Soup season means it’s time to make Korean Oxtail Soup! Also called Kkori Gomtang, it’s a delicious soup made from beef oxtail bones. Clear broth, chewy oxtails, tender chunks of Korean radish, and slurpy sweet potato noodles — so delicious! Serve with rice, kimchi, and a shower of green onion.

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What is Korean Oxtail Soup?

Korean Oxtail Soup, also called Kkori Gomtang, is a hearty Korean soup made from oxtail beef bones. The beef oxtails are cooked until fall-off-the-bone tender. The milky broth is full of rich flavor and a high amount of collagen. Served with plenty of green onion, it’s a delicious Korean soup that’s pure comfort!

Kkori Gomtang roughly translates to, “Tail Bone Soup.” Oxtail bones have long been considered a cheap and inexpensive cut of beef. Boney, without much meat, they are full of connective tissue, tendon, marrow, and cartilage. The tough, sinewy meat requires long, slow cooking to make it tender. However, oxtails are FULL of flavor! And make a fabulous, nutrient-rich bone broth.

As a child, my favorite soup — made by my Korean Grandma — was ox tail soup. The long process involved parboiling the oxtail bones first. An extra step in Korean cuisine that’s necessary for a clear, flavorful, rich broth.

It takes several hours to transform the beef bones into a milky soup with tender chunks of oxtail meat and chewy bits of tendon. But it is very much worth it!

Make this Korean oxtail soup recipe for your family and friends. Delicious and heart-warming, it’s a big bowl of cozy that will point you toward home!

**Thank you to Bessie Box for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.**

Ingredients:

• Beef Oxtail Bones. A chunky cut of meat that comes from the tailbone of cows. Look for meaty, thick oxtails. For faster cooking, look for larger bones that are cut in half. Or, ask your butcher to cut the larger oxtails in half. They can be found at Asian grocery stores and sometimes, conventional markets or boutique-style butcher shops.
• Onion. One large whole onion gives lots of flavor to the broth and is easier to remove than small chunks.
• Korean Radish (Mu). Korean radish is large with light green coloring. Adds depth of flavor and body. Can be swapped with Japanese daikon.
• Beef Bouillon Powder (Dasida). My Korean grandma’s secret ingredient for beefy flavored stock or soup. Adds lots of flavor to the oxtail broth.
• Dashima. Dried edible kelp commonly used in Korean cooking. Comes in a large square or rectangle. Optional ingredient but makes the broth extra tasty.
• Green Onion. Add a small bowl of chopped green onion when serving. People can add how much they like at the table.
• Noodles (optional). Koreans like to add Dang Myeon (sweet potato noodle) or Somyeon/Somen noodles (thin wheat noodle) to this dish.

How to make Kkori Gomtang:

1. Remove blood. In a large stock pot, add the oxtail pieces. Add enough cold water to cover.  Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours until the blood drains from the meat and bones.  The water will be red.
2. Drain. Drain the bloody water.  Return bones to the pot.  Rinse and add enough water to cover.
3. Parboil. Bring the contents of the pot to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.  Simmer furiously for 3-5 minutes until the water looks dirty and scum rises to the surface. Drain the bones in a colander. Rinse thoroughly, making sure to rub off any debris or fatty bits.  Wash the pot.  Return parboiled bones to the clean pot.  Add 8 cups of water, onion, and dashima.
4. Cook. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer until the meat is tender and the broth is milky-looking, about 1 1/2 – 2 hours. The meat should be soft when poked with a chopstick but not falling off the bone just yet. Add Korean radish and cook until soft, about 30 minutes. Remove the onion pieces and dashima with tongs or a slotted spoon.
5. Add noodles. While the radish cooks, soak the sweet potato noodles in cold water for 15 minutes. Drain the noodles and add to the soup pot. Cook until soft and pliant, about 3-4 minutes. Season with beef bouillon, salt, and pepper.
6. Serve. Serve in separate bowls, making sure to divide the oxtail, radish, and noodles evenly. Ladle plenty of hot broth on top. Serve with rice, kimchi, and a bowl of green onion. Sea salt and black pepper is essential! Enjoy!

PRO Tips:

• Make in advance. The soup can be made a day or two beforehand and refrigerated. Easily reheats on the stovetop. Do not cook the noodles until right before serving.
• Parboil the bones. In Korean cooking, the secret to great soup is to parboil the meat bones.  Although it can seem like a hassle, it removes the soup of any impurities. And results in a clear, rich, intensely flavored, clear broth.
• Clean the parboiled bones and cooking pot. After parboiling, clean the bones and stock pot. For the bones, drain and rinse under cold water. Rub with your hands to remove any grimy particles that are stuck to the meat. For the large stock pot, wash thoroughly with soap and water to remove the grimy particles stuck to the side.
• Remove fat. For a less oily soup, place the broth in the fridge overnight. The fat will harden and be easier to remove.
• Add water. As the soup cooks, the liquid will evaporate. Make sure to keep adding enough water to match the original water line.

How to serve:

• Serve with green onions and salt + pepper. People can help themselves at the table.
• Easy sides: rice and kimchi. A classic addition to this hearty Korean soup! Cubed radish Kimchi (Kkakduggi) is a spicy, crunchy addition that complements the soup’s mild flavors perfectly.

FAQ:

More Soup Recipes:

• Dak Gomtang (Korean Chicken Soup)
• Beef Gomtang (Beef Bone Soup)
• Gamjatang (Pork Bone Soup)
• Instant Pot Vietnamese-Style Chicken Soup
• Homemade Miso Soup