Ingredients

   
450g beef brisket, cut into large pieces along the grain
3500g water
½ onion
30g dried gosari (fernbrake), rehydrated
230g mung bean sprouts
3 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked and sliced
3 stalks daepa (large green onion) or 14 green onions, cut into 6cm lengths
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs, lightly beaten (optional)

(A) Seasoning

   
30g sesame oil
10g gochugaru
15g guk ganjang (soup soy sauce)
5g gochujang (optional)
5g doenjang (optional)
  salt and pepper to taste

Steps

  1. Rehydrate gosari: boil in 1000g water over medium heat until tender, 30–60 minutes. Drain, rinse, cut into 6cm lengths, discard tough stem ends.

  2. In a large pot, bring brisket, onion, and 3500g water to a boil. Skim scum, reduce to medium, cover, and simmer 1 hour until the meat shreds easily with a fork.

  3. Remove beef and onion. Discard onion. Skim fat from broth — you should have about 2000g remaining. Let beef cool, then shred into strips along the grain.

  4. Blanch bean sprouts in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and rinse with cold water.

  5. Heat sesame oil in a pan over low heat. Stir in gochugaru — turn off heat as soon as the oil turns red and the flakes become pasty (a few seconds). Do not burn.

  6. Add shredded beef, gosari, mushrooms, garlic, and guk ganjang to the chili oil. Toss to coat.

  7. Transfer the beef mixture to the broth. Add optional gochujang and doenjang. Boil over medium-high heat, covered, 10 minutes.

  8. Add bean sprouts and green onions. Boil another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

  9. Drizzle beaten eggs over the boiling soup in a thin stream. Turn off heat immediately. Serve with rice.

Notes

  • Gosari (고사리, dried fernbrake) is the defining ingredient. It adds a deep, earthy, almost mushroomy flavor and a chewy texture. Available at any Korean grocery store — buy the thin-stemmed variety. A bag lasts forever in the pantry.
  • If you skip one vegetable, don’t let it be the green onions. Lots of them. They’re the second most important ingredient after the beef.
  • The chili oil step (heating sesame oil + gochugaru) is what gives yukgaejang its signature red, smoky character. It’s not just dumping flakes into broth.
  • Beef brisket is traditional. Flank steak or shank also work. The meat needs to be tough enough to benefit from the long simmer and shred well.
  • Make a big batch. Yukgaejang keeps 3–4 days in the fridge, up to a week if you reheat every other day. Freezes well in portions.
  • Dangmyeon (sweet potato glass noodles) are a common addition. Soak in warm water 20 minutes, add in the last few minutes of cooking.
  • For a richer broth, simmer beef bones alongside the brisket, or use store-bought sagol yuksu (사골육수, milky bone broth) as part of the liquid.