Dinner · 90 min · vietnamese

Pho Bo

Beef marrow bones does the heavy lifting here, with beef brisket rounding it out. A Vietnamese dinner that takes 90 minutes, start to finish.

Ingredients

• 3 lb Beef marrow bones
• 1.5 lb Beef brisket
• 2 Yellow onions
• 1 4-inch piece Fresh ginger
• 5 Star anise
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 6 Whole cloves
• 1 tbsp Coriander seeds
• 1/4 cup Fish sauce
• 2 tbsp Rock sugar
• 12 oz Flat rice noodles
• 12 oz Beef sirloin
• 4 Scallions
• 1 cup Cilantro
• 2 cups Bean sprouts
• 2 Limes
• 1 bunch Thai basil
• 1 Jalapeno

Steps

1. Halve the onions and ginger lengthwise and char them cut-side down in a dry skillet over high heat until deeply blackened in spots, about 8 minutes. The char is not burnt flavor, it is sweetness and smoke that defines the broth.
2. Toast the star anise, cinnamon, cloves, and coriander seeds in the same dry pan for 2 minutes until fragrant, then tie them in cheesecloth so they lift out cleanly later.
3. Cover the bones with cold water, bring to a rolling boil for 10 minutes, then drain and rinse every bone under running water. This parboil is the whole secret to a crystal-clear broth, so do not skip it.
4. Return the clean bones to the pot with the brisket, charred onion and ginger, and the spice bag. Cover with 5 quarts of fresh cold water and simmer gently, never a hard boil, for 75 minutes, skimming any foam that rises.
5. Lift out the brisket when it yields to a fork, then season the broth with fish sauce and rock sugar. Taste constantly: it should read savory first, sweet second, with warm spice humming underneath.
6. Slice the sirloin paper-thin against the grain. Beginner tip: freeze it for 30 minutes first and the knife will glide instead of dragging.
7. Cook the noodles until just tender, divide among deep bowls with sliced brisket, then lay the raw sirloin over the top and ladle over broth at a full rolling boil. The heat cooks the beef in the bowl, which is exactly how it should be.
8. Serve with the sprouts, herbs, lime, and jalapeno on a platter so everyone finishes their own bowl. Leftover broth keeps 4 days and reheats beautifully.

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