelly-like consistency. Be careful to not overcook the marrow. Remove the bones from the grill and allow to cool.
- Heat griddle to about 425-450 degrees F.
- While griddle is heating up, add about 2 tablespoons of butter and sauté diced onions until caramelized and slightly crispy.
- Make the burger balls. Scoop the bone marrow out of the bones into a large bowl. Add the ground beef and mix well with your hands, until the bone marrow is evenly distributed in the beef. Divide the beef mixture into 4 equal portions and roll each portion into a ball.
- When griddle is hot, place the balls of beef down on the hot zone of the griddle, making sure to leave enough space in between each to smash and flip. Place a piece of parchment paper over the first ball, and use your burger press or a stiff spatula to press down until the burger patty is about ⅓ – ½" thick. Repeat the process until all 4 burgers are smashed.
- Season the top side of each patty with salt and pepper or your favorite burger seasoning.
- When burgers are a bit more than halfway cooked through (and there are still some pink spots on top), use a spatula or scraper to flip the burgers to the second side, making sure to scrape under the burger crust to remove it from the griddle with your burgers.
- Immediately after flipping the burgers, top each patty with cheese. Continue to cook the burgers until done (about another 1-3 minutes). *If needed you can use a dome to help melt the cheese.
- While the burgers are cooking, add the buttered brioche buns to the griddle to toast.
- Remove the bone marrow burgers from the griddle. Allow the burgers to cool about 3-5 minutes. Build the burgers – spread some roasted garlic aioli on to the bottom bun, top with caramelized onions and a burger patty. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- For the cheese – I used a combination of about 4 ounces of shredded Tillamook Smoked Black Pepper White Cheddar and about 1/4 cup of Alouette Creme de Brie. When mixed together, the consistency was similar to pimento cheese. If you prefer to use sliced cheese, then I recommend gouda, Swiss, or white cheddar.
- For oven-baked bone marrow – Place the marrow bones on a baking sheet, cut side up. Season with a small amount of salt and/or pepper. Roast at 450 degrees F for about 15-25 minutes, or until the marrow begins to bubble up. Don’t overcook, as the marrow will become too liquid.
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