WHAT THE FUH? ~ Amazing Slow Cooker REAL DEAL Beef Pho

So, I finally made real Pho from scratch and it was SUPER GOOD!  This is an easy way to do this and oh so good.  In fact, if you feel like you are catching a cold, THIS IS THE CURE!  I made a big batch of this and put the broth in containers in freezer so I could have an easy meal ANYTIME.  Just buy the fresh ingredients and Yammo, great fresh and really good Pho.

The other thing is I learned how to pronounce Pho… it’s like Fa, la la.. or WHAT THE FUCK? but without the c or k. Or duh….  But with an F,  Pho, Fuh… What the Fuh?  Now you will never forget it. : ) 

If you are lucky enough to have an Asian market, you can find all of these ingredients. If not you can try my suggestions next to certain items.

Once you make the real thing, you will never have anything else.

INGREDIENTS: 

2 ½ pounds oxtails

½ white onion

3” piece fresh ginger, peeled

2 cinnamon sticks

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

5 whole star anise

5 whole cloves

1 whole cardamom pod

9 cups of water

1 ½ tablespoons beef base, such as Better Than Broth Beef Base

1 ½ tablespoons fish sauce

1-inch piece yellow rock sugar, broken into bits, or 1 teaspoon sugar

Kosher salt

1 pound dried rice noodles

1 pound of London Broil or Sirloin roast

½ pound raw eye of round steak, sliced paper-thin

½ red onion, very thinly sliced

    

For the Table:

4 limes, cut into wedges

1 bunch cilantro, cleaned

1 bunch Thai or Italian basil

1 bunch mint

2 jalapeños thinly sliced

1 cup bean sprouts

Sriracha

Hoisin sauce

Crock-pot Ready to roll.

2 kinds of beef. 

Add Noodles then add broth....

Add vegetables to make it even better!

COOKING MUSIC SELECTION: Nhac Hoa Tau VIET NAM Bat Hu

PREPARATION:

Adjust oven rack to upper position and preheat broiler on high.

Bring a large stockpot filled with water to boil over high heat. Add the oxtail and boil for 10 minutes. Drain bones into a colander and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Place oxtail bones in slow-cooker. Meanwhile, place onion and ginger on a foil-lined baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Cook until the ginger and onion achieve a nice char on both sides, about 8 minutes total. 

Add cinnamon, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, star anise, cloves and cardamom to a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Toast until fragrant, transfer to cheesecloth and seal into a packet. Add some oil to the pan and brown the Beef roast on all sides, remove from oven and set aside.  Place spices in the slow-cooker, along with water, beef base, fish sauce, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt and the browned beef roast. Set slow-cooker on lowest setting, allowing broth to cook for 10 hours minimum.  Longer if you want it to be even better.

When soup is nearly done, par-cook noodles, stopping 30 seconds short of package directions. Drain and place in the bottom of four large, individual soup bowls.  Discard spice pack and bones from broth. If there happens to be any scum or fat on the surface, skim and discard it. Taste broth and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

Place slices of raw beef and shards of onions on top of noodles and ladle piping-hot broth into bowls; this should cook meat through and soften onions.  Remove slow cooked roast and slice and place the melt in your mouth roast in the bowls with the raw beef.  When you ladle the very hot broth over the meat with the noodles, it cooks the raw beef in 30 seconds so you have two kinds of beef.  Serve with lime, herbs, jalapeños, bean sprouts, Sriracha and hoisin.  SOOO GOOD! 

You can also freeze this broth to save for an easy dinner on a cold winter night. Make a big batch of this and all you need to do is thaw it out, heat it up to a boil and add the fresh ingredients and you have an easy comforting meal in minutes.