Korean Beef Bone Soup (Seolleongtang)
Warm, comforting, and silky—Seolleongtang is Korea’s ultimate beef bone soup. Its milky-white broth comes from hours of slow simmering, creating a rich flavor that’s mild, clean, and delicious with rice.
Equipments
- Large or extra-large strainer – for bones and impurities
- Handheld strainer – for skimming oil and floating bits
- 2 large bowls – big enough to hold 2–3 whole napa cabbages
- 12-quart stockpot – for the long simmer
- 3–5 liter containers with lids – to store each batch of soup (I use 2 kimchi containers)
Tips to Pre-Plan Your Seolleongtang
Making Seolleongtang is a labor of love that benefits from a little advance planning—expect it to take 3–4 days.
- Day 1: Soak the bones in cold water overnight to draw out blood and impurities.
- Day 2: Simmer the soup gently for 10–12 hours, then let it cool overnight.
- Day 3: Combine all batches into one, cool, and store in food-safe containers.
Timing matters: Many people prefer making Seolleongtang during the cooler months since the long simmer can warm up your kitchen.
Cooking Tips for Seolleongtang
- Simmering sweet spot: 10–12 hours extracts maximum richness, gives the broth its signature milky color, and preserves a clean, savory flavor. After 12 hours, most gelatin and nutrients have already been released, and overcooking can make the broth slightly bitter.
- Repeat or not: Some recipes repeat the simmering process three times—simmer, strain, replace bones in fresh water, and simmer again—but doing it twice works well too. Three rounds may give slightly deeper flavor, but two is plenty for a rich broth.
- 2-Step Cooking Process ( ~10 hours):
- 1st batch: Simmer 2 hours, removing beef flank after 45 minutes (or simmer 4 hours if using brisket; meat cooks ~2 hours).
- 2nd batch: Simmer 8 hours (or 6 hours if using brisket)
- 3-Step Cooking Process (~12 hours. Don’t cook beyond this):
- 1st batch: Simmer 4 hours, removing flank after 45 minutes and brisket after ~2 hours.
- 2nd batch: Simmer 4–6 hours. Totally up to you how long to simmer (4 or 6 hours) as long as the total time cooked is 12 hours.
- 3rd batch: Simmer 2–4 hours. Same note as above.
- Pro tip: If the broth turns slightly gelatinous when cooled, that’s a good sign—you’ve extracted plenty of collagen, giving your soup body, silkiness, and maximum richness.
Korean beef bone soup recipe
Seolleongtang is a comforting Korean soup made from slow-simmered beef bones that release collagen, creating a rich, silky, milky-white broth.
Ingredients
Method
- In a large bowl, add the bones and fill it with cold water. Enough to cover the bones. Cover and refrigerate overnight to draw out blood and impurities.3-4 lbs Leg bones / knuckle bones (사골), 3-4 lbs Marrow bones (우골)
- Strain out the water. Boil fresh water in a large pot, add the bones and beef flank or brisket, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until brown scum rises to the top
- Remove the beef and bones, carefully discard the hot water, and rinse the bones under cold water to remove any remaining scum. Use kitchen tongs or rubber gloves as the bones may be hot to touch.1-2 lbs Beef flank
- First simmer: Return the bones to a clean pot with fresh water and simmer for 2-4 hours (see notes for timing). Remove beef flank after ~45 minutes and brisket for ~2 hours, or when a chopstick easily pierces the meat.
- When cooled enough to handle, slice the meat thinly for serving and refrigerate until ready to eat
- Continue simmering the soup and skim any floating oil and add water as needed during the cooking time.
- Pour the first batch of soup into a large metal or heat-safe glass bowl to cool before storing in the refrigerator.
- Second simmer: Place bones back in the pot with fresh water and simmer for 4-8 hours (refer to notes for timing). Repeat the 1st batch steps: skim off oil, add more water, pour the second batch of soup to cool.
- Third simmer (optional): Repeat the second batch steps if desired (refer to notes for timing).
- After cooling overnight, remove any oil on top and combine all batches in a large pot and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Serve: Season the soup with salt, black pepper, and scallions. Serve with cooked rice and Korean radish kimchi.Salt to taste, Black pepper to taste, Chopped scallions for garnish
- Storage: The soup can be refrigerated for 2-3 days or frozen up to 2-3 months (refer to notes for thawing tips)
Notes
Cooking Time (Don’t exceed 12 hours)
- 2-Step Cooking Process ( 10 hours):
- 1st batch: Simmer 2 hours, removing beef flank after 45 minutes (or simmer 4 hours if using brisket; meat cooks ~2 hours).
- 2nd batch: Simmer 8 hours (or 6 hours for brisket)
- 3-Step Cooking Process (12 hours):
- 1st batch: Simmer 4 hours, removing flank after 45 minutes and brisket after ~2 hours.
- 2nd batch: Simmer 4–6 hours.
- 3rd batch: Simmer 2–4 hours.
