Easy Oxtail Soup: Stovetop, Instant Pot, Slow Cooker
Make this quick and easy Oxtail Soup for dinner – with either the stove top, instant pot, or the slow cooker. Inspired by Korean Oxtail Soup or kkori gamtong, this quicker recipe uses beef bone broth to give it that extra milkiness and flavor. Regardless of which method you cook this soup, you’ll still get that same restaurant-quality garlicky-beefy flavor with chunks of melt-in-your-mouth daikon. For a family feast, this was the perfect soup choice – soothing, nourishing, and comforting.
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Birthday Feast with Oxtail Soup
This week is full of birthday celebrations! From Dom to my brother in law Daryl and our friend Drew, April is a month of celebration. For Dom and Daryl’s birthday dinner, we are making Oxtail Soup with Taiwanese Short Rib Stew and my new obsession, Lemon Blueberry Loaf.
Traditionally, this oxtail soup takes hours on the stove to cook, but this easy stovetop recipe cuts that time down to less than 2 hours! It’s even faster with an Instant Pot. Or, you can leave it alone with the slow cooker. It’s such a good soup for cold weather, it was the best way to refuel before a weekend snow trip to Whistler!
Oxtail Soup Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sake or rice wine (optional, for blanching)
- 2.5–3 lbs Oxtail, cut into pieces
- 5–6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 6–8 cups beef bone broth (store-bought or homemade)
- 4 stalks green onions (2–3 stalks for cooking, rest for garnish)
- 1 medium daikon, peeled and sliced
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Oxtail
For this recipe, we’re using oxtail. Oxtail is a great source of protein, iron, minerals, and collagen. These nutrients support joint, skin, and gut health. which are essential for energy, immunity, and bone health. Slow-cooking oxtail releases the rich, gelatinous marrow and adds all these amazing health benefits into your broth. After 1 and 1/2 hour, the oxtail should be super tender and flavorful.
The most important step of this soup is to blanch the oxtail before cooking. This removes all of the impurities that might lead to a gamey flavors in your soup. This is a step you absolutely cannot skip!
Beef Bone Broth
Adding bone broth is my secret to extra milky flavor without having to cook dinner for HOURS. If you have access to Korean grocery stores they usually have really good quality, ready-made bone broths there.
I like to make my homemade bone broth instead, which I always stock in my freezer for soup emergencies. To make this homemade broth, I use the same techniques as my Golden Chicken Broth. Instead of using chicken bones, chicken feet, and pumpkin, I used beef bones instead. After hours of simmering, the marrows and fats melt into the broth, turning it into that milky textures that adds so much flavor.
Daikon
Daikon is a must have ingredient in this oxtail soup. If you’ve never had Daikon radish, think of it as a radish shaped like a really big carrot. Daikon is a great source of fiber, and adds a fresh vegetable sweetness that gives a nice contrast to the meaty flavors of the bone broth. The chunks of daikon absorbs all the beefy, milky broth as it cooks and literally becomes melt-in-your-mouth. It’s a chunk of pure broth flavor that also makes it easier to absorb all the benefits.
How To Make Oxtail Soup
- Add the oxtail pieces to a large pot and cover with water.
- Toss in 2–3 green onions and the sake or rice wine (if using).
- Bring to a boil and let it cook for 5–10 minutes.
- Drain and rinse the oxtail thoroughly under cold water to remove impurities.
- In a clean pot, combine the rinsed oxtail, garlic, and bone broth.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
- Cover partially and simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours, until the meat is tender
- Instant Pot method: Pressure cook for 40–45 minutes.
- Slow cooker method: Cook on low for 6–8 hours.
- Skim off any fat or foam that rises to the surface while the soup simmers.
- Stir in the sliced radish and continue simmering for another 45–60 minutes, until the radish becomes soft and translucent
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve in bowls, and garnish with sliced green onion, and add a few drops of sesame oil or soy sauce if desired.
Make It A Full Meal With These Easy Korean Entrees!
Easy Oxtail Soup: Stovetop, Instant Pot, Slow Cooker
By Tiffy Cooks
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sake optional, for blanching
- 2.5-3 lb –3 lbs Oxtail cut into pieces
- 5-6 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- 6-8 cups beef bone broth store-bought or homemade
- 4 Stalks stalks green onions 2–3 stalks for cooking, rest for garnish
- 1 medium daikon peeled and sliced
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Add the oxtail pieces to a large pot and cover with water.
- Toss in 2–3 green onions and the sake or rice wine (if using).
- Bring to a boil and let it cook for 5–10 minutes. Skim while cooking.
- Drain and rinse the oxtail thoroughly under cold water to remove impurities.
- In a clean pot, combine the rinsed oxtail, garlic, and bone broth.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
- Cover partially and simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours, until the meat is tenderInstant Pot method: Pressure cook for 40–45 minutes.Slow cooker method: Cook on low for 6–8 hours.
- Skim off any fat or foam that rises to the surface while the soup simmers.
- Stir in the sliced radish and continue simmering for another 45–60 minutes, until the radish becomes soft and translucent
- Season with salt and pepper to taste
So hearty, So comforting!
I didn’t realize the daikon was actually the best part of this soup! Soaks up all the beef flavor and get so soft
Didn’t have oxtail but tried it with other boney cuts of beef. Still came out delicious!