(2020.01.31) Commentary | Texas Monthly and Koko Ramen

I’ve been debating if/when I want to start writing commentaries on ramen-adjacent news and topics: this review by Texas Monthly of Koko Ramen in Waco crystallized it.  In it are several examples of bad ramen practices.  I write this then, of course, to give readers greater perspective on ramen, what to look for in it, and how to enjoy it properly.
  • A trio of proteins also flavors the broth, which they call “triple stock.” Dried anchovies, pork femurs, and chicken feet, along with a lot of vegetables, seaweed, and mushrooms, simmer together for 24 hours.
Double and triple broth ramen have gained increased popularity recently, and it’s up to the chef to see if he/she wants to make the chicken, pork, and dried anchovies–actually dried infant sardines called niboshi–broths in separate stock pots or all in the same one.  There’s no right way to make ramen; rather, it’s about knowing the science behind the preparation and making it achieve the flavor profile one desires. 
 
That said, I would be shocked if the niboshi were really in the stock pot for 24 hours: niboshi cook relatively quickly and if overcooked, will add bitter, almost acrid flavors to the broth.  Unless Koko is already experimenting with cement-like niboshi-tonkotsu ramen, there’s no way the niboshi are in there for that long.  Even 24 hours seems excessive for chicken bones.  
  • I tried the tonkotsu broth on my first visit. It’s got an extra richness from paitan, a concentrated tonkotsu stock base that’s added to the triple stock. Mercer uses the Japanese Somi brand of paitan because, he said, “I tried to make it, and every one was not as good as the Asian one.” I asked if it felt like trying to make ketchup better than Heinz. He paused and said, “It’s exactly like that.”
This is a major warning sign that Mercer is unable to get the right flavors in his tonkotsu broth.  This Somi paitan is a pre-made ramen mix where all the components–the tonkotsu stock, the tare, the aromatic finishing oils (komiabura)–are already in the carton.  Just add hot water or dashi stock.  It’s as if you went to a hot chocolate shop and they made it out of packets of Swiss Miss, not pieces of real chocolate.  It’s excessively simple, aimed primarily at ramen newcomers or those who…want to prioritize other things in their ramen restaurant. 
 

But even this tonkotsu broth cheatcode doesn’t make sense if you consider that Koko is already trying to make its own tonkotsu broth by putting pork femur bones in its stock pot.  It may be that Mercer is unable to get the level of flavor or creaminess he desires and is willing to settle on Somi as a shortcut.  But he may benefit from trying to improve upon his tonkotsu recipe, perhaps complementing the femur bones with more collagen-heavy parts of the pig, like the feet, trotters, neck bones, and the skull to generate the rich broth he’s looking for. 

Yeah, making ramen broth is a lot of work.

  • The shoyu broth, flavored with soy sauce, is lighter. I tried them both, but I can’t comment on the flavor of the shoyu since I made the mistake of ordering spice level nine, which is their most punishing…I can attest that it’s rough to power through the bowl of level nine ramen because the spiciness is dispersed throughout the fatty broth, which is served at an elevated temperature that heightens the burn. Slurping the noodles also aerates and intensifies the spices, and that doesn’t even account for what happens when a stray drop gets in your nose while you’re slurping. Next time I’ll stick with level three or four.
Daniel Vaughn is the BBQ, not Ramen editor of Texas Monthly. But there are still basic gustatory principles. Shoyu broth is supposed to showcase sweet and/or wine-like fermented notes. It’s too light-bodied to absorb a spice/hot sauce bomb where all taste is obliterated. In all my 165 bowls of ramen, I have never seen a spicy shoyu ramen offered in Japan. I have, unfortunately, seen it more than a few times in the US. Don’t encourage them by ordering it.
Koko Ramen | Shoyu Ramen w/ All the Meats (from article)

The image of this shoyu bowl and the description of the extensive appetizer menu in this review suggest that this shop should find non-ramen ways to showcase its BBQ. Putting BBQ in a bao sounds intriguing, but that does not create an obligation to serve ramen, no matter how badly a chef wants to emulate David Chang and Momofuku. Why ruin perfectly good BBQ by dunking it in shoyu broth, as seen in the picture to the left?

If Mercer really wants to make this BBQ + ramen concept work, the starting point should be to nail down his own broth recipes, not facilely relying on Paitan-in-a-Carton.  If he really wants to pair BBQ with noodles, he should consider serving it as tsukemen (dipping ramen), where the meat will remain separate from the concentrated broth and avoid gustatory dissonance.  
 
The BBQ and some of the appetizers look mighty good.  They deserve a ramen worthy of them.