Sagol Yuksu (Beef Bone Broth)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •10 to 12 liter heavy stockpot
• •Large colander
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Tongs for lifting bones
• •Heatproof storage containers
• •Large bowl or sink setup for an ice bath

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the bones

   Put the bones in your largest pot or a deep bowl and cover with at least 6 liters cold water. Soak 4 to 6 hours, changing the water every 1 to 2 hours, until the water stays much clearer. This pulls out blood that would cloud the broth in the wrong way and give it a stale taste.

   If your kitchen is warm, soak the bones in the refrigerator. Bones sitting in room-temperature water for hours are not a place to be casual.
2. 2

   Blanch hard

   Drain the soaked bones, return them to the pot, and cover with fresh cold water by 5 cm. Bring to a hard boil and boil 10 minutes. The water will turn gray and rough. Pour all of it away. That first water is not broth; it is cleaning.

3. 3

   Wash bones clean

   Rinse each bone under running water, rubbing away clotted bits and dark residue with your fingers or a small brush. Wash the pot too. This is the step people rush, and then they wonder why the broth smells heavy. Clean bones and a clean pot give you a clean white yuksu.

4. 4

   Start the broth

   Return the cleaned bones to the clean pot and add 7 liters cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower just enough to keep a steady, active boil. For sagol yuksu, too gentle a simmer gives a thin, clear stock; the movement in the pot helps turn the broth milk-white.

5. 5

   Boil and skim

   Boil uncovered for 3 hours, skimming foam and gray scum from the surface during the first hour. Add boiling water whenever the bones are close to peeking above the liquid. Use boiling water, not cold, so the pot keeps its rhythm.

6. 6

   Continue extracting

   Keep boiling 5 to 7 more hours, for 8 to 10 hours total, until the broth is opaque ivory and lightly sticky on your lips. If using radish and onion, add them only for the final 90 minutes, then remove them. They sweeten the broth, but if they cook all day they make it tired.

7. 7

   Strain the broth

   Lift out the bones and strain the broth through a fine strainer into clean containers. Do not season it now. This is a mother broth, and it may become seolleongtang, tteokguk, mandu-guk, or porridge. Salt it only when you know where it is going.

8. 8

   Second boil optional

   For a fuller batch, return the bones to the pot, add 5 liters fresh water, and boil 4 to 5 more hours. Strain and combine this second extraction with the first. Restaurants often do several extractions; at home, two is usually the honest balance between flavor and the gas bill.

9. 9

   Cool and store

   Cool the broth quickly: set the containers in an ice bath, stir now and then, and refrigerate once the broth is no longer hot. Chill overnight, then lift off the solid fat cap if you want a cleaner broth. Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze in 2-cup and 4-cup portions for up to 3 months.

   Label the container with the yield and date. A 2-cup block is enough for one bowl of tteokguk; a 4-cup block feeds two. That is how batch cooking becomes useful instead of just virtuous.

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for beef leg bones cut crosswise, plus some knuckle or joint bones. Leg bones give the marrow flavor; joints give collagen and body. One without the other makes a flatter broth.
• •Do not salt the stockpot. Sagol yuksu is an ingredient, not the finished soup. Season in the serving bowl with salt, pepper, and scallion so each dish can find its own balance.
• •A pressure cooker can help with the first extraction: after blanching and washing, pressure cook the bones with water for 2 hours, then boil uncovered 1 to 2 hours to whiten and concentrate. It saves time, but it does not excuse dirty bones.
• •If the broth cools into a soft gel, you did well. If it stays thin but tastes clean, use more joint bones next time and boil a little harder. Write down the bone mix from the batch you like.

Advance Preparation

• •Make sagol yuksu at least 1 day before you need it. The overnight chill lets the fat rise and gives you a cleaner broth for tteokguk or seolleongtang.
• •Freeze in measured portions: 2 cups for one generous soup bowl, 4 cups for two servings, and 1 cup portions for enriching rice porridge or noodle broth.
• •Bones can be soaked overnight in the refrigerator before blanching. Change the water once before bed and once in the morning.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 240g)