Oxtail soup is a traditional Korean soup made with oxtails. It also goes by the name Kkori Gomtang. It’s the perfect meal on a cold night! This recipe takes some time to make, but it’s so worth it!
During a weekend where we would take the girls sledding for the first time, where it was literally snowing all day long on this Saturday and the freezing temperatures would make comforting, delicious soup the only thing that would satisfy and hit the spot that day. . I made a Korean Oxtail Soup, or Kkori Gomtang.
If you’ve never had this Korean soup before, let me tell you, this is the perfect soup/meal to have on a cold day. It’s so nourishing, filling and comforting. . . all in the right ways. I remember eating this soup growing up during the winter. Although I never knew what my mother went through to make Korean oxtail soup, I loved the soup. And we gobbled it up within minutes.
The oxtail soup recipe does take some time to make, and an overnight refrigeration is highly suggested. You don’t need to do this part, but I think it helps to remove more fat and impurities and leaves a cleaner (less greasy) taste to the soup.
What are oxtails and where do you buy them?
Now, where on earth can you get oxtails, (which is just the culinary name for the tail of cattle)? You can find oxtails at most Asian markets and Korean grocery stores. Your butcher at your local grocery store will have some and Whole Foods has oxtails.
How to make oxtail soup (step by step)
- Start by soaking the oxtails in cold water for 1 to 2 hours to drain out the blood. You can change out the water after 30 minutes if desired.
2. After an hour or two, the water will look like this.
3. Discard the water and place the oxtails in a large pot, along with about 12 to 13 cups of water. Bring the pot to a boil, then turn down to a simmer.
4. Allow the oxtails to simmer for about 3-4 hours, adding more water if the water reduces to half at the 3-hour mark. Throughout this entire time, you’ll want to skim off any impurities that rise to the top. (See photo below) It will look like this. Skim all of that off and discard.
5. Allow the pot to cool and remove the oxtails from the pot, place into a separate bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Cover the pot with the lid and refrigerate that overnight as well. In the morning on the next day, all the fat will be solidified and can you easily scoop out all the fat. See the recipe card below for the complete oxtail soup recipe.
Hope you enjoy!!!
What to serve with Korean oxtail soup
This kkhori gomtang soup truly is delicious on its own, but I like to serve this Korean soup with kimchi fried rice or just plain white rice with it.
Oxtail Soup (Kkori Gomtang)
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 pounds oxtails
- 12 to 15 cups water
- 1 medium Korean white radish or Daikon radish peeled and cut into large chunks
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic minced
- kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 3 green onions (scallions) diced
Instructions
- Start by soaking the oxtails in cold water for about one hour to drain out the blood. You can change out the water after 30 minutes if desired.
- Discard the water and place the oxtails in a large pot, along with about 12-13 cups of water. Bring the pot to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Let simmer for about 3-4 hours, adding more water (about 2 cups) if the water reduces to half at the 3-hour mark. Throughout this entire time, you'll want to skim off any impurities that rise to the top.
- Allow the pot to cool and remove the oxtails from the pot, place into a separate bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Cover the pot with the lid and refrigerate that overnight as well.
- The next morning, all of the fat will be solidified. Scoop off the fat and discard. Bring the pot to a boil, add the oxtails back in, along with the radish chunks. Season generously with salt, pepper and garlic. Lower to a simmer and cook for about 20-30 minutes. Taste, and season with more salt and pepper if needed. When ready to serve, garnish with diced green onions and serve with steamed white rice and kimchi, or kimchi fried rice.
