Korean ox tail bone marrow soup is full of collagen. All you need to do is to add water to ox tail bones and simmer for hours. Serve with rice and kimchi.

Ox Tail Bone Marrow Soup is served with rice and kimchi.

Every winter my mother simmered ox tail bone marrow soup (kkori gomtang, 꼬리곰탕) to feed us. She spent nearly two days to simmer this collagen rich soup saying that there was no better food than bone marrow soup to withstand the harsh winter of my hometown in Korea.

She believed that bone marrows have a magical power to strengthen our physical resistance to fight against the cold. Maybe her belief was right, or maybe it was the tremendous amount of clementine oranges we ate during the winter.

For any reason it maybe, we spent most of our winters without much sickness.

Types of Bone Marrow Soups

There are several types of bone marrow soup in Korea; Selungtang (설렁탕), Gomtang (곰탕), and the Sagol-gook (사골국) are the common names you might heard of if you like Korean bone marrow soup. The main difference is in the type of bones used and the addition of meat in the simmering process.

  • Selungtang contains chunks of beef such as brisket or flank steak simmered with the bones. Gomtang is general name of bone marrow soup that can be considered in both ways.
  • Gomtang can be made with cow’s head bones, tail bones, or leg bones.  Here I made ox tail bone marrow soup. We call it Kkori-gomtang (꼬리곰탕). Ox tails are  available in many grocery stores.
  • Sagol Soup is made with bones only and the marrows inside the bone makes the soup quite milky.

How To Clean Ox Tail Bones

Ox Tail bones are soaking in the water.

You will need to soak the ox tail bones in cold water for 1 hour.

After soaking with water, ox tail bones stained the water to red bloody water.

Within 30 minutes, the water will turn bloody. Change the water and continue to soak.

A hand is holding extra fat and skin from an ox tail bone.

Rinse the bones and cut off any visible fat and skin.

Simmering Ox Tail Bones

Ox tail bones are boiling in a pot of water.

Mix the bones with some water and boil for a few minutes.

Boiled ox tail bones are drained through a colander.

Then, drain all the water. You will need to pre-boil these bones before the actual cooking to get rid of unpleasant smell and impurities from the bones.

A lid over a pot is slightly opened.

Now add clean water again to the bone and simmer. The amount of water is about 3 times the volume amount of bones. Just eyeball it. Simmer for 6-7 hours.

Ox tail bones released bone marrows after a long simmering.

Now you will see the water turned into slightly milky broth.

Meat parts were pulled from the bone and separated.

Take the bones out and pull all the meaty parts off the bone. You will add the meat back to the broth and chill it. The bones will go back to the pot and add more water again to simmer for the second time, another 6-7 hours

Ox tail bones are simmered again for the second time and releasing more milky bone marrows.

I added a little less water this time and the broth seems much thicker and more opaque. Take out the bones and add the broth to the first batch.

If you want, you can simmer the bones again for the third time. Then you can discard the bones.

A spoon is removing the hardened far from the chilled bone marrow soup.

Chill the broth and meat overnight. You will see the hardened fat on top. You will want to remove the fat unless you have a different idea.

A container is filled with jellied bone marrows.

Now you have jellied marrows that can turn into soup when heated. This jellied marrows are full of collagen.

Ox tail Soup is served with rice and kimchi on a tray.

You will need to season the soup after it is heated. All you need is good salt (sea salt), pepper, and some chopped green onion.

Rice is added to the ox tail bone marrow soup.

How To Serve Korean Bone Marrow Soup

Koreans like to add rice to the soup and serve with either/both well fermented radish and cabbage kimchi. So comforting and good~!

Yes, it takes nearly two days to complete, but you can make a whole batch to last. The bone marrow soup freezes beautifully and can last months.

I use the broth as base of other kinds of soups, and even in risottos. Check my pumpkin mushroom risotto recipe. It’s a simple recipe that can turn Korean rice into fabulous risotto with this bone marrow soup.

Cooking Ox Tail Bones In Electric Pressure Cooker

If you want to save time, you can cook ox tail bones in an electric pressure cooker. Just add bones and water, and cook for 1 hour in pressure cooking. Natural steam release setting for 10 minutes, then quick release. Repeat the same process for 2 more times.

More Soup Recipes

Korean ox tail bone marrow soup

Korean Ox Tail Bone Marrow Soup

Korean ox tail bone marrow soup is full of collagen. All you need to do is to add water and simmer for hours. Serve with rice and kimchi.
5 from 1 rating

Ingredients

  • 4 lbs ox tail bones
  • water
  • salt and pepper
  • chopped green onion

Instructions 

  • Soak the ox tail bones in cold water for 1 hour, changing the water half way.
  • Cut off any visible fats or loose skin attached. Add the bones to a large stock pot and add water to cover the bones completely. Bring to boil and cook for 5 minutes. Drain the bones and discard the boiling water. Rinse the bones with water.
  • Put the bones in a pot again and pour water that is 3 times the volume amount of bones to the pot. Bring to a gentle boil, cover with a lid, and simmer for 6-7 hours over low heat.
  • Take the bones out of the pot and let them cool. Collect the broth in a large container and cool as well. When the bones are cool to touch, Pull the meat off the bones and add to the broth. Keep the broth and the meat in a fridge.
  • Return the bones to the pot and pour the same amount (or a little less) of water to the pot. Simmer again for the second time, 6-7 hours. Drain the broth and combine with the first batch, and chill.
  • You can simmer the bones again for the third time if you wish. Follow the same step.
  • When the broth is chilled overnight, you will see hardened fat on top. Remove the fat. You will have jellied bone marrow and meat pieces on the bottom.
  • To reheat, simmer the bone marrow soup in a pot until hot. Ladle into a serving bowl and season with salt and pepper according to your taste. Sprinkle some chopped green onion. Serve hot with rice and kimchi.

Notes

Cooking Bone Marrow Soup in an Electric Pressure Cooker: If you want to save time, you can cook ox tail bones in an electric pressure cooker. Just add bones and water, and cook for 1 hour in pressure cooking. Natural steam release setting for 10 minutes, then quick release. Repeat the same process for 2 more times.
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