Ox bone soup (Seolleongtang: 설렁탕)

http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/ox-bone-soup
Music: Windy city's Elnino Prodigo
Ox bone soup is very popular all year round in Korea, but especially in the winter.

Ingredients (for 6 servings):
2.5 pounds of ox bones, 2 pounds beef flank (or brisket or round), water, Korean radish (or Daikon radish), onion, green onions, salt, black ground pepper, sesame oil.
See my site for pictures and descriptions of ingredients: http://www.maangchi.com/ingredients

Directions:
1. Soak the ox bones and the beef in cold water for 20 minutes to remove any blood.
2. Rinse bones in cold water a couple of times to remove any bone chips. Drain the water.
3. Boil 14 cups water (3 ½ quarts) in a large pot
4. Put the bones and beef into the pot of boiling water. Boil for about 10 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat and take out the bones and beef. Get rid of the water.
6. Rinse and drain the meat in cold water to remove the excess fat.
7. If you only have one pot to use, clean it thoroughly with kitchen soap.
8. Put the bones and the beef back into the pot
9. Add about 12 cups of water (3 quarts), 1 medium size onion, and 1½ pounds of peeled radish to the pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
10. When it starts boiling about 20-30 minutes later, lower the heat to simmer for 3 hours
11. Turn off the heat and take the beef and radish out of the pot. Put them into a bowl or container. There may be some white milky broth left in the pot. If so, pour it into a large bowl. Over time we're going to boil the bones and collect the milky broth in this bowl.
*tip: Use your chopstick to check the beef and radish are cooked well. Poke the meat with the stainless chopstick or fork. When it is smoothly going through the meat, the meat is tender enough. If it's still tough, add more water and boil it until tender.
12. Fill the pot with water (about 3 quarts) and boil over medium high heat for about 20 minutes. When it starts boiling, lower the heat to simmer for about 2 ½-3 hours.
13. Turn off the heat and open the lid. Pour any white milky broth to the large bowl from step 11.
14. Fill your pot with more water and boil another 2-3 hours. Then pour any milky broth into the bowl.
15. Cool down the bone soup and cover it with plastic wrap. Keep it in the refrigerator for several hours until all the fat floats to the top and gets solid.

Let's serve!
1. Take the bone soup out of the fridge. Remove the solid fat from the top with a spoon or strainer.
2. Slice the cooked beef thinly, about 1/8 inch thick. Cut radish into ¼ inch thick slices
3. Reheat the bone soup and ladle the soup into a serving bowl.
4. Add a few slices of the beef and radish to the soup. Serve with warm rice and kimchi, along with chopped green onions, minced garlic, salt, and black ground pepper.
5. Add some salt, chopped green onion, and black ground pepper to the soup. Mix it well with your spoon. You can add warm rice to the soup and enjoy! *tip: The amount of salt you put in depends on your taste, but I suggest starting with 1 ts and adding more if it's too bland.

Spicy version:
1. Tear about 1 cup worth of cooked beef into thin strips. Put them in a mixing bowl.
2. Add 2 tbs chopped green onion, 2 ts soy sauce, 2 ts hot pepper flakes, a pinch of black ground pepper, and 2 ts sesame oil. Mix it well with a spoon.
3. Ladle the boiling soup into a serving bowl and add a few slices of radish and the mixture of seasoned beef.
4. Serve with warm rice, salt, and kimchi.