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Recipe by David Chang

Originally our menu included a course of potted beef, which we harvested from the oxtails used in the pho broth, but then I thought, No one is going to eat this. So we scrapped the potted beef course, but kept the oxtails as the backbone of our super-simple pho (which was inspired by Regency Era consommé). Oxtails are probably my favorite cut of beef. They’re super flavorful and gelatinous and they used to be relatively cheap because nobody ate them. 

To start the pho broth, set about 30 oxtails on a sheet tray lined with a roasting rack. Season with salt, then pop into a 375°F oven for 35–40 minutes or until they’re deeply browned.

Toss the oxtails into a pressure cooker and cover with water. Throw a chunk of ginger and an onion that you’ve peeled and cut in half directly onto the stovetop over a medium flame. Give them some char, then toss into the pot with a piece of star anise, a spoonful of black peppercorns, a little white pepper, some rock sugar, and a few black cardamom pods. Cook at full pressure for 90 minutes, then release the pressure naturally. Pull out the oxtails and reserve. (You can toss them in with the pho, or pull off the meat for the Beef Stew recipe, or an Italian ragu, or a quesadilla filling, or whatever you like.)

Season the broth to taste with fish sauce, sugar, salt, and black pepper. (If you like, you can cool the broth down, then skim the fat, but remember, fat is flavor.) Boil some rice noodles, then pop them into the broth with a squeeze of lemon and some sliced scallions. 

 

Watch Dinner Time Live with David Chang on Netflix now, and tune in every Tuesday at 4 p.m. PST to watch live.

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