Korean Pressure Cooker Braised Oxtail - Kkorijjim
Korean braised oxtail, known as kkori jjim (꼬리찜), is a hearty, slow-cooked centerpiece built around collagen-rich oxtail pieces simmered until tender and finished in a concentrated red sauce. The meat becomes unctuous and silky, while the sauce turns glossy and deeply flavored from long, gentle cooking.
This version focuses on an approachable method for home cooks: parboil to clean, cook low and slow to develop tenderness, then concentrate flavor by braising the oxtail in a gochujang-and-soy based sauce. It’s ideal for weekend cooking or making ahead—flavors deepen after resting, and leftover sauce becomes excellent fried rice.
Serve the Korean braised oxtail with steamed rice, kkakdugi, and a small bowl of hot scallion broth to recreate the comforting restaurant set-meal experience. Below you’ll find ingredients, step-by-step instructions, practical tips, and FAQ to get perfect kkori jjim at home.
What is Korean Braised Oxtail (Kkori Jjim)?
Kkori jjim is a jjim-style (braised) Korean dish made from oxtail segments that are simmered until the meat loosens from the bone and the natural collagen converts into a silky body for the sauce. Texture is the defining trait: tender, gelatinous meat paired with a glossy, savory-spicy sauce built from gochujang, gochugaru, soy, garlic, and aromatics. The final dish is rich, warming, and meant for sharing.
What You’ll Need to Make Korean Braised Oxtail
- Large heavy pot or Dutch oven with lid for simmering and braising.
- Fine-mesh strainer or colander for parboiling and rinsing.
- Tongs, ladle, and a sturdy wooden spoon.
- Large bowl for mixing the sauce.
- Knife and cutting board.
- Optional: pressure cooker/Instant Pot for a quicker initial tenderizing stage.
Pantry staples to have on hand: soy sauce, gochujang, gochugaru, sugar, garlic, ginger, toasted sesame oil.
Why You’ll Love Kkori Jjim
- Deep, restaurant-style flavor from simple pantry ingredients.
- Meat becomes pull-away tender thanks to slow simmering and collagen breakdown.
- Great for sharing—feeds a crowd with minimal fuss.
- Makes excellent leftovers; flavor improves after a day.
- Leftover sauce turns into a craveable fried rice (볶음밥).
Ingredients
Oxtail and simmer base
- 1.6–2.0 kg (3.5–4.5 lb) oxtail, cut into segments
- Cold water for soaking and blanching
- 2.5 L (10 cups) water, approximately, for simmering
- 1 large onion (about 250 g), quartered
- 30 g (1 oz) fresh ginger, sliced
- 8–10 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 scallions, cut into large sections
Spicy braising sauce
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) soy sauce
- 60–80 g (4–5 tbsp) gochujang (Korean red chile paste)
- 15–30 g (1–2 tbsp) gochugaru (Korean red chile flakes), adjust to taste
- 30–40 g (2–3 tbsp) sugar
- 20 g (4–5 cloves) garlic, minced
- 10 g (about 1 tbsp) ginger, finely grated
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 15 ml (1 tbsp) toasted sesame oil (optional, to finish)
Vegetables & finishing
- 200 g (7 oz) mushrooms (shiitake or king oyster), sliced
- 200 g (7 oz) bamboo shoots, drained and sliced (or Korean radish/daikon)
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 4–5 scallions, cut into 5 cm (2 in) pieces
To serve
- Steamed rice
- Kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) and fresh kimchi
- Sliced fresh chile and ssamjang (optional)
Instructions
- Soak the oxtail. Place oxtail in a large bowl, cover with cold water, and soak 30–60 minutes, changing the water once or twice to remove surface blood. Drain.
- Parboil and clean. Put the oxtail in a pot, cover with fresh water, bring to a rolling boil for 8–12 minutes. Drain and rinse the pieces under cold water to remove scum and bone fragments—this yields a cleaner braise.
- Simmer to tenderize. Return oxtail to a clean pot. Add about 2.5 L water, quartered onion, sliced ginger, crushed garlic, and scallion sections. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Skim foam and fat occasionally. Simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2½ hours, until meat loosens from the bone but remains intact.
- Prepare the sauce. While the oxtail simmers, whisk together soy sauce, gochujang, gochugaru, sugar, minced garlic, grated ginger, and black pepper until smooth.
- Braise in the sauce. Remove the large aromatics (onion chunks and scallion sections) from the pot. Pour the sauce mixture into the pot and gently stir to coat the oxtail. Simmer uncovered 25–40 minutes until the sauce deepens in color and thickens slightly.
- Add vegetables and finish. Add mushrooms, bamboo shoots, sliced onion, and scallion pieces. Simmer another 8–12 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is glossy. Stir in sesame oil off the heat, if using.
- Serve. Transfer the Korean braised oxtail to a shallow serving dish and ladle sauce over the meat. Serve hot with steamed rice, kkakdugi, and optional sliced chiles and ssamjang. Keep tongs and gloves available for pulling meat from the bones if you want the authentic hands-on experience.
- Optional: make 볶음밥 (fried rice). Reduce remaining sauce slightly, add cooked rice and chopped scallion, and stir-fry until evenly coated and steaming.
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Tips, Variations and Serving Suggestions
- Skim fat early and often during simmering for a cleaner final sauce; chilling to remove solidified fat before reheating gives a refined finish.
- Adjust the spice level by varying gochugaru within the listed range.
- For a heartier pot, add potato or carrot chunks early so they soften fully during the initial simmer.
- Pressure-cooker option: use high pressure for 45–60 minutes for the initial tenderizing stage, then finish by reducing the sauce on the stovetop for best texture.
- Serving suggestion: present Korean braised oxtail with kkakdugi and a small bowl of hot, scallion-forward broth to recreate the restaurant set-meal experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does Korean braised oxtail take to become tender?
Expect about 2–3 hours total. A long initial simmer breaks down collagen, followed by a shorter braise with sauce. The oxtail is ready when the meat pulls away from the bone easily.
Is parboiling the oxtail necessary?
Yes. Parboiling and rinsing remove impurities and bone fragments, resulting in a cleaner-tasting braise and a clearer, more refined sauce.
Can I speed the process with a pressure cooker?
Yes. Use high pressure for the initial tenderizing stage (about 45–60 minutes depending on size), then finish the sauce on the stovetop to reduce and glaze properly.
How do I remove excess fat from the braise?
Skim fat during simmering. For best control, chill the braise until the fat solidifies on top, remove it, then reheat and finish the sauce.
What should I do with leftover sauce?
Reduce it and use it for 볶음밥 (fried rice). Stir the concentrated sauce into cooked rice with scallions for a rich second-course dish.
Make this Korean braised oxtail (Kkori Jjim) when you want a show-stopping, deeply comforting main—technique is straightforward and the results are worth the simmer. Serve with steamed rice and kkakdugi, and turn any remaining sauce into fried rice.
