Korean Boiled Pork Belly Recipe - 보쌈 (Bossam)
Bossam or Korean boiled pork belly is a classic comfort dish made of tender succulent pork belly that is boiled in various seasonings and aromatics. It is cooked low and slow, resulting in a flavorful, tender, melt-in-your-mouth bite.
Ingredients
Pork
- 1 1/2 lb pork belly cut into 1 1/2 - 2 inch strips
- 10 garlic cloves whole
- 1/2 large onion roughly chopped
- 2 scallions white part only
- 1 inch knob ginger thinly sliced
- 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 1 Thai chili pepper substitute with dried chili, jalapeno, or serrano pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 tbsp doenjang Korean fermented soybean paste
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 packet Korean instant coffee mix see note 1
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 7 cups water
Pickled Cabbage (Subsitute with fresh romaine lettuce or perilla leaves)
- 1/2 lb napa cabbage washed
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup salt
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 cups cold water
Recommended Side Dishes
- nossam dipping sauce see note 2
- Korean radish salad see note 3
- ssamjang Korean spicy fermented soybean paste, see note 4
- sliced garlic
- sliced peppers like long green pepper, cucumber pepper (asagi-gochu), cheongyang pepper, jalapeno, or serrano
Instructions
- In a deep pot, combine pork belly, garlic cloves, onion, ginger, scallions (white part only), black peppercorns, bay leaf, Thai chili pepper, doenjang, sugar, Korean instant coffee mix, salt, and water. Heat over medium-high heat. Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 90 minutes.
- While the pork is simmering away, begin preparing the pickled cabbage. In a medium-sized heatproof bowl, combine 1 cup of hot boiling water, sugar, and salt. Mix until everything is dissolved. Once the sugar and salt have dissolved, add 2 cups of cold water and white vinegar then mix well.
- Transfer the washed napa cabbage into a large mixing bowl. Pour the brine over the cabbage, making sure it's completely submerged. Set aside for 1 hour. Be sure to flip halfway so the cabbage is evenly pickled. After 1 hour, drain and squeeze the cabbage to get rid of the excess liquid. Place in the fridge to chill until ready to serve.
- When the pork belly is ready, turn off the heat and allow it to sit in the pot for 15 minutes before transferring it to a cutting board. When the pork belly has slightly cooled down, carefully slice it into 1/2-inch thick pieces.
- To serve, assemble the pickled cabbage and pork belly on the plate. If using the recommended side dishes from the ingredients list above, also assemble them on the plate or on the side. Don't forget the dipping sauce as well!
- The best way to enjoy bossam is to take one piece of cabbage, dip a piece of pork belly into the shrimp dipping sauce then place it on top of the cabbage. Top with some Korean radish salad, sliced garlic, chopped pepper, and a dab of ssamjang. Wrap and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Korean instant coffee mix is a packet that consists of instant coffee, creamer, and sugar. If you need to substitute it, you can use 1 tsp of regular instant coffee or 3 oz freshly brewed coffee and add 1/2 tablespoon of sugar.
- If you want the ultimate bossam experience, you need to make my bossam sauce. It's a dipping sauce that is commonly served with bossam and only takes 10 minutes so I highly recommend making it! In my opinion, it's a MUST.
- Korean radish salad 'musaengchae' is a common side dish to enjoy with bossam. It’s spicy, savory, and crunchy - the perfect contrast to the soft and tender pork belly. If you're interested in making it, check out my Korean radish salad recipe! You can substitute this with kimchi as well.
- Ssamjang is a spicy fermented soybean paste, similar to doenjang but spicy. It is a Korean condiment commonly eaten with 'ssam', which translates to foods you wrap vegetables in. I enjoy having this with bossam, but you can skip this if you want.