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Guinness & bone marrow gravy
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Guinness & Bone Marrow Gravy

This rich Guinness & bone marrow gravy is slow cooked in the oven overnight then finished the next day, in time for lunch! It's packed full of flavour & perfect for roast dinners.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time12 hours
Total Time12 hours 30 minutes
Course: Sauces, Side Dish
Cuisine: British, English, Irish
Servings: 10 People
Author: Ben Racey

Equipment

  • Large Roasting Tin
  • Large Saucepan
  • Sieve

Ingredients

Overnight Stock

  • 1 kg Beef Bones
  • 750 g Chicken Wings (Or Chicken Carcasses)
  • 2 Bone Marrows (Split In Half - See Notes)
  • 2 White Onions
  • 4 Carrots
  • 3 Celery Sticks
  • 1 Garlic Bulb
  • 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
  • 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
  • 440 ml Guinness
  • 2 Beef Stock Pots
  • 1 Chicken Stock Pot
  • Fresh Rosemary (A Few Sprigs)
  • Fresh Thyme (A Few Sprigs)

To Finish

  • 2 tbsp Redcurrant Jelly
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
  • 2 tsp Dark Soy Sauce
  • 3-4 tbsp Beef Gravy Granules
  • 30 g Unsalted Butter

Instructions

Overnight Stock

  • Preheat an oven to 220°c/200°c fan (428°f/392°f).
  • Place the beef bones, chicken wings & bone marrow into a large roasting tin. Roughly chop up the onions, carrots & celery and cut the garlic in half then add into the tin as well. There's no need to peel the veg (just make sure that they're clean).
  • Drizzle the veg oil over the bones & veg then give everything a toss to coat. Roast in the preheated oven, stirring occasionally until everything is well browned. This will take around an hour.
  • Once cooked, place the roasting tin onto a stove set to a medium heat & turn the oven down to 90°c/194°f (or your oven’s lowest temperature if it doesn't go this low). Scoop the marrow out of the bones & place into the tin, using a spoon.
  • Next, stir the tomato paste through the veg & bones then pour in the Guinness, scraping the bottom of the tin with a wooden spoon to deglaze it.
  • Once the Guinness has reduced slightly, add in the stock pots, herbs & enough cold water to cover the bones then bring to a gentle simmer. The roasting tin should be around ¾ full of liquid, otherwise it could overflow!
    The water should be hot but not boiling!
  • Place the tin of stock back into the oven then leave to cook overnight (around 12 hours is best).

To Finish

  • The next day, pass the stock into a large saucepan, through a sieve then set over a low heat. Use a ladle to skim the layer of fat off the top of the gravy.
    Place the fat into a bowl then let it cool down. It'll be easier to throw away once it has set. Make sure to take as much fat off the top of the gravy as possible, as this will give it a better finish.
  • Once all the fat has been removed, stir the redcurrant jelly, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar & soy sauce into the gravy then bring it to a simmer.
  • Next, gradually whisk gravy granules into the sauce to thicken it. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. You'll need around 3-4 tbsp of gravy granules but add it in a small amount at a time!
  • To finish the gravy, stir in the butter then season to taste with salt & pepper. Give the gravy a taste. If it tastes slightly bitter, add in another teaspoon of balsamic vinegar to balance it out.
  • You can serve the gravy straight away or transfer it to a container, leave to cool down then chill until needed. To reheat, warm the gravy in a pan over a medium heat.

Notes

1. Cooking In An Aga - To cook this gravy in an Aga, roast the bones in the roasting oven on the second from top set of runners. Deglaze the tin on the boiling plate then cook overnight in the simmering oven, on the bottom set of runners. Use the simmering plate to finish the gravy.
2. Bones - You'll be able to get beef bones from your butcher! You can use chicken wings or chicken carcasses if they're available from your butcher as well. For the bone marrows, you'll need 2 that have been split in half lengthways (or 4 splits/canoes).
3. Roasting Tin - For a batch of gravy this size, you'll need a large, deep roasting tin. If you've got a smaller tin, you could split the gravy between 2 tins or make half the amount.
4. Storage - Leftover gravy needs to be stored in the fridge & is best eaten within 3 days. You can freeze gravy as well in an airtight container & it will keep for up to 3 months.
5. Reheating - To reheat gravy, place it into a saucepan then warm over a medium heat, stirring frequently until piping hot.