Korean Ox Bone Broth (Milky Collagen-Rich Marrow Soup)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 540 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 5
About this dish
Sagol-guk is a Korean bone broth soup made by simmering beef marrow bones for six hours or longer until the dissolved collagen and marrow turn the liquid a dense, opaque white that looks closer to milk than water.
Read more
The seasoning is intentionally minimal, limited to green onion, garlic, and salt, because the entire point of the dish is the bone itself and what slow heat extracts from it over time. Before the long simmer begins, the bones are soaked in cold water to draw out the blood and then briefly blanched to remove any remaining impurities that would cloud or bitter the broth. The same bones can be reboiled three or four times, with each successive batch yielding a progressively lighter and cleaner-tasting liquid. The soup is served piping hot alongside rice, with salt and white pepper passed at the table so each person can season according to preference. Alongside seolleongtang and gomtang, sagol-guk forms one of the three pillars of Korea's long bone broth tradition, and its restorative reputation makes it a natural choice on cold days or when the body needs warmth and something uncomplicated.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Finish
Place 1000 g beef marrow bones in a large pot or bowl and cover fully with cold water.
Soak for 2 to 3 hours, changing the water every 30 minutes so blood is drawn out and the finished broth tastes cleaner.
- 2Control
Move the drained bones to boiling water and blanch over high heat for 10 minutes.
Discard the blanching water completely, along with the foam and gray scum, because keeping it would make the broth muddy and heavy.
- 3Control
Rinse each blanched bone under cold water, rubbing off any clinging bits, and rinse the pot as well.
Return the clean bones to the clean pot, then add 3000 ml fresh water so the long simmer starts clear.
- 4Control
Bring the pot to a strong boil over high heat, then skim off the first foam as it rises.
Lower to medium low heat and keep the liquid gently moving, not violently boiling, so the broth extracts slowly without tasting harsh.
- 5Control
Simmer for 6 to 8 hours, topping up with hot water whenever the level drops below the bones.
The broth is ready when it turns milky white and feels slightly sticky on the lips from the extracted collagen.
- 6Season
Season just before serving with 1 teaspoon salt, then taste and adjust at the table if needed.
Slice 1 green onion diagonally, mince 4 garlic cloves, and add them over the very hot broth so their aroma stays fresh.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- This milky white ox bone broth results from simmering beef marrow for over six hours.
- Finish cue
- Season just before serving with 1 teaspoon salt, then taste and adjust at the table if needed.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
540min, 5 ingredients
Category median
45min, 8 ingredients
Based on 310 recipes
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