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Sliced boiled pork belly fanned on a plate next to napa cabbage leaves and fresh kimchi for wrapping

Bossam Recipe

A bossam recipe built around the one step people skip: boiling pork belly the way that actually removes the gamey smell. Real substitutes included.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kg / 2.2 lb pork belly, whole piece, skin optional
  • 2 tbsp doenjang, Korean soybean paste
  • 2 tbsp used coffee grounds or 1 green tea bag
  • 1/2 onion, unpeeled and halved
  • 6 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1 thumb ginger, sliced Substitute: 1/2 tsp ground ginger, added with the paste
  • 3 scallions, white parts only, the green tops reserved for garnish
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
  • 2 tbsp soju or mirin, optional Substitute: 2 tbsp rice vinegar — less aromatic, still helps
  • 1 head napa cabbage, or 1 head Bibb/butter lettuce, leaves separated Substitute: any soft round lettuce
  • 200 g fresh, unfermented kimchi-style radish or cabbage salad (bossam-kimchi), or use regular fresh kimchi
  • For ssamjang: 2 tbsp doenjang, 1 tbsp gochujang, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp honey or sugar, 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Method
 

  1. Submerge the pork belly in a pot just large enough to hold it, cover with cold water by 5 cm / 2 inches, and add the doenjang, coffee grounds, onion, garlic, ginger, scallion whites, bay leaves, peppercorns, and soju.
  2. Bring to a boil uncovered, skimming off any gray foam that rises in the first 5 minutes.
  3. Drop the heat to a bare simmer — small bubbles, not a rolling boil — cover partially, and cook 50 to 60 minutes for a 1 kg piece, until a chopstick slides through the thickest part with no resistance.
  4. Turn off the heat and let the pork rest in the hot broth, uncovered, for 10 minutes. This keeps the outer slices from drying out while you get everything else ready.
  5. Lift the pork out, let it firm up for 5 minutes on a cutting board, then slice against the grain into pieces about 5 mm / 1/4 inch thick.
  6. Stir together the ssamjang ingredients in a small bowl.
  7. Arrange the pork on a platter with the lettuce, cabbage, and kimchi alongside, and serve everyone a spoon of ssamjang for building their own wraps.