Beef Pho (Phở Bò) Recipe with Oxtail, Brisket and Meatballs

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Phở Bò (pronounced fuh-baw), or Vietnamese beef noodle soup, is iconic and delicious. It’s traditionally a breakfast dish eaten in Vietnam. Many Phở restaurants in Vietnam will close by 2PM because people only eat it for breakfast. You may find certain vendors selling Phở later in the day but it is not common.

In my family, everyone has their own way of making Phở. People have different meat and seasoning preferences. Ultimately, it’s really up to you and how you like your Phở to taste.

I love my Phở Bò with oxtail, brisket (chin) and meatballs (bò vien).

Here’s our beef Phở recipe!

[mv_create key=”14″ type=”recipe” title=”Beef Pho with Ox Tail, Brisket and Meatballs” thumbnail=”https://www.schimiggy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/oxtail-and-beef-pho-vietnamese-noodle-soup.jpg”]Here are the ingredients that I use in my Phở Bò. You can find most of these ingredients in any Vietnamese grocery store (Siêu thị pronounced “seww tea”).

Place beef bones and oxtail on a baking tray and season with salt and pepper. Brown them in the oven at 425 degrees Farenheit for 1 hour.

Place the browned bones, oxtail, seasoning packet, onion, fish sauce and pepper into a large stock pot. Fill with water and boil for 1 hour.

The BEST Pho seasoning packet!

There are many seasonings, but this one is my favorite. You can also buy the seasonings separately and use fresh ginger.

Once the pot has come to a boil, lower the temperature to medium and cook for another 5 hours. The broth will become more brown and flavorful as it continues to cook. If you want the broth saltier, add more salt and/or fish sauce and taste test throughout the next 5 hours.

Bean sprouts are sold in a bag like this. You can also blanch the bean sprouts and serve them hot. Be sure to finish your bean sprouts ASAP becuase they can go bad very fast.

I use this rock sugar to sweeten my broth. You can also use very ripe pears or apples as a rock sugar substitute for the broth.

If you can’t find this brand in your grocery store, you can opt for this brand instead.

We don’t make our own meatballs. Instead, we use these pre-made meatballs that puff up when you cook them.

I love using fresh pho noodles! Just boil water and use a noodle strainer to blanch and soften the noodles prior to serving. You can find these noodles in most Vietnamese grocers. If fresh pho noodles are not available in your area, you can opt for dry pho noodles instead.

Fresh noodles are sold in different sizes. When cooking the noodles, take a grip full of noodles and cook them in the strainer.

Here are some garnishes you’ll be adding to your pho bowl once it’s ready. Use hoisin sauce and Sriracha to add some flavor to your bowl. We forgot to include the Thai basil and bean sprouts in our spread above.

We hope you enjoyed our Phở Bò recipe. It will take some time to make, but we promise it will be worth it!