Gogi-guksu (Jeju Pork Noodle Soup)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large heavy stockpot, at least 6 liters
• •Fine strainer
• •Large noodle pot
• •Ladle
• •Sharp slicing knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the bones

   Put the pork bones in a large bowl and cover with cold water for 30 minutes, changing the water once if it turns very red. This pulls out excess blood so the finished broth tastes clean rather than metallic. Rinse the pork belly or shoulder and keep it separate.

   Do not soak the meat for hours. Thirty minutes is enough for a home kitchen, and longer can wash away flavor you worked to buy.
2. 2

   Blanch hard

   Put the bones in a large pot with 8 cups cold water. Bring to a hard boil and boil 8 minutes, until gray foam rises and the water looks dirty. Drain the bones, rinse them under warm running water, and scrub the pot clean. This is not fussiness. It is the difference between a milky broth and a muddy one.

3. 3

   Start the broth

   Return the clean bones to the clean pot. Add 6 cups fresh cold water, the pork belly or shoulder, onion, leek or scallions, garlic, ginger, peppercorns, and cheongju or soju if using. Bring to a boil, then lower to a steady simmer with small bubbles breaking at the surface. Skim for the first 15 minutes, because the pot gives you one chance to take the roughness out.

4. 4

   Pull the meat

   After 55 to 70 minutes, check the pork belly or shoulder. A skewer should slide in without force, but the meat should still hold a clean slice. Lift it out, wrap loosely in foil or cover in a bowl, and let it rest. Leave the bones in the pot. Meat that stays in for the whole broth becomes dry and apologetic, and nobody at the table needs that.

5. 5

   Simmer the bones

   Continue simmering the bones for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours more, adding hot water if the level drops below the bones. Stir the bones once or twice, pressing them gently against the side of the pot. You are asking for body, not a violent boil. A rolling boil can make the broth greasy and harsh.

6. 6

   Strain and season

   Strain the broth through a fine strainer into a clean pot. You should have about 8 cups. If you have less, add hot water; if you have much more, simmer it uncovered until it tastes full. Season with 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon guk-ganjang, and 1/2 teaspoon minced saeujeot if using. Taste after each addition. The broth should be savory and pork-rich, but gentle enough that the noodles still taste like wheat.

7. 7

   Slice the pork

   Slice the rested pork across the grain into pieces about 5mm thick. Keep the slices covered so they do not dry out. If the pork is belly, trim only the loose excess fat, not every stripe. Jeju pork noodle soup should taste like pork, and fear of fat makes a thin bowl.

8. 8

   Cook the noodles

   Bring a separate large pot of water to a boil. Cook fresh wheat noodles for 2 to 3 minutes, or dried somyeon or jungmyeon according to the package, usually 4 to 6 minutes. Stir so they do not clump. Drain and rinse briefly under warm running water to remove surface starch, then shake off the water well. If you leave the starch on, it muddies the broth you spent three hours cleaning.

9. 9

   Assemble the bowls

   Divide the noodles among four warmed bowls. Ladle about 2 cups hot broth over each portion. Lay 4 to 5 slices of pork on top, then scatter with sliced scallion, sesame seeds, and a little black pepper. Serve with gochugaru and saeujeot on the side so each person can season the pork, not bury the whole bowl.

Chef Tips

• •Pork neck bones make the best home broth because they give body without needing a restaurant stockpot. If your butcher has only back bones, use them. If the bones are very lean, add one split pork trotter for body, then strain carefully.
• •Jeju black pork is beautiful if you can find it, but the technique matters more than the label. Buy honest pork with clean smell and some fat. A perfect name on careless meat will not save the pot.
• •Do not make the broth spicy in the pot. Gogi-guksu is pale for a reason. Serve gochugaru or a little minced saeujeot at the table, and let the pork and broth keep their own voice.
• •Fresh wheat noodles give the bowl the right chew. Dried somyeon makes a lighter bowl, and dried jungmyeon comes closer in thickness. Cook the month and the market you are standing in, but rinse the starch off either way.
• •A pressure cooker is a fair modern vessel here. Blanch the bones first, then pressure cook the bones with the aromatics for 60 minutes and natural-release for 20 minutes. Still pull the belly or shoulder after it is tender, or it will overcook.

Advance Preparation

• •The broth can be made 2 days ahead. Chill it uncovered until cool, then cover and refrigerate. Lift off only the thick cap of fat; leave a little, because a completely stripped broth tastes flat.
• •The boiled pork can be cooked a day ahead and refrigerated wrapped tightly. Slice it cold for cleaner pieces, then warm the slices briefly in hot broth before serving.
• •Cook the noodles only at serving time. Holding cooked wheat noodles makes them swell and soften, and then the bowl loses the chew that gives it life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 760g)