Korean
Bossam
Korean bossam with tender sliced pork, lightly salted napa cabbage, and balanced fermented ssamjang.
6 servings · 40 minutes prep · 15 minutes cook
Ingredients
Salted Cabbage
- 1 small napa cabbage, about 2 pounds
- 1/3 cup coarse Korean sea salt
- 8 cups cold water
Pork
- 3 pounds skin-on pork belly or boneless pork shoulder, in one piece
- 10 cups cold water, or enough to cover
- 1/2 cup Korean rice wine or dry sake
- 1/4 cup Korean doenjang
- 1 medium yellow onion, quartered
- 8 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
- 2 ounces fresh ginger, sliced
- 4 scallions, cut into 3-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
Ssamjang
- 1/4 cup Korean doenjang
- 2 tablespoons gochujang
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice syrup or honey
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, lightly crushed
- 1 garlic clove, finely grated
- 1 scallion, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon cold water, plus more as needed
Directions
Salt the Cabbage and Start the Pork
- Quarter the cabbage lengthwise through the core, then separate the leaves into wrap-size pieces. Dissolve the salt in the cold water. Submerge the leaves under a plate for 45 minutes, turning once. Rinse three times in cold water, drain thoroughly, and refrigerate while the pork cooks. The leaves should be flexible, lightly seasoned, and still crisp.
- Place the pork in a snug heavy pot and add the water, rice wine, doenjang, onion, garlic, ginger, scallions, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, skimming the gray foam, then reduce to a steady low simmer. Cover with the lid slightly ajar and turn the pork every 20 minutes. Cook pork belly for 60 to 75 minutes, until a skewer enters easily and the center is about 190°F. Cook pork shoulder for 90 to 120 minutes, until a skewer enters easily and the center is 195°F to 200°F. Either cut should be tender but cohesive enough to slice neatly.
Make the Ssamjang
- Meanwhile, stir the doenjang, gochujang, sesame oil, rice syrup, sesame seeds, garlic, scallion, and water together in a mixing bowl. Add another teaspoon or two of water if needed to make a thick, spoonable paste.
Rest, Slice, and Assemble
- Transfer the pork to a rack set over a tray and rest for 15 minutes. Keep it warm; chilling makes the fat waxy. Cut across the grain into neat 1/4-inch slices, wiping the knife between cuts.
- Arrange the warm pork, cold salted cabbage, and ssamjang separately. To eat, place a pork slice and a small dab of ssamjang in a cabbage leaf and fold into one bite.
