I hate to say it but winter’s coming. It’s getting colder and pretty soon I’ll be bringing out the mitts and snow cap. I’m not much a fan of the cold but I can tell you one thing I’m looking forward to which is Korean oxtail soup! It’s always something I can rely on to get me through the winters. The best part? It’s naturally keto friendly with very low carbs.
Last updated: March 16, 2020
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How to make oxtail soup
One thing about cooking oxtail soup is that it can be time consuming for sure so if you’re in a rush, I suggest making it another day. Don’t let that scare you though as it’s quite easy. The only requirement is time as you need to be around to check on it occasionally. I advise, choosing a day when you plan on binge watching your favorite Netflix series. With that said, there are 3 main parts to how to make oxtail soup. These are: Draining the blood, Removing Impurities, and Simmering. Let’s go into details.
1.) Draining the Oxtail Blood
The very first step before cooking anything is draining the blood from the oxtail. We want the oxtail to be as clean as possible before consumption. What I do is soak the oxtail in cold water. Leave it in the fridge for about 2 hours and in that time span, there will be blood built up at the bottom. What you want to do is drain it. You want to do this at least two times but the more the better as it would result in a cleaner tasting soup. You’ll know when the oxtail is ready when the liquid clears and any buildup is gone.
2.) Removing the Impurities
Once all the blood has been drained, we want to move the oxtail over to a large pot, one big enough to fit in one go. Fill the pot up to the top with cold water, and switch the heat on high. Make sure to leave a few inches of space to prevent soup from overflowing. When it comes to a rolling boil, you’ll notice a layer of foamy like material float to the top. These are the impurities and you want to skim them off.
This is where the differences lie in cooking methods between Stovetop, Instant Pot, and Slow Cooker. I’ve provided instructions for each methods.
3.) Simmering in 3 Ways
Method 1: Oxtail Soup Stove Top
- For the stove top, add your spices, aromatics, and any other ingredients for flavoring. In our Korean example, we will be adding Daikon, Peppercorn, scallion whites, and Garlic cloves. Fill the pot up with water, about 8-10 cups or to the top. Make sure to leave a couple of inches of space so the soup doesn’t overflow. We’re going to continue skimming every so often as the impurities will resurface every so often. The good thing about this method is we do not need to move the oxtail anywhere else.
- Reduce the heat to low-medium and simmer for 3-4 hours. The broth will evaporate over time so make sure to refill with water every so often so that the pot stays full.
- Your oxtail soup is now ready. Be aware that the soup hasn’t been seasoned in anyway so it will taste bland. No worries. The beauty about this recipe is seasoning to your taste with scallions, salt, and white pepper.
Method 2: Oxtail Soup Instant Pot
Instead of skimming the impurities, we move the oxtail over to the Instant Pot. Fill it up with water, and close the lid. Switch the mode onto Manual High Pressure for 10 minutes. Once the 10 minutes are up, release the pressure (you can force release), strain the oxtail and run cold water over it. Don’t worry about this initial broth. I promise, it will not negatively effect the end taste. Clean the pot and follow the next step.
- Move the oxtail over to your freshly cleaned inner pot. Now here is where you want to add in your ingredients depending on the type of cuisine. For our example, we’re making this oxtail soup Korean therefore we’ll be adding in the daikon, peppercorns, scallion whites, and garlic cloves.
- Then fill the inner pot up with about 8-10 cups of water or to the top.
- Set to Meat/Stew Pressure High for 40 minutes.
- Once 40 minutes is up, release the pressure naturally. This will be another 15 minutes. Then open the lid.
- Your oxtail soup is now ready. Be aware that the soup hasn’t been seasoned in anyway so it will taste bland. No worries. The beauty about this recipe is seasoning to your taste with scallions, salt, and white pepper.
Method 3: Oxtail Soup Slow Cooker
Once all the blood has been drained, we want to move the oxtail over to a large pot, one big enough to fit in one go. Fill the pot up to the top with cold water, and switch the heat on high. We’re just boiling the meat for impurities so don’t worry about not doing it right. When it comes to a rolling boil, you’ll notice a layer of foamy like material float to the top. These are the impurities and you want to skim them off.
- Strain the oxtail from the pot and cool with cold running water for a few moments. Then transfer the oxtails to the slow cooker pot.
- Add your spices, aromatics, and any other ingredients for flavoring. In our Korean example, we will be adding the Daikon, Peppercorn, Scallion whites, and Garlic cloves. Fill the pot up with water, about 8-10 cups or to the top. Make sure to leave a couple of inches of space so the soup doesn’t overflow.
- Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Once the allotted time is up, your oxtail soup is ready. Be aware that the soup isn’t seasoned and you will need to season to your tastes it with scallions, salt, and white pepper.
- Enjoy!
If your soup is too rich in fat
If you’re not a fan of all the fat in the soup, no worries. There are two methods for Korean Oxtail Soup. One way is to skim it off as it’s hot. You’ll see the fat that way or if you’re really lazy, the easiest way is refrigerating it overnight. The next day, you’ll find a layer of hardened fat at the top of the soup. It’s much easier to remove the fat that way. So as I said earlier, cooking oxtail soup is a long process. If you’re not a fan of the fat, then I suggest going this route and making it a day ahead before serving it.
What You’ll Need
- Oxtail
- Daikon
- Shirataki Noodles
- Scallion
- White pepper
- Peppercorn
- Garlic
Serve with Kim Chi and Shirataki Noodles
Korean Oxtail Soup is traditionally served with rice and/or noodles but since we’re on a low carb diet, I suggest having it with shirataki noodles. These noodles are made from Konjac. Their significance is their zero carbs and high dietary fiber. For these reasons, they are the ideal side for those looking to cut carbs and lose weight!
If you want to learn more about Shirataki Noodles, check out my Ultimate Guide to Shirataki Noodles.
Korean Oxtail Soup
Equipment
- Large Pot, Instant Pot, or Slow Cooker (6 quarts or larger),
- Strainer, Cheesecloth, or Tea Ball Infuser
Ingredients
- 4-5 pieces Oxtail Medium Sized
- 1.5 lbs Daikon (or radish), sliced to 2 inch blocks/triangles.
- 2 cloves Garlic Crushed
- 2 stalk Scallions Chopped, save the whites
- 1 tbsp Peppercorn
- White Pepper (to taste)
- Salt (to taste)
Instructions
Draining the Oxtail Blood
- Immerse oxtail in cold water for about 2 hours. Let it sit in the fridge and the blood will build up over those hours. Drain the water, refill with cold water and repeat the same steps. Do this about 2 times or until the liquid has cleared.
Removing impurities from the oxtail
- For Stovetop (3-4 hours simmering time): 1.) Once the oxtail has been drained of all its blood, transfer the oxtail to a large pot. Add in the daikon, peppercorn, garlic, and scallion whites, Fill it up with about 8-10 cups of water or close to the top. Make sure to leave an inch or two as the water will overflow once it boils. Heat on High, wait for it to come to a rolling boil, then lower heat to medium. You'll notice some For Instant Pot (1 hour simmering time): 1.) Move oxtails to the instant pot. Pour in about 4-5 cups of water. Set on MANUAL HIGH for 10 minutes. Strain the oxtail and discard all the water. 2.) Move oxtails back to the Instant Pot. This time fill up with 8-10 cups of water. Add the daikon , garlic, peppercorn, and scallion whites. Set on MANUAL HIGH for 40 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release itself which will be an additional 10 minutes. For Slow Cooker (7-8 hours simmering time): 1.) Move oxtails to large pot. Pour in about 4-5 cups of water. Boil for 10 minutes on the stove top. Strain the oxtail and discard all the water. 2.) Move oxtails to slow cooker pot. This time fill up with 8-10 cups of water. Add the daikon, garlic, peppercorn, and scallion whites. Set on LOW and cook for 7-8 hours.
Skimming off the fat (optional)
- If you want less fat, I suggest preparing this a day before consumption. Once the soup is ready, move the soup over to the fridge. Let it cool overnight and you will find the fat has solidified. You'll find that it's easier to remove the fat this way.
Toppings and Seasoning
- Top with green scallions, salt, and white pepper to taste. You can add kim chi and shirataki noodles for sides.
Notes
Nutrition
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