Yukgaejang (Spicy Beef Soup)
Fiery red beef brisket soup with shredded vegetables, egg ribbons, and enough gochugaru to clear your sinuses. Korea's most powerful soup.
Why This Recipe Works
- Oil-bloomed gochugaru creates a deeply red, intensely flavored base — not just sprinkling red flakes on top.
- Beef broth from the brisket provides a rich, collagen-heavy foundation that carries the spice.
- Shredded beef + egg ribbons create texture variety — chewy strands and silky wisps in every spoonful.
- One-pot simplicity despite its complex flavor — boil, shred, bloom, combine.
Korea's Napalm Soup
Yukgaejang translates roughly to "spicy beef soup" but that undersells it dramatically. This is the soup Korean men order to prove they can handle heat. It's the soup that makes the entire table sweat. It's also, paradoxically, a summer food — Koreans eat it on the hottest days to "fight heat with heat," the same philosophy behind samgyetang. Baek Jong Won's 20-minute shortcut version got 3.6 million views because traditional yukgaejang takes 2+ hours.
Yukgaejang (Spicy Beef Soup)
🛒 Ingredients
- ✦1 lb beef brisket or shank
- ✦8 cups water
- ✦3 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
- ✦1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ✦1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ✦3 cloves garlic, minced
- ✦1 tablespoon fish sauce
- ✦4 oz gosari (bracken fern), rehydrated, or bean sprouts
- ✦1 large leek or 4 green onions, cut into 3-inch pieces
- ✦1 egg, beaten
- ✦1 teaspoon salt
- ✦1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- ✦1 tablespoon vegetable oil
👨🍳 Instructions
01Step 1
Boil beef brisket in 8 cups water for 40-50 minutes until fork-tender. Skim foam during the first 10 minutes.
02Step 2
Remove beef, let cool slightly. Shred into thin strips along the grain. Reserve the broth.
03Step 3
In a pot, heat vegetable oil and sesame oil over medium heat. Add gochugaru and stir for 30 seconds — bloom the spice in the oil.
04Step 4
Add shredded beef and garlic. Stir-fry in the spicy oil for 2 minutes until every piece is coated red.
05Step 5
Pour in the reserved beef broth. Add soy sauce and fish sauce. Bring to a boil.
06Step 6
Add gosari (or bean sprouts) and leek. Simmer for 10 minutes.
07Step 7
Drizzle beaten egg into the simmering soup in a thin stream — it forms ribbons. Season with salt and pepper.
08Step 8
Serve bubbling hot with steamed rice.
Nutrition Per Serving
Estimates based on standard preparation. Adjustments alter macros.
🔄 Substitutions
Instead of Beef brisket...
Use Beef chuck or short rib meat
Any tough, flavorful cut that benefits from long cooking
Instead of Gosari...
Use Bean sprouts (6 oz)
More accessible — add in the last 5 minutes to keep crunch
Instead of Leek...
Use Green onions (6 stalks)
Cut into long pieces — they should look like ribbons in the soup
🧊 Storage & Reheating
In the Fridge
Store for 3-4 days. One of the best make-ahead Korean soups.
In the Freezer
Freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen in a pot.
Reheating Rules
Reheat in a pot until bubbling. Add water if it's too thick.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How spicy is yukgaejang?
Very. It's one of the spiciest standard Korean dishes — 3 tablespoons of gochugaru in a pot of soup creates serious heat. If you're spice-sensitive, start with 1.5 tablespoons and build up. The beef broth and egg ribbons help moderate the burn.
What is the difference between yukgaejang and galbitang?
Completely different soups. Yukgaejang is fiery red (gochugaru-based), uses shredded brisket, and is spicy. Galbitang is clear (no red pepper), uses bone-in short ribs, and is mild. They represent opposite ends of the Korean soup spectrum.
The Science of
Yukgaejang (Spicy Beef Soup)
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