Ppyeo-haejangguk (Pork Spine Hangover Soup)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large heavy pot, 6 to 8 liters
• •Large mixing bowl for soaking bones
• •Colander
• •Tongs or long chopsticks
• •Optional pressure cooker, 6 liters or larger

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the bones

   Put the pork bones in a large bowl and cover with cold water by at least 5cm. Soak 30 minutes, changing the water once if it turns dark. This pulls out excess blood before the pot ever sees heat; skip it and the broth tastes muddy no matter how long you simmer.

   If your bones are very fresh and pale, 20 minutes is enough. If they were frozen, give them the full 30 minutes after thawing.
2. 2

   Blanch and rinse

   Drain the soaked bones, put them in a large pot, cover with fresh cold water, and bring to a hard boil. Boil 7 minutes, then drain. Rinse each bone under running water, rubbing away clots and gray scum from the cut surfaces. Wash the pot too. This is not fussiness; this is the difference between clean pork broth and a pot that smells tired.

3. 3

   Start the broth

   Return the cleaned bones to the clean pot. Add 3 liters water, 1 tablespoon doenjang, the onion, crushed garlic, ginger, scallion whites, and soju if using. Bring to a boil, then lower to a steady simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour 45 minutes. Skim the first 15 minutes, then leave it alone. The meat should loosen from the bone, but not fall apart into threads yet.

4. 4

   Season the greens

   While the bones simmer, squeeze the blanched ugeoji dry and tear or cut it into 7cm lengths. In a bowl, mix the greens with 1 tablespoon doenjang, gochugaru, minced garlic, soup soy sauce, fish sauce or saeujeot brine, gochujang if using, salt, black pepper, and perilla oil. Work it in by hand so the seasoning enters the leaves. Greens tossed on top of soup taste separate; greens seasoned first become part of the broth.

5. 5

   Add greens and potatoes

   Lift out and discard the onion, ginger, and scallion whites. Add the seasoned ugeoji and the halved potatoes to the pot. Simmer 35 to 45 minutes more, until the potatoes are tender and the pork pulls easily from the bone with chopsticks. Keep the simmer steady, not violent, or the potatoes break before the bones finish.

6. 6

   Finish with perilla

   Stir in 4 tablespoons perilla seed powder and simmer 5 minutes. It will cloud the broth and give it a nutty body. Taste now, before adding more salt. The soup should be savory, earthy, and warm with chili, not hot for the sake of heat. Add salt 1/4 teaspoon at a time only if the broth tastes flat.

7. 7

   Serve the bowls

   Ladle bones, greens, potatoes, and broth into deep bowls or individual ttukbaegi. Scatter sliced scallion greens, green chilies, red chili if using, and torn perilla leaves over the top. Serve with rice, kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), and a small dish of extra perilla seed powder. People will reach for the bones with both hands. Let them.

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for pork neck bones or spine bones with meat still clinging to them. Bare bones make thin broth and sad eating; you want pieces a diner can pick up and work over with chopsticks.
• •Ugeoji is best when you have the tough outer leaves left from napa cabbage, especially in kimjang season. Outside that season, use blanched napa cabbage, young radish greens, or frozen ugeoji from a Korean market. Cook the month you're standing in.
• •A pressure cooker is a safe modern shortcut: after blanching and rinsing, cook the bones with water and aromatics under pressure for 45 minutes, release naturally, then simmer with the seasoned greens and potatoes uncovered. Do not pressure-cook the potatoes from the start unless you want them to disappear.
• •Do not skip the blanching wash. You may shorten the vessel and the schedule, but the cleaning of the bones is the dish's backbone.
• •Leftovers keep 3 days refrigerated. Chill quickly, lift off any hardened fat if you like, and reheat at a simmer until the meat is hot all the way through.

Advance Preparation

• •Blanch, rinse, and simmer the bones a day ahead for 1 hour 45 minutes, then refrigerate the broth and bones together. The next day, skim the chilled fat if desired, bring it back to a simmer, and continue with the seasoned greens and potatoes.
• •The ugeoji can be blanched, squeezed dry, and refrigerated up to 2 days ahead. Season it only the day you cook, so the garlic and gochugaru stay clear.
• •Finished soup freezes better without potatoes. Freeze bones, greens, and broth up to 2 months, then add fresh potatoes when reheating.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 690g)