Go Back Email Link
–+ servings
Meat scrap pho with thai basil and cilantro

Meat Scrap Pho

This is a low waste way to make one of the best, most flavorful soups around.
5 from 12 votes
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Course Dinner, Soup
Cuisine Vietnamese
Servings 5 servings

Ingredients
  

Broth

  • 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 large or 2 small onions cut in half
  • 1 " long piece of fresh ginger cut into ~¼" slices
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 ½ lb meat scraps minimum
  • 1 oz cilantro a small bunch
  • 5 star anise
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 2 ½ teaspoon whole coriander seeds
  • 6 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoon white sugar
  • 2 teaspoon coarse salt divided

The bowls - only the noodles are required - mix and match

  • 14 oz pack of rice noodles stir fry, or pad thai noodles work well
  • bean sprouts
  • jalapeño sliced thinly
  • lime for the juice
  • fresh cilantro
  • fresh mint
  • fresh thai basil
  • sriracha
  • hoisin sauce
  • fish sauce

Instructions
 

Broth

  • Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium-high until the oil sizzles dramatically when splashed lightly with water.
  • Add the onions and ginger to the pot and cook them on the first side until it they're well charred ~45 seconds. Then flip the pieces and cook them long enough to char that side as well.
  • Pour water and broth into the pot carefully, to avoid steam burns.
  • Add your meat scraps into the pot, straight from the freezer.
  • Mix in the the rest of the ingredients, except for the salt.
  • Bring the broth to just below a boil, then reduce your heat to the lowest setting and cover the pot most of the way. It will take a little while for your broth to heat up, remember that you just contributed a lot of meatcicles to it.
  • Give the broth a quick skim to remove some of the fat that has risen to the top.
  • Cook the broth for 1 ½ hours, skimming another 2-3 times during that time.
  • Mix 1 ½ teaspoon of coarse salt into the broth, then replace the cover and cook for another 15 minutes.
  • Pour soup through a fine mesh sieve (or less fine but with cheesecloth) into a vessel large enough to contain that much hot liquid. Mix in the last ½ teaspoon of coarse salt.
  • When it's no longer burning hot, paw through the leavings in your sieve and pull out your slow braised, shredded meat. The fat will have mostly melted from the protein and you'll be left with extremely tender meat.

The bowls

  • Meanwhile, prepare the rice noodles according to box directions.
  • Wash, chop, or otherwise prepare your chosen toppings from the above list.
  • Put ⅕ of the noodles in a bowl, top with your shredded meat, then pour hot broth over everything.
  • Add all of your chosen toppings over the top, stir, and enjoy.
  • Eat the broth within about 5 days or freeze it for up to 6 months (for best quality).
Keyword cooking with meat trimmings, homemade pho, low waste pho, low-waste, meat scrap, meat scrap pho, meat scrap soup, meat trimmings, pho
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!