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Recipes and stories from a Korean American kitchen

Korean Oxtail Soup (Kkori Gomtang) #SundaySupper

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I am hosting this week’s Sunday Supper featuring One Pot Recipes. Throw all the ingredients into one pot and, POOF, it turns into a delectable dish. Bonus if the pot doubles as a serving vessel!

Korean Oxtail Soup | www.kimchimom.com

There was a point in my childhood where I was no longer embarrassed about the Korean cuisine we ate at home. At that turning point, I relished telling my classmates about the meals I ate. Basically, I LOVED weirding them out. The more “ewwwwws” I received in response, the more I reveled in completely grossing out my friends. Oxtail soup was one of those dishes.

“Yeah, we had oxtail for dinner last night.”

“OX TAIL?! Like, an OX’S TAIL?!”

“Yeah, it was soooo good! You should try it!”

“No way! Ewwwww!”

And so on and so forth. Tripe was always a crowdpleaser, as well as seaweed. Keep in mind, that I grew up in rural Northern New York back through the late 70’s and 80’s where sweet and sour pork and fried rice was pretty much the extent of the Asian food that people had heard about.

We had Korean oxtail soup or kkori gomtang quite often when I was growing up. Surprisingly, oxtail was not too difficult to find in our little town since I remember having this dish pretty often. And I must say that this is not a dish eaten elegantly. To get every morsel of the oxtail meat – and I mean, EVERY MORSEL – one had to pick up those bones by the hands and start slurping. I’m pretty much satisfied with just the meat, but there are some who savor the gristle and chewy cartilage. Literally, they will suck those bones dry. The meat is a little gamey, sinewy in texture, but very tender. This dish does not have many ingredients, but it does take some time. You must serve the soup with a generous handful of chopped green onions, and a side of salt and pepper. The crunchy sweetness from the onions is a nice contrast to the beefy broth. And to round out the meal, all you need is a small bowl of sticky white rice and a side of tangy kimchi.

Try it! You’ll love it!

Notes: Oxtail is not that difficult to find. I was able to find oxtail in the freezer section at Whole Foods Market. You can also ask your butcher at your local market. If you have leftovers, you can freeze the soup in an airtight food storage container.

Print Recipe

Korean Oxtail Soup (Kkori Gomtang) #SundaySupper

Course: Entree
Cuisine: Korean
Servings: 4 -6
Author: Amy Kim | kimchi MOM

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds oxtail
  • Water
  • 3-4 large garlic cloves
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • Salt
  • 3-4 stalks green onions

Instructions

  • In a large pot or bowl, submerge the oxtail in cold water and soak for an hour. This will draw out the blood from the meat. Drain and replace the water every 20 minutes.
  • Drain the oxtail. Trim the excess fat, but it is not necessary to trim the silver skin (the thin membrane that encases the meat).
  • In a large pot, add the oxtails and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Foam and scum will come to the surface. Once it has come to a boil, drain and give the oxtails a quick rinse. Clean the pot of residue. Note: This step is important. I've tried omitting this step, but the broth ended up tasting metallic and not so great.
  • Place the oxtail and about 14 cups of water into the cleaned large pot or Dutch oven that is at least 7 quarts. Place the pot over high heat and bring the oxtail to a boil. Skim any impurities and scum that rise to the surface.
  • Lower the heat to medium low, partially cover the pot, and simmer until the beef starts to separate from the bones, about 3 to 4 hours. The soup will reduce as it cooks so add about 2 cups towards the end.
  • With a slotted spoon, remove the oxtail and set aside in a clean bowl. With a strainer, skim the soup of any impurities and discard. And with a large spoon, skim as much fat as you can.Note: If you have the time, you can cool the soup to room temperature and then stick the pot into the refrigerator to completely cool the soup, typically overnight. Once the soup is cooled, the fat will coagulate at the surface and will be easier to discard. If you are doing this, don’t forget to refrigerate the oxtail!
  • Add the black peppercorns, 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, and garlic cloves. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, lower the heat to medium low and simmer for about 20 minutes. You can add another 1 cup of water if the soup has greatly reduced.
  • To serve, divide the oxtail evenly among large soup bowls. Discard the peppercorns and garlic from the pot. Ladle the broth over the oxtail. Sprinkle a handful of green onions in each bowl. Serve hot and each person can add salt to their liking.

 

Take a look at what the rest of the Sunday Supper crew are sharing. There are enough recipes to get you through this Fall and Winter!

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“Take the chill off” Chilis, Soups, and Starters

“Put meat on your bones” Stews

“Make room for seconds” Main Dishes

“Can’t say no” Desserts

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here ? Sunday Supper Movement.

 

 

 

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Comments

  1. The Ninja Baker says

    Love that you took pride in your mother’s cooking, Amy =) This soup certainly would be a tummy warmer on a cold day….Thank you for hosting this event with such efficiency and kindness =)

  2. Liz says

    Thanks for hosting us, Amy! Your soup is just gorgeous!!! And I’m sure the ox tail bones add terrific flavor!

  3. Stacy says

    Years and years ago when my husband was still working offshore, he had oxtail stew made by one of the Asian cooks on board. I’ve never even tried to replicate it because his superlatives made me almost certain that my dish would never live up to his memories. Perhaps your recipe is the answer, Amy! I’m going to give it a try and see what he thinks. 🙂 Thanks so much for hosting this great theme!

  4. Renee Goerger says

    I love the fact that there are minimal ingredients in this soup but I’ll bet it sure packs a punch of flavor! I’ve never cooked with ox tails before but your soup has me anxious to try! BTW, thanks for hosting this week 🙂
    Renee – Kudos Kitchen

  5. supperforasteal says

    I like how short the ingredients list is. I have to admit I’ve never had oxtail, but I’m always up for trying new Asian dishes.

  7. Marjory @ Dinner-Mom says

    I’m intrigued…sounds like a delicious way to try ox tail for the first time! Thanks for hosting!

    • kimchi_mom says

      Thanks Sarah! I’ve never had oxtail prepared any other way…need to try the stewed versions!

  9. Jen @JuanitasCocina says

    My wife has requested that we have these….TODAY! LOL! Thanks for hosting, Amy!

  13. Susan Pridmore says

    When I ate beef, I loved oxtail. The flavor was so great, and it caramelized amazingly well. I never made a soup with it, but I can see now it would have been great!! Love this!

  14. Beate @ The Not So Cheesy Kitc says

    You make me chuckle on how you weirded out your classmates. Love it 🙂 – your Oxtail soup sounds fantastic; we eat Ochsenschwanzsuppe in German cuisine as well however just the broth and the add a carb. Now what a waste not eating the meat…I will have o try it. Thank you so much for hosting, Amy 🙂

    • kimchi_mom says

      Oh interesting! The broth is pretty beefy and rich. I would love to try Ochsenschwanzsuppe!

  15. Alice Choi says

    Amy!!! I LOVE Kkori Gomtang!! I think the best ever bowl of this I had was in NYC. . can’t remember the name of the restaurant but it was fabulous! and I love how you described everything! so perfect! My dad is totally a slurper and sucks those bones dry. Love this!!! I will totally make this come winter time in Madison!

    • kimchi_mom says

      I’ve never seen kkori gomtang in a restaurant! Now I’m curious to know which restaurant you went to!

      And get ready to bundle up for winter! Didn’t the midwest get snow already? Did you guys buy a snow blower yet?

  16. Heather @girlichef.com says

    I love oxtails, but I don’t go in for the cartilege – however, my hubby does (probably his favorite part). Love this traditional dish :). Thanks so much for hosting this week, Amy.

    • kimchi_mom says

      Thanks Heather! My parents and husband love the cartilage, but he texture doesn’t agree with me. crunch, crunch…

  17. Shannon R says

    Thanks for hosting! I was also a weird one growing up. I used to snack all the time on things like seaweed which is now all the rage now. Nothing like a little white girl (with not very many Asians around, mostly Europeans) chomping on salty goodness. My mom was a pretty good sport.

    • kimchi_mom says

      And that is why you have a food blog! 🙂 You and your mom sound adventurous with food!

  21. Alida says

    What a beautiful soup – looks so tasty. You did a great job hosting this week. Thank you! 🙂

    • kimchi_mom says

      Thanks Courtney! I agree, there are so many recipes I want to try from this week’s list!

  23. ChefZed says

    if you’d grown up in my (African American) neighborhood, no one would have teased you about your mama’s oxtail soup; in fact, the kids might have started a bragging round to determine whose mom made the best oxtail soup. One thing for sure, your mom’s version would have had all the other moms beating a path to your kitchen door to learn how to make it–it looks and sounds soooo good.

  24. Julie @ Texan New Yorker says

    I love oxtails so much. So, so much. I can’t believe people won’t try them, they are delicious! And thanks so much for hosting this week!

  25. mommasangelbaby says

    I’ve never tried oxtail, but Hubby and my son certainly would. The boy is all about slurping bones!! And Hubby loves to try all kinds of things. This sounds great and I’ll have to give it a try. Thanks so much for hosting!

  26. Betsy Cohen says

    Thanks for sharing your story as well as a great recipe. I love when kids are proud of their heritage!

  27. Cindys Recipes says

    I never had oxtail thanks for sharing how to use it. Thanks also Amy for hosting this week!

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  31. John says

    Jib-saram out of town this week… Went down the meat aisle at the grocery store planning to buy a couple of steaks to grill, but grabbed some oxtail instead. Though I can make kick-butt Kalbi-Jjim, I’ve never tried Oxtail Soup. Of all the recipes online, I chose yours because I like things simple. Plus, I want to taste the soup and not all the stuff the other contributors put in theirs. As my son used to say… Ooo-ahh, Mashita!

  32. Andy says

    As a FYI, oxtail is actually the tail of the cow. It’s not actually ox. That’s just what it’s called.

  33. Ann says

    Amy, I have made this recipe twice now and my husband is thrilled. He said it reminds him of the soup his grandmother and mother made when he was little in Korea. Thanks for such a savory and simple recipe! As my husband says, “It’s a keeper!”

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