Beef Bones can come from shank, femur or humerus (all parts of the front and rear legs) and must have marrow exposed at at least one end. They are at their best when they include some flavorful meat and plenty of cartilage and connective tissue. These are very easy for the butcher to cut up on his bandsaw, so they are usually pre-cut to lengths suitable for making soup stock, though I usually split them lengthwise as well.