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A soup worth waiting hours for

Seolleongtang is a soup made out of ox bones and it takes hours to achieve that milky goodness. This was one of my favorite dishes to get at Korean restaurants since it’s rarely ever made at home. We just recently started making seolleongtang in large batches and freezing them so we could it enjoy at home. Unlike other bone stocks and broths, this soup is made by boiling the ox bones at a very high temperature, which is why the broth is cloudy instead of clear.

This is a very mild soup that is served with the seasonings on the side. This way everyone can season to their personal preference! Seolleongtang normally has somen noodles within the soup and rice on the side (best of both worlds). Pair with some kkakdugi (radish kimchi) on the side for the full experience of this simple yet comforting dish!

Some tips from the kitchen

You can find ox bones at the Asian grocery store, usually in the frozen beef section. The bones are a mixture of marrow bones, foot bones, and knuckle bones. I bought a bag of bones for around $8 and yielded around 5 quarts!
There is no exact measurement, recipe, or exact time for this dish, only techniques, tips and tricks.
- Tip 1: Soaking, parboiling, and rinsing the bones get rid of any scum to make a cleaner tasting soup.
- Tip 2: Don’t be afraid to add more water! Add as much water as needed. It will eventually reduce down.
- Tip 3: By the end of the boiling process, the bones should look sponge-like, be smooth, and the marrow should be gone from the cavity.
- Tip 4: When cooling down, the broth should become thick and gelatinous. If the broth is still slightly runny after fully chilled, it may need to reduce more on the stove top.
For the full experience, serve with somyeon noodles in the bowl, chopped scallions, salt, and rice and kkakdugi (radish kimchi) on the side.

Ingredients

3 lbs. Ox Bones (mix of marrow bones, foot bones, knuckle bones)
Water, as needed
1 lb. Brisket

For serving

Somyeon Noodles (thin wheat noodles)
Chopped Scallions
Salt, on the side

Instructions

1. Soak the ox bones and brisket for at least 1 hour to drain the blood. Drain and rinse.

2. Add the bones into a large stock pot and fill it up with water. Parboil for 5-10 minutes. Drain and rinse the bones again.

3. Add the bones back into the stock pot and fill up with water. Hard boil for around 4-5 hours to achieve a white milky color. Add water as needed.

4. Add in the soaked brisket and continue to boil for another 2 hours.

5. Remove the brisket and the bones. Strain through a mesh sieve to catch any tiny bits.

6. Chill in an ice bath until a layer of fat forms at the top. Carefully remove the fat with a spoon.

7. Serve with somyeon noodles, rice, chopped scallions, and salt on the side.

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