Korean Pork Soup: A Comforting Dwaeji Gukbap Recipe

Korean pork soup, often served as dwaeji gukbap, is a warming bowl of tender pork and savory broth with rice, especially associated with Busan in South Korea. This home-style version simmers pork neck bones for a full-bodied stock, then cooks pork shoulder in the same pot; diners season each bowl with scallions, garlic, chile, and salted shrimp to taste.

Ingredients

2 lb (900 g) pork neck bones
1 1/2 lb (680 g) boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2 or 3 large pieces
12 cups (2.8 L) cold water, plus up to 2 cups (475 ml) hot water for topping up
1 medium yellow onion (about 7 oz / 200 g), peeled and halved
8 garlic cloves (about 30 g), lightly crushed
1 piece fresh ginger, 2 in (5 cm; about 25 g), sliced
2 dried bay leaves (optional)
2 cups (370 g) short-grain or medium-grain rice, for serving
1 tsp (5 g) fine salt for the broth, then more to taste
1/2 tsp (1 g) ground black pepper for the broth
4 scallions (about 60 g), thinly sliced, for serving
2 tbsp (30 g) saeujeot, Korean salted fermented shrimp, for serving
2 tbsp (30 ml) fish sauce, offered as a substitute for saeujeot
1 tbsp (7 g) gochugaru, Korean red pepper flakes, for serving
2 garlic cloves (about 8 g), finely minced, for serving
1 tsp (5 ml) toasted sesame oil, optional, for serving
1/4 tsp (0.5 g) ground black pepper, optional, for serving
1 small bunch Korean chives or additional scallions (about 30 g), sliced, optional

Instructions

Rinse the rice and prepare the pork. Rinse the rice in a bowl of cool water, gently swishing it with your hand, and drain. Repeat until the water is less cloudy, then leave the rice to drain while you work. Rinse the bones under cold water and trim away any large, loose pieces of fat. Cut the shoulder into two or three large pieces rather than small cubes so it stays juicy as it simmers. Set out the onion, garlic, ginger, and bay leaves.
Blanch the bones for a cleaner broth. Put the pork neck bones in a large stockpot and cover with cool water. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander, discard that water, and rinse the bones and pot to remove the gray foam and loose residue. This quick blanching step is not the main broth simmer; it helps the finished soup taste cleaner and look less cloudy from surface impurities.
Build the bone broth. Return the rinsed bones to the clean pot and add 12 cups (2.8 L) fresh cold water. Bring just to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Skim off any foam that collects during the first 10 to 15 minutes. Add the onion, crushed garlic, ginger, and bay leaves. Partly cover the pot and simmer gently for 75 minutes. The surface should show occasional small bubbles, not a hard rolling boil, which can break up the meat and make the broth greasy.
Simmer the shoulder until tender. Add the pork shoulder to the pot. If the bones are no longer covered, add a little hot water; keep the liquid at a gentle simmer. Cover the pot partly and cook for about 65 minutes, turning the shoulder once if it is not submerged. Check the thickest part of the pork with a food thermometer: USDA FSIS recommends a safe minimum of 145°F (63°C) for whole cuts of pork, followed by a 3-minute rest. Lift the pieces out when they reach that temperature, rest them for at least 3 minutes, and continue simmering a little longer if needed until they are fork-tender. Pork shoulder often needs more time to become easy to shred, so tenderness—not just temperature—is the cue for this soup.
Cook the rice while the pork simmers. Prepare the drained rice in a rice cooker or saucepan according to its package directions. For stovetop rice, add the rice to a saucepan with the amount of water specified for your rice, bring it to a boil, cover, and cook at low heat until tender. Keep the finished rice covered until serving. Rice cooking happens during the broth simmer and does not add extra time to the recipe total.
Finish the broth and pork. Remove the onion, ginger, and bay leaves. Lift out the bones and set them aside until cool enough to handle; remove any meat from them if you like, and discard the bones. Skim excess fat from the broth with a spoon, leaving a little for flavor. Season the broth with 1 teaspoon (5 g) salt and 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) black pepper. Taste before adding more salt because the bowl toppings are salty. Shred or thinly slice the rested pork shoulder, then return it and any picked bone meat to the broth. Simmer for 12 minutes so everything is hot and the flavors come together. If the broth has reduced more than you prefer, stir in hot water to taste.
Set out the bowl seasonings. Put the sliced scallions, saeujeot, gochugaru, minced garlic, chives, sesame oil, and extra pepper into small dishes. Ladle broth and pork into warm bowls, add a serving of rice to each bowl or serve the rice separately, and let everyone season their soup at the table.

Tips

Use a gentle simmer. A vigorous boil can make the broth cloudy and separate more fat into it. If the pot boils hard, lower the heat and skim off any excess fat before serving. A little natural cloudiness is normal, especially with pork bones.
Look for saeujeot in a Korean grocery store. These small salted fermented shrimp are a traditional table seasoning that adds briny, savory depth. If you cannot find them, offer fish sauce instead, starting with a few drops per bowl; fish sauce is stronger and less textured, so it will not taste exactly the same. Check the broth before adding extra salt.
Adjust richness without losing flavor. Skim the broth after simmering, or chill it and lift off the solidified fat before reheating. For a lighter bowl, add more hot water and season each portion at the table. For a richer broth, leave a small amount of fat and include meat picked from the bones.
Season bowls individually. Saeujeot, gochugaru, and raw garlic are meant to be adjusted to personal taste. Start with a small pinch or spoonful, taste the broth, and add more rather than stirring all the seasonings into the pot at once.

Serving Suggestions

Serve the soup very hot with a bowl of freshly cooked rice. For a classic feel, put rice directly into the broth; serving it on the side lets each person choose how much to add and keeps leftover rice from soaking up the soup. Set the toppings within reach so guests can season their own bowls. A small plate of kimchi or kkakdugi, the Korean cubed-radish kimchi, brings a crisp, tangy contrast to the savory pork. Mild pickled vegetables or a simple cucumber salad also work well if you want a less spicy side.

For a more substantial meal, offer extra rice and a few simple banchan, or Korean side dishes, rather than adding many ingredients to the soup itself. The broth should remain the focus. If serving a group, keep the pot of broth gently hot and bring rice and seasonings to the table separately. This makes it easy for each person to choose a plain, mild bowl or a bolder one with plenty of chile, garlic, and salted shrimp.

Variations

Dwaeji gukbap varies by household and region: some bowls have a milky-looking bone broth, while others are clearer or are served with seasonings on the side. This recipe uses both neck bones and shoulder to balance broth flavor with easy-to-eat meat. For a more pork-forward soup, use a little more shoulder and fewer bones, adding hot water as needed; the result will be less concentrated. For a richer stock, add another pound (450 g) of neck bones and simmer them for an additional 30 to 45 minutes before adding the shoulder. That extra simmer will lengthen the total cooking time.

If neck bones are unavailable, use pork soup bones or meaty pork ribs, keeping the total bone weight close to the amount listed. Boneless pork shoulder alone can also make a good everyday soup, though the broth will have less gelatin and bone flavor. For a spicy bowl, stir gochugaru and minced garlic into a little hot broth before adding it to the serving bowl. For a milder version, leave those seasonings off the table and use scallions and black pepper instead. Korean chives add a fresh, slightly garlicky note; ordinary chives or more scallions are practical substitutes.

Storage and Reheating

Cool the broth and pork promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. For quicker cooling, divide the soup between shallow containers rather than leaving a large stockpot on the counter. Store the rice separately from the broth, and keep any unused scallions and other fresh toppings in separate covered containers. The cooked soup keeps for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. It can be frozen in airtight, freezer-safe containers for about 2 to 3 months for best quality; leave room for expansion and thaw it in the refrigerator.

Reheat only the portion you plan to eat, on the stovetop over medium heat or in the microwave, stirring as needed. Heat leftovers to 165°F (74°C), checking the center with a food thermometer, and bring the broth to a simmer. Add a splash of water if it has concentrated in storage. Reheat rice separately until steaming hot, and add fresh toppings after reheating. Avoid repeatedly cooling and reheating the entire pot; portioning it makes both serving and safe storage easier.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Korean pork soup the same as dwaeji gukbap?

Dwaeji gukbap translates roughly as pork-and-rice soup and is a well-known Korean soup, particularly associated with Busan. The name is used for related bowls rather than one single fixed recipe. Broth strength, the cut of pork, and whether rice is served in the soup or on the side can vary.

Can I make this soup without pork bones?

Yes. Make it with about 2 1/2 to 3 lb (1.1 to 1.4 kg) pork shoulder, using the same aromatics and simmering until the pork is tender. The broth will be lighter and less gelatin-rich than a bone broth. You can build flavor by simmering gently and seasoning each bowl carefully, but a longer cook will not fully replace the body that bones contribute.

Why blanch the bones before making the broth?

Blanching briefly boils off surface blood and loose proteins, which you then rinse away before starting with fresh water. It is a practical way to reduce foam and strong, muddy flavors in the finished soup. Do not skip rinsing the pot and bones after draining, or the residue from blanching can end up in the final broth.

Do I have to put rice in the soup?

No. Serve the rice in a separate bowl if you prefer to control the amount or keep the grains firm. Adding rice directly to each serving is convenient and traditional for many bowls of dwaeji gukbap, but it can absorb broth as it sits. Keep leftover rice separate from the soup.

Can I make the broth ahead?

Yes. Cook the broth and pork, cool them promptly, and refrigerate them separately from the rice and toppings for up to 3 to 4 days. Chilling makes it easy to remove solidified fat from the surface before reheating. Heat the soup to 165°F (74°C), then prepare fresh rice and finish each bowl with scallions and seasonings.

How do I keep the soup from tasting too salty?

Keep the broth lightly seasoned and let each person add saeujeot, fish sauce, or additional salt at the table. Salted shrimp and fish sauce vary in saltiness, so begin with a small amount and taste before adding more. If the pot is already too salty, dilute it with hot water and serve with plain rice.

More recipes to cook

Safety notes: safe minimum internal temperatures from USDA FSIS; raw and undercooked fish guidance from the U.S. FDA. Food safety notes

Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it (corrections policy).