Slow Cooker Pho-Style Beef Broth

Name: Slow Cooker Pho-Style Beef Broth
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 600 min
Total time: 630 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 4 lbs beef bones (knuckle, marrow, or oxtail), rinsed; 1 lb beef brisket or chuck (for sliced topping); 2 medium yellow onion, halved; 4-in piece fresh ginger, halved; 4 star anise pods; 2 cinnamon stick; 6 whole cloves; 2 tsp coriander seeds; 2 tbsp fish sauce (gluten-free); 1 large rock sugar (or 2 tsp granulated sugar); 2 tsp kosher salt; 10 cups water; 8 oz dried flat rice noodles (banh pho), cooked per pkg

A deeply aromatic Vietnamese-style beef broth made with charred ginger and onion, star anise, cinnamon, and cloves - slow-cooked for maximum depth. Serve over rice noodles with your choice of toppings.

630 minMediumServes 6280 cal/serving

VietnameseSoupSlow CookerHigh ProteinHigh FiberGluten-FreeDairy-FreeEgg-FreeNut-FreeLow-SodiumPork-FreeNightshade-FreeCorn-Free

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

4 lbs beef bones (knuckle, marrow, or oxtail), rinsed
1 lb beef brisket or chuck (for sliced topping)
2 medium yellow onion, halved
4-in piece fresh ginger, halved
4 star anise pods
2 cinnamon stick
6 whole cloves
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp fish sauce (gluten-free)
1 large rock sugar (or 2 tsp granulated sugar)
2 tsp kosher salt
10 cups water
8 oz dried flat rice noodles (banh pho), cooked per pkg

Instructions

1

Blanch the 4 lbs rinsed beef bones (knuckle, marrow, or oxtail): place in a large pot, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, and cook for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse bones under cold water to remove impurities. Transfer to the slow cooker.
2

Char the 2 medium halved yellow onion and 4-in piece halved fresh ginger: place cut-side down in a dry skillet or under the broiler for 5-7 minutes until deeply browned and fragrant. Add to the slow cooker.
3

Toast the 4 star anise pods, 2 cinnamon stick, 6 whole cloves, and 2 tsp coriander seeds in the dry skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Wrap in cheesecloth or add loose to the slow cooker.
4

Add the 1 lb beef brisket or chuck (for sliced topping), 2 tbsp fish sauce (gluten-free), 1 large rock sugar (or 2 tsp granulated sugar), 2 tsp kosher salt, and 10 cups water to the slow cooker.
5

Cook on LOW for 10 hours (or HIGH for 6 hours) for a rich, deeply flavored broth.
6

Remove the beef brisket or chuck (for sliced topping) and let it rest, then slice thinly across the grain for topping. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer, discarding solids. Skim off excess fat. Taste and adjust with additional fish sauce (gluten-free) and kosher salt.
7

Verify the broth has fully cooked and the beef brisket or chuck (for sliced topping) reaches an internal temperature of 190°F (88°C). Serve the hot broth over bowls of cooked 8 oz cooked per pkg dried flat rice noodles (banh pho), topped with sliced brisket and desired garnishes.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Keep this recipe

Prints the ingredients and method only.

The Vietnamese Kitchen 30 recipes from this kitchen in one printable PDF. $5, no account.

Questions

How much time should I plan for Slow Cooker Pho-Style Beef Broth?

As written, 630 minutes: 30 of prep and 600 of cooking. The longest single stretch is step 5 (10 hours): "Cook on LOW for 10 hours (or HIGH for 6 hours) for a rich, deeply flavored broth."

What internal temperature should Slow Cooker Pho-Style Beef Broth reach?

For Slow Cooker Pho-Style Beef Broth, the target internal temperature is 190 F (about 90 C), given in step 7. A probe thermometer removes the guesswork.

Why cook the spices first in Slow Cooker Pho-Style Beef Broth?

Step 3 reads: "Toast the 4 star anise pods, 2 cinnamon stick, 6 whole cloves, and 2 tsp coriander seeds in the dry skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until fragrant." Most spice flavor dissolves in fat, not water. The brief fry in step 3 wakes the spices up and spreads them through the oil. Keep them moving; they scorch in seconds.

What equipment do I need for Slow Cooker Pho-Style Beef Broth?

Beyond a knife and a board, the method uses cheesecloth (step 3) and a fine-mesh sieve (step 6). If you do not have one, a clean thin dish towel replaces the cheesecloth.

Is there a substitute for fish sauce in Slow Cooker Pho-Style Beef Broth?

The entry for Slow Cooker Pho-Style Beef Broth calls for 2 tbsp fish sauce (gluten-free). In its place: Soy sauce with a squeeze of lime covers the salt and some of the savor. For a vegetarian version, use a mushroom-based soy sauce. Start with the same volume and adjust.

Does Slow Cooker Pho-Style Beef Broth contain fish?

Yes: 2 tbsp fish sauce (gluten-free). The full allergen list for this entry is fish. Packaged ingredients vary by brand, so check labels if the allergy is serious.

How much protein is in Slow Cooker Pho-Style Beef Broth?

One serving (the recipe makes 6) has 27 g of protein in about 280 calories, alongside 27 g carbohydrate and 7 g fat, plus 6 g fiber and 159 mg sodium. The figures are estimates computed from the ingredient list. More like it: the high-protein soup collection.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,544 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.