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World-class beef pho with rare beef, brisket, herbs, and golden broth
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World-Class Beef Pho

World-class beef pho using Leighton Rossi's 4-step blend method. A concentrated 24-hour bone broth is infused with spices bloomed in beef tallow, pre-seasoned with Hat Nem, and finished with fish sauce. Served with rare beef, well-done brisket, banh pho noodles, and a fresh herb salad.
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine Vietnamese
Keyword beef bone broth, beef pho, hat nem, homemade pho, Leighton pho, pho bo, pho broth, pho recipe, Vietnamese pho, world class pho
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 4 hours
Broth Time 1 day
Total Time 5 hours
Servings 6 servings
Calories 500kcal
Author Jason Farmer

Equipment

Ingredients

24-Hour Beef Bone Base Broth

  • 11 lbs beef bones preferably marrow bones mixed with meaty leg, knuckle, or soup bones
  • 6.5 l water preferably filtered or reverse osmosis water

Aromatics and Brisket

  • 1 yellow onion halved
  • 1 shallot halved
  • 1 piece ginger halved
  • 1 head garlic halved
  • 1 lb brisket

Pho Broth Spices

Pre-Seasoning

Final Seasoning

Bowl Assembly

  • 3 l infused pho broth
  • 1 piece well-done brisket
  • 0.5 lb rare beef eye of round, sirloin, or tenderloin, sliced paper-thin
  • 1 package banh pho noodles preferably fresh, size small

Garnish

  • 1 yellow onion thinly sliced
  • 4 stalks scallions thinly sliced
  • 1 bunch Thai basil
  • 1 bunch cilantro
  • 1 bunch culantro
  • 1 bunch mint
  • 1 cup bean sprouts
  • 2 jalapenos thinly sliced
  • 2 limes
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Beef Bone Base (Day 1)

  • Heat oven to 550°F (290°C). Place bones in a roasting pan and roast for 15-25 minutes or until well-browned.
  • Wash scum off bones under running water, making sure not to dislodge any marrow.
  • Place washed bones in a large stock pot and cover with water at a 1:1 ratio (1 liter per kilogram of bones) plus 30% extra to account for evaporation.
  • Bring to a light simmer, then lower heat until you see the faintest bubble. Set the lid slightly off the pot to allow some evaporation.
  • Simmer broth for approximately 24 hours. Skim any foam but leave the fat layer intact.
  • Strain broth into a container and cool rapidly using an ice bath. Transfer to a container and refrigerate overnight.
  • The next day, scrape the solidified fat from the cooled broth and save it for the spice infusion stage.

Prep the Aromatics and Brisket

  • Heat oven to 550°F (290°C). Salt the brisket on all sides.
  • Place onion, shallot, ginger, garlic, and brisket in a roasting pan. Roast until the brisket is browned, about 20-25 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and set all ingredients aside. Optionally char the aromatics over an open flame for additional smoky flavor.

Infuse the Broth (Day 2)

  • Heat reserved beef fat in a large pot over medium heat until melted.
  • Sear the brisket in the beef fat on all sides until well-browned, then remove.
  • Kill the heat, let the fat cool slightly, then add the black cardamom, star anise, and cinnamon. Stir for 20-30 seconds until you smell the fragrance of the spices.
  • Add the cloves and stir for another 20 seconds. Cloves go in last because they burn easily.
  • Add 2.5 liters of beef bone base broth. Add the salt gradually, tasting as you go, until the broth is just on the edge of too salty (approximately 45 grams total). Add the rock sugar and Hat Nem and stir until dissolved.
  • Return the brisket and charred aromatics to the pot. Bring to a very light simmer, then reduce heat to the faintest bubble. Infuse for exactly 3 hours.

Strain and Final Seasoning

  • After 3 hours, remove the brisket and set aside. Strain the broth and discard the aromatics and spices.
  • Add the reserved 500 ml of beef base broth.
  • Add 10 grams of rock sugar and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of fish sauce. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
  • Taste and adjust: too salty, add more broth. Underseasoned, add more salt or fish sauce. Not sweet enough, add more rock sugar.

Assemble the Bowls

  • Warm bowls in a low oven for a couple of minutes.
  • Heat the seasoned broth in a small pot (500 ml per serving) until simmering.
  • Cook noodles according to package instructions and divide among the warm bowls.
  • Layer thinly sliced rare beef and sliced well-done brisket on top of the noodles.
  • Pour simmering broth over the rare beef. The hot broth will cook the meat.
  • Top with herb salad and serve with lime wedges on the side.

Video

Notes

Bone Selection: Marrow bones give the richest result. Mixed "soup bones" (leg, knuckle, neck) work well too. Avoid using only neck bones, which produce a thinner broth with less collagen. Try Hispanic grocery stores or Asian markets if your supermarket doesn't carry beef bones.
Water Quality: Filtered water produces a noticeably better broth than tap water. Reverse osmosis water is what the best restaurants and coffee shops use. If broth is the soul of pho, water is what the broth is made of.
Hat Nem: A Vietnamese seasoning powder that contains salt, sugar, MSG, and other flavor compounds. This is the ingredient most online pho recipes leave out entirely. Po Lo Ku Shitake Hat Nem is widely available on Amazon. Chicken powder (Knorr, Lee Kum Kee) is not a substitute; it introduces a chicken flavor that changes the character of a beef broth.
Fish Sauce Timing: Only add fish sauce at the very end as a finishing seasoning. Cooking fish sauce for extended periods can make the broth sour and darken it. If storing leftover broth, add fish sauce per serving rather than to the whole pot.
Rare Beef: Eye of round is the traditional lean cut. Sirloin and tenderloin work for a more premium bowl. Freeze for 10-15 minutes before slicing to firm it up. Pre-sliced hot pot beef from Asian grocery stores also works well.
Noodle Prep: Fresh banh pho noodles from the refrigerated section of an Asian grocery store are best. If using dried noodles, soak in cold water for 1-2 hours before cooking to prevent clumping, then boil for 1-2 minutes.
Evaporation Control: The fat layer on top of the broth prevents evaporation during the 24-hour simmer. Do not skim the fat during cooking. If the broth reduces too much, lower the heat further. Adding water back dilutes the concentration.
Storage: Beef bone base keeps 5 days refrigerated, 12 months frozen. Seasoned pho broth keeps 3-4 days refrigerated. Cool rapidly using an ice bath before storing. Cooked brisket keeps 3-4 days refrigerated; slice it cold for easier cutting.

Nutrition

Calories: 500kcal