Name: Ox Bone Soup
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 210 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 3 lb Beef leg bones; 8 oz Beef brisket; 6 cloves Garlic (whole cloves); 2 stalks Green onion (sliced); to taste Salt; to taste Black pepper; 16 cups Water; 2 oz Thin wheat noodles (optional)

Seolleongtang has been sold in Seoul for centuries. There are restaurants in the Gwangjang area that have served it every day for decades, and the soup looks exactly the same across all of them: a milky white broth in a stone bowl, a heap of noodles, a few slices of brisket, a pile of sliced green onion, and a small dish of coarse salt.

My grandfather ate seolleongtang every Sunday morning of his adult life. He would leave the house at seven in the morning and walk to the same restaurant, order the same bowl, season it exactly as he liked, and be back home by eight. He said the soup was his meditation.

I think about that when I make seolleongtang at home. The process is long — two hours of soaking, ten minutes of blanching, three hours of simmering — but most of it is passive. The stove does the work. The bones release their collagen into the water over the long simmer, turning the transparent liquid gradually opaque, then milky white, then creamy. That color is the whole visual language of the soup.

Seolleongtang is completely unseasoned when it reaches the table. The pot contains only bones, water, garlic, and brisket. No soy sauce, no doenjang, no gochugaru. Each person seasons their own bowl with salt and pepper. This tradition emphasizes that the broth itself is the achievement — the clean, deep flavor of rendered collagen and beef — not a sauce or a condiment.

Make it on a cold Sunday and serve with noodles and extra green onion. The leftovers keep beautifully; the broth thickens in the fridge and can be reheated bowl by bowl throughout the week.

Instructions

Soak the beef bones in cold water for 2 hours, changing the water every 30 minutes to remove blood.

Place the bones in a large stockpot, cover with water, and bring to a rolling boil. Boil for 10 minutes, then drain and rinse the bones. This blanching step removes impurities.

Return the bones to the clean pot with 16 cups of fresh water, garlic, and the brisket. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Cook for at least 3 hours, skimming occasionally.

Tip: The broth should turn milky white from the collagen in the bones. The longer you simmer, the richer and more opaque it becomes.

Remove the brisket when tender (about 1 hour in), let it cool, and slice it thinly against the grain. Set aside.

If using noodles, cook them separately according to package directions and place in serving bowls. Ladle the hot broth over the noodles, top with sliced brisket and green onion. Season with salt and pepper at the table.

Tip: Seolleongtang is traditionally served plain — each person seasons their own bowl. Offer coarse salt, pepper, and chopped green onion on the side.

Ox Bone Soup

Seolleongtang

Prep: 30 minCook: 180 minTotal: 210 minServings: 6

Ingredients

3 lb Beef leg bones
8 oz Beef brisket
6 cloves Garlic (whole cloves)
2 stalks Green onion (sliced)
to taste Salt
to taste Black pepper
16 cups Water
2 oz Thin wheat noodles (optional)(optional)

Instructions

Soak the beef bones in cold water for 2 hours, changing the water every 30 minutes to remove blood.
Place the bones in a large stockpot, cover with water, and bring to a rolling boil. Boil for 10 minutes, then drain and rinse the bones. This blanching step removes impurities.
Return the bones to the clean pot with 16 cups of fresh water, garlic, and the brisket. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Cook for at least 3 hours, skimming occasionally.
Remove the brisket when tender (about 1 hour in), let it cool, and slice it thinly against the grain. Set aside.
If using noodles, cook them separately according to package directions and place in serving bowls. Ladle the hot broth over the noodles, top with sliced brisket and green onion. Season with salt and pepper at the table.