Seolleongtang — 24-Hour Ox Bone Extraction (설렁탕)

Ingredients

• 2 kg ox leg bones (사골, sagol), cut into segments
• 500 g beef brisket, whole piece
• 500 g ox trotters, halved or quartered
• 4 litres cold water, plus additional for pre-soak and initial boil
• At the table
• 1 tsp fine salt, per diner, to taste
• 1 pinch ground white pepper, per diner, to taste
• 2 green onions (파), finely chopped
• 200 g cooked short-grain rice, served in the bowl or separately
• Alongside
• 200 g kkakdugi (깍두기, cubed radish kimchi), served in a separate dish

Method

1. 1
   Place the ox leg bones, brisket, and trotters in a large vessel, cover generously with cold water, and soak for 1–3 hours, changing the water twice, so that blood and haemoglobin are drawn out of the bone cavities rather than left to cloud and darken the finished broth. The water runs noticeably paler at the end of each change. By the final change it should be only faintly pink.
2. 2
   Drain and transfer all bones and meat to the largest stockpot available, cover with fresh cold water, and bring to a vigorous boil over high heat. Boil hard for 10 minutes, then drain and discard this first water entirely, rinsing the bones and pot under running water to remove any adhering grey proteins — because any residue left clinging to the bones at this stage will turn the long-cooked broth bitter and dull. The bones should look clean and pale before you proceed.
3. 3
   Return the cleaned bones and meat to the pot, add 4 litres of fresh cold water, and bring to a full, rolling boil over high heat — this is where the dish lives or dies. The boil must be vigorous and sustained, not a gentle simmer, because it is the mechanical force of the hard boil that shatters rendered bone fat into fine droplets and drives them into the water, producing the characteristic opaque, milky-white colour that a gentle simmer will never achieve. Maintain this vigorous boil, uncovered, for the full cook time, topping up with boiling water as needed to keep the bones submerged.
4. 4
   After approximately 2–3 hours the brisket will be tender throughout; remove it and set it aside to cool, then slice thinly across the grain so each piece stays in one piece and does not shred when it meets the hot broth at the table. Reserve the slices for serving and return the bones to continue boiling. At no point during the cook is any seasoning added to the pot.
5. 5
   Continue the hard boil for a minimum of 24 hours from the start of the main cook, and up to 36–48 hours for maximum extraction; ladle off any excess surface fat at intervals if desired, but do not reduce the heat. At the 24-hour mark, ladle a small amount of broth into a bowl and refrigerate it — after 30 minutes it should set to a loose, trembling jelly, not firm and not liquid, which tells you that enough gelatin has left the bones to give the broth its body and clean, milky sweetness. If those conditions are not met, and if the flavour carries any gamey or heavy quality, continue boiling.
6. 6
   To serve, ladle the hot broth into deep bowls, add the reserved sliced brisket and a mound of chopped green onion, and place the rice in the bowl or serve it separately. Each diner seasons their own portion with salt and white pepper at the table, since the heat of the bowl opens the seasoning differently for every palate. Set kkakdugi on the table as the sole accompaniment; the broth in the bowl should be opaque white and release a clean, milky steam.