Vietnamese
Pho Beef Noodle Soup
Clear, aromatic pho bo built from charred aromatics, toasted spice, and gentle simmering, poured over rice noodles and tender beef for a fragrant, restorative bowl.
8 servings · 90 minutes prep · 420 minutes cook
Ingredients
Broth
- 6 lb beef bones
- 1 lb oxtail
- 2 lb beef brisket
- 1 whole yellow onion, halved
- 5 oz ginger, split lengthwise
- 5 whole star anise
- 1 whole cinnamon stick
- 1 whole black cardamom pod
- 2 tbsp coriander seed
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 5 whole cloves
- 1/3 cup fish sauce, plus more to taste
- 2 oz rock sugar
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 6 1/2 qt water
Bowls
- 2 lb banh pho noodles
- 12 oz eye of round, sliced across the grain no thicker than 1/16 inch
- 1 cup scallions and cilantro
- 1 whole yellow onion, paper-thin sliced and soaked in cold water 20 minutes
Directions
Clean the Bones and Prepare the Aromatics
- Soak the beef bones, oxtail, and beef brisket in cold water for 2 hours, changing the water once. Transfer them to a large stockpot, cover with fresh water, boil for 10 minutes, then drain, rinse thoroughly, and scrub the pot clean.
- Char the yellow onion and ginger over a flame or under the broiler until deeply blackened in spots and fragrant, 10-15 minutes. Rinse lightly to remove loose burnt bits.
- Toast the star anise, cinnamon stick, black cardamom pod, coriander seed, fennel seeds, and cloves in a dry skillet until the whole spices deepen slightly in color and smell distinctly toasted, stopping before they scorch, 1-2 minutes, then tie them in cheesecloth or place them in a spice bag.
Simmer and Strain the Broth
- Return the cleaned bones, oxtail, and brisket to the stockpot with the charred onion, ginger, spice bundle, and water. Bring just to a simmer, reduce the heat to the gentlest possible bubbling, and skim frequently during the first hour.
- Simmer for 6-7 hours total. Remove the brisket when fork-tender and about {{temperature:195°F}}, usually after 2-3 hours; cool, refrigerate until firm, and slice thinly.
- Remove and discard the bones, oxtail, aromatics, and spice bundle. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve, return it to the pot, and season with the fish sauce, yellow rock sugar, and kosher salt. Simmer 10 minutes and adjust with more fish sauce or salt until deeply beefy, savory, aromatic, and only faintly sweet.
Prepare and Assemble the Bowls
- Warm the banh pho noodles and divide among bowls. Top with chilled sliced brisket, one loose layer of raw eye of round, scallions and cilantro, and sliced onion.
- Bring the broth to a rolling boil and ladle enough over each bowl to submerge the raw beef. Verify the slices reach {{temperature:145°F}}; otherwise blanch them in the boiling broth before serving.
