Sagol

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Sagol is a Korean ingredient made from beef leg bones. The bones come from a cow’s four legs, usually the thigh and shin bones, and can come from Korean beef (hanu) or other cattle. Sagol is often classified by breed, sex, or grade, with high‑grade sagol from hanu beef often preferred.

Sagol is most commonly boiled to make sagol-yuksu, a beef leg bone broth. This broth forms the base for many Korean soups, such as gomguk (beef bone soup), galbi-tang (short rib soup), tteokguk (rice cake soup), kal-guksu (noodle soup), and gukbap (soup with rice).

Nutritionally, sagol provides collagen protein and minerals like calcium. Traditional Korean culture says it can reinvigorate the body, but there’s no scientific evidence to confirm this. In summer, sagol broth is sometimes served to pregnant or breastfeeding mothers and the sick; in winter, it’s enjoyed with rice as a warm, nourishing meal.

The word sagol literally means “four bones.” A cow has eight sagol bones in total. A sagol consists of a shaft (diaphysis) and two ends (epiphyses); the outer layer is compact bone, the inner layer is spongy bone, and marrow is inside the shaft.