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best ramen broth recipe mostly about food

Best Ramen Broth Recipe

This is a long-simmered, rich ramen broth meant to be seasoned per bowl. The ingredients and steps below stay simple and straightforward, even if the cooking time is not.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 hours 40 minutes
Active Time 2 hours
Servings: 7
Calories: 201
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 pounds pig trotters split lengthwise or cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 pounds chicken backs and carcasses skin and excess fat removed
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 large onion skin on, roughly chopped
  • 12 garlic cloves
  • One 3-inch knob of ginger roughly chopped
  • 2 whole leeks washed and roughly chopped
  • White parts from about 24 scallions reserve greens for garnish
  • 6 ounces whole mushrooms or mushroom scraps such as cremini
  • 1 pound slab pork fatback

Method
 

  1. Place pork and chicken bones in a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as boiling begins, remove from heat and drain the water.
  2. While the pot heats, warm vegetable oil in a skillet over high heat until lightly smoking. Add onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook, tossing occasionally, until deeply charred on most sides, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
  3. Rinse bones thoroughly under cold running water, removing dark marrow or coagulated blood. Bones should appear uniformly grey or white.
    Rinse bones thoroughly under cold running water, removing dark marrow or coagulated blood. Bones should appear uniformly grey or white.
  4. Return cleaned bones to the pot along with charred vegetables, leeks, scallion whites, mushrooms, and pork fatback. Cover with cold water.
    Return cleaned bones to the pot along with charred vegetables, leeks, scallion whites, mushrooms, and pork fatback. Cover with cold water.
  5. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Skim off any scum that appears during the first 20 minutes. Wipe residue from the rim of the pot if needed.
  6. Reduce heat to a bare simmer and cover with a heavy lid. After 15 minutes, adjust heat so the broth maintains a gentle rolling boil.
  7. Continue cooking until the pork fatback is completely tender, about 4 hours. Remove fatback, transfer to a sealed container, and refrigerate.
  8. Return the lid and continue simmering the broth for another 6 to 8 hours, until opaque and creamy in texture. Add water as needed to keep bones submerged.
  9. Once ready, increase heat and reduce broth to about 3 quarts.
    Once ready, increase heat and reduce broth to about 3 quarts.
  10. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean pot. Discard solids. For a cleaner broth, strain again through cheesecloth.
  11. Skim excess fat from the surface and discard.
  12. Finely chop the cooked pork fatback and whisk it into the finished broth.
  13. Season per serving with salt, soy sauce, miso, sesame paste, grated garlic, chili oil, or any combination. Serve with cooked ramen noodles and desired toppings.
    best ramen broth recipe mostly about food

Notes

This ramen broth doesn’t ask for perfection. It asks for time, a little attention, and the willingness to let things simmer longer than expected. If it’s messy the first time, that’s fine. That’s usually where the good stories start.