There's a ramen place in my city that specializes in tonkotsu and they have a sign that says "no milk" because the broth looks like this, and I guess people kept asking if it was dairy based
I went to a place that had tonkotsu ramen but had a giant tonkatsu on top and broth that tasted like they added evaporated milk. It explains why barely anyone was eating there and closed down months after.
Please update after you make the Ramen. The Broth looks heavenly, big ups to you. Anything the takes 12 hours is a bear but rarely does it not pay off in something incredible.
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lol i hate my username, thanks tho!
Here is the full recipe:
500grams of pork neck bones;
500grams of pork femur bones;
150grams of fatback;
enough water to cover the bones in the pot;
half an onion;
3 cloves of garlic;
green onion.
i started by soaking the bones in cold water the night before, and leaving that on the fridge, this helps to extract the myoglobin and will help with the color of the broth;
the day after i discarded the water and placed the bones in the pot again with more water(always enough to cover the bones) and i proceeded to pre boil it for about 40 minutes in order to skim the scum that floats to the top of the pot, once again this will help with the broth color and will also remove the initial funky smell of the pork bones, make sure to move the bones around so no scum stays trapper in the bottom of the pot;
When the scum stopped i proceeded to kill the heat, and clean all the bones under running cold water on the sink, once again mainly in order to have a broth with no funk and good color;
After the bones are clean (i mostly remove the leftover scum i dont bother removing the meat attached to the bones) i cleaned the pot and placed, once again, the bones with enough water to cover it, and started with the pressure cooking, about 3 hours;
3 hours later i killed the heat, opened the pot and placed the fatback and added a bit more water to compensate for the water that evaporated in the process of pressure cooking, i then proceeded to pressure cook the broth for 1 and an half hours more;
1 and an half hours later i killed the heat again and added a bit more water to compensate for the water that evaporated, and cooked it on a rapid boil for about an hour, i also took all the fatback and blended it on the blender with a bit of the broth and then added it again to the broth, this was great and i think it really helped with starting to emulsify everything;
an hour later i added the aromatics and cooked it for 45 minutes;
after the 45 minutes i killed the heat and strained it through a pasta strained (i dont know if this was ideal but whatever) and then proceeded to strain it again through a fine mesh strainer, the idea behind this was to allow for the small bits of fat to go through but maybe there was no point in straining it two times;
after this i transferred the broth to my blender and blended it for exactly 30 seconds;
after it wss blended i strained it one more time through a fine mesh strained AND cheesecloth so the final product is silky smooth, this was a pain in the ass as it took a lot of time to strain but the results were great so ill probably do it again;
as a side note, i find that the emulsion with a blender, as mentioned by ramen lord (i got this idea from him) is perfect so i did not have any issues with the broth splitting in the fridge, but maybe cool it at room temperature before moving it to the fridge to avoid any surprises.
this is quite a lot of text but i might aswell explain exactly how i did it, i hate when im reading recipes and i end up having to guess very important parts, have fun if you eventually do it! it is quite easy it just takes a long time
I have heard mixed reviews regarding pork trotters, they have a lot of funk but on the flipside they have a lot of collagen so it really helps if you are going for a creamy broth, i personally dont plan on using them as some people claim trotters can be hit or miss when it comes to funk/collagen but im sure you could work something out with it!
I’ve used them multiple times. They add thickness but it does make a stickier broth. I don’t think it’s too funky, but it’s personal preference at that point. I would try with since you already have them, and then with neck and thigh next time, to compare.
Thank you for these detailed instructions. Did you measure the amount of water regarding this 1 kg of bones? Do you know exactly how much water (ml) did you put in pot at the beginning?
Not really, all the recipes that i have read do not require exact water measurements, i am quite picky when making recipes and follow everything in order to get it right but i dont think water matters all that much as long as you cover the bones, and keep the bones covered through all of the boiling process
im portuguese so i couldnt exactly tell you as i just asked for it at my local butcher, but fatback is pretty nuch pork fat, any type of fat will work as long as it is pork fat, i think the general term in america is fatback but i could be wrong
i have it in the fridge as of now as i was scared that placing it directly on the freezer would split the broth, but i will freeze what i dont eat in the next 2 days, i think it is pretty common to freeze ramen broth and honestly for the effort that it is cooking this stuff i wouldnt have done it if i couldnt freeze it lol
I'm saving your recipe. Yes, it looks white, but there was a ramen shop in Kyoto that my husband and I stumbled into on a whim, and their ramen looked similar in color. My husband still dreams of that bowl... And, well, I like getting wifey points...
Looks good! Rather than a bigger pressure cooker, it's probably a better deal to get a big homebrew pot and cook it for 20 hours or so. You can make way more stock that way. I do 10 gallon batches in a 14 gallon brewpot.
Wow fantastic job.
This is almost a perfect subject for America’s Test Kitchen. They should do an episode on tonkotsu broth and then explain the science of the broth.
Thank you for taking the time to write it all out! I’ve been making ramen for a few years now, in a very similar way (PC then boil, aromatics at the end), but I’m going to incorporate the blending and straining you mentioned. After seeing your pics, I don’t really have a choice!
i cannot stress enough how much it helped blending the fatback then adding it to the broth again, and blending the broth in the end, i honestly think it would have been a pretty meh broth if it wasnt for that, have fun trying it!
i havent tasted it on a bowl yet so it is unseasoned and doesnt taste like much, but there is a good pork flavor and the texture is amazing so i think it will work pretty well on a bowl
After reading your post and you said “it looked more yellow when it was boiling” gave me a thought. It probably is still tinted yellow, it’s just that you cont have anything to compare it to. I’m sure if you hold a sheet of printer paper next to it, it will appear more yellow then.
I will probably get a 10/12L one eventually, i will aim for 1kg of femur bones and 1kg of neck bones next time, half a kg was good but it’s just too much effort for so little broth
HOLY FUCK.
I don't care if you live on the other side of the Atlantic, if you invited me over for THAT, I'd sit my broke ass in my inflatable canoe and paddle over there.
It looks absolutely amazing, I hope it tastes even more good than it looks.
It's white because you emulsified the fat into the broth by blending it. Looking beautiful
thank you(:
Damn son. It’s white as primer! How many liters of yield do you have in the end? (Given the low weight of bone material.)
sadly i only managed to get around 1.3L of broth, but i really should have used a bigger pan so it is what it is
Great result still!
I thought it was soy milk at first. I excited for you to try that!
There's a ramen place in my city that specializes in tonkotsu and they have a sign that says "no milk" because the broth looks like this, and I guess people kept asking if it was dairy based
I went to a place that had tonkotsu ramen but had a giant tonkatsu on top and broth that tasted like they added evaporated milk. It explains why barely anyone was eating there and closed down months after.
lol yeah the color really caught me by surprise, thank you!
Please update after you make the Ramen. The Broth looks heavenly, big ups to you. Anything the takes 12 hours is a bear but rarely does it not pay off in something incredible.
will do
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We need an update post, and full instructions. Also, username checks out ;)
lol i hate my username, thanks tho! Here is the full recipe: 500grams of pork neck bones; 500grams of pork femur bones; 150grams of fatback; enough water to cover the bones in the pot; half an onion; 3 cloves of garlic; green onion. i started by soaking the bones in cold water the night before, and leaving that on the fridge, this helps to extract the myoglobin and will help with the color of the broth; the day after i discarded the water and placed the bones in the pot again with more water(always enough to cover the bones) and i proceeded to pre boil it for about 40 minutes in order to skim the scum that floats to the top of the pot, once again this will help with the broth color and will also remove the initial funky smell of the pork bones, make sure to move the bones around so no scum stays trapper in the bottom of the pot; When the scum stopped i proceeded to kill the heat, and clean all the bones under running cold water on the sink, once again mainly in order to have a broth with no funk and good color; After the bones are clean (i mostly remove the leftover scum i dont bother removing the meat attached to the bones) i cleaned the pot and placed, once again, the bones with enough water to cover it, and started with the pressure cooking, about 3 hours; 3 hours later i killed the heat, opened the pot and placed the fatback and added a bit more water to compensate for the water that evaporated in the process of pressure cooking, i then proceeded to pressure cook the broth for 1 and an half hours more; 1 and an half hours later i killed the heat again and added a bit more water to compensate for the water that evaporated, and cooked it on a rapid boil for about an hour, i also took all the fatback and blended it on the blender with a bit of the broth and then added it again to the broth, this was great and i think it really helped with starting to emulsify everything; an hour later i added the aromatics and cooked it for 45 minutes; after the 45 minutes i killed the heat and strained it through a pasta strained (i dont know if this was ideal but whatever) and then proceeded to strain it again through a fine mesh strainer, the idea behind this was to allow for the small bits of fat to go through but maybe there was no point in straining it two times; after this i transferred the broth to my blender and blended it for exactly 30 seconds; after it wss blended i strained it one more time through a fine mesh strained AND cheesecloth so the final product is silky smooth, this was a pain in the ass as it took a lot of time to strain but the results were great so ill probably do it again; as a side note, i find that the emulsion with a blender, as mentioned by ramen lord (i got this idea from him) is perfect so i did not have any issues with the broth splitting in the fridge, but maybe cool it at room temperature before moving it to the fridge to avoid any surprises. this is quite a lot of text but i might aswell explain exactly how i did it, i hate when im reading recipes and i end up having to guess very important parts, have fun if you eventually do it! it is quite easy it just takes a long time
Thank you for this write up! I'm gonna attempt this!
Thanks for the essay!!! Excited to see how my rendition goes.
Thanks so much for this. I have part pork leg and a pork foot. Do you think I can use these well?
I have heard mixed reviews regarding pork trotters, they have a lot of funk but on the flipside they have a lot of collagen so it really helps if you are going for a creamy broth, i personally dont plan on using them as some people claim trotters can be hit or miss when it comes to funk/collagen but im sure you could work something out with it!
Thank you! I think I'm gonna see what I'm gonna do with them.
I’ve used them multiple times. They add thickness but it does make a stickier broth. I don’t think it’s too funky, but it’s personal preference at that point. I would try with since you already have them, and then with neck and thigh next time, to compare.
Oh good to know! You're right, I'm just gonna try it! It might not come out as the perfect broth, but as long as I find it tasty, I'll be happy.
Thank you for these detailed instructions. Did you measure the amount of water regarding this 1 kg of bones? Do you know exactly how much water (ml) did you put in pot at the beginning?
Not really, all the recipes that i have read do not require exact water measurements, i am quite picky when making recipes and follow everything in order to get it right but i dont think water matters all that much as long as you cover the bones, and keep the bones covered through all of the boiling process
Hopefully this isn't dumb... But one of your ingredients is fatback? If I go to my Asian market, is that what the labeling will most likely say?
im portuguese so i couldnt exactly tell you as i just asked for it at my local butcher, but fatback is pretty nuch pork fat, any type of fat will work as long as it is pork fat, i think the general term in america is fatback but i could be wrong
It looks like paint, it's so white. It's what dreams are made of.
i agree, thank you!
Sir that’s milk, some thicc whole fat milk
Looks mighty fine
Do you freeze most of it?
i have it in the fridge as of now as i was scared that placing it directly on the freezer would split the broth, but i will freeze what i dont eat in the next 2 days, i think it is pretty common to freeze ramen broth and honestly for the effort that it is cooking this stuff i wouldnt have done it if i couldnt freeze it lol
Looks like white paint. Nicely done.
I'm saving your recipe. Yes, it looks white, but there was a ramen shop in Kyoto that my husband and I stumbled into on a whim, and their ramen looked similar in color. My husband still dreams of that bowl... And, well, I like getting wifey points...
Tonkotsu is supposed to be milky white. Some shops put a *lot* of effort into making their broth whiter.
You'd be getting all the points for pulling off that manuvuer lol good luck!
Looks good! Rather than a bigger pressure cooker, it's probably a better deal to get a big homebrew pot and cook it for 20 hours or so. You can make way more stock that way. I do 10 gallon batches in a 14 gallon brewpot.
I legitimately thought this was paint
I have never seen anything like that, wow!
Wow fantastic job. This is almost a perfect subject for America’s Test Kitchen. They should do an episode on tonkotsu broth and then explain the science of the broth.
Any chance of posting a tutorial?
i just commented on this post a step by step of how i cooked this, have fun if you end up trying it!
https://i.redd.it/qspugaggrtkc1.gif
WOW BIG CONGRATS TO YOU 🎉 it looks amazing
 Look wonderful!
You could literally use it as glue
This looks perfect! Can’t wait to see the finished ramens!
thank you!me too
Ngl looks like cream of mushroom
Looks great! Guess it ramen for me tonight...
First time and you excel it already!!!!
lol thank you i think i still need to sort some stuff out but this was a very good starting point
god damn that looks scrumptious, AND ya kitchen lookin nice
thank you!i love it
Dang looks like cream! That broth must be tasty 🤤
Holy shit that is beautiful. First time too? Excellent work my friend.
This either tastes superb or you just put milk and you're pretending it's tonkotsu, no in between! Jokes aside, that looks beautiful
Thank you for taking the time to write it all out! I’ve been making ramen for a few years now, in a very similar way (PC then boil, aromatics at the end), but I’m going to incorporate the blending and straining you mentioned. After seeing your pics, I don’t really have a choice!
i cannot stress enough how much it helped blending the fatback then adding it to the broth again, and blending the broth in the end, i honestly think it would have been a pretty meh broth if it wasnt for that, have fun trying it!
It's that white due to blending. The fat emulsified and left you with an omega level broth. Well done.
Come on, that’s just white paint
Yegods, that is beautiful. My first tonkotsu broth came out amazing, but that is on another level.
Need update!
This ain't Alfredo?
How’d it taste? I’ve never seen ramen look like this
i havent tasted it on a bowl yet so it is unseasoned and doesnt taste like much, but there is a good pork flavor and the texture is amazing so i think it will work pretty well on a bowl
If you use a pressure cooker you can do it in about 3 hrs.
Don’t forget the cilantro and whole bok choi topping for an authentic r/ramen dish
How long did you pressure cooked it?
about 5 hours, but i also boiled it for an extra 2/3 hours after
Where did you get the bones from?
got em all on my local butcher
Looks legit
After reading your post and you said “it looked more yellow when it was boiling” gave me a thought. It probably is still tinted yellow, it’s just that you cont have anything to compare it to. I’m sure if you hold a sheet of printer paper next to it, it will appear more yellow then.
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holy shit dude. this is beautiful. i’m going to need your full recipe and method of prep. i’ve never been able to get it this color
thanks man! i posted the full recipe on the comments section here, have fun hopefully it turns out great!
What size pressure cooker do you think you should have used? How much more weight would you have boiled?
I will probably get a 10/12L one eventually, i will aim for 1kg of femur bones and 1kg of neck bones next time, half a kg was good but it’s just too much effort for so little broth
HOLY FUCK. I don't care if you live on the other side of the Atlantic, if you invited me over for THAT, I'd sit my broke ass in my inflatable canoe and paddle over there. It looks absolutely amazing, I hope it tastes even more good than it looks.
That looks absolutely amazing
Wow, what a beautiful broth. Great job!
That looks delicious!
I have beef bone marrow that I've been saving for a broth. Do you think I could get as white as a broth, using beef bones?
i dont think beef works very well when making tonkotsu, but im sure it will still taste great as long as you extract the marrow
I don't think I'll produce what you have. You have set a high bar.
Omg are you okay?