A showstopper made for sharing, astonishingly simple, fun to eat and eye-rollingly delicious. Momofuku charges US$250 for the privilege of eating it. This costs a fraction of that!
Momofuku Bossam (or Bo ssam)
Momofuku Bossum is Chef David Chang’s famous version of a traditional Korean pork dish called Bossam which consists of thinly sliced pork belly simmered in a seasoned broth that are then used to make lettuce wraps. A signature dish at his New York restaurant Momofuku, he makes it using a pork shoulder that’s been dry cured overnight so it’s seasoned all the way through, slow roasted for 5 to 6 hours until fall apart tender then blasted at the end with a brown sugar rub which forms an epic caramelised crust. It’s a formidable centrepiece made for sharing, an eating experience you’ll remember for years to come. If you have it at Momofuku, it will cost you a whopping US$250 (that’s A$350!!!). But it’s obscenely easy to make. You don’t even need to make a trip to the Asian store! (Yes, really)
The pork is dry cured overnight so it’s seasoned all the way through from end to end, then slow cooked for 5 – 6 hours until fall apart tender.
What is served with Bossam
Here are all the components that make up David Chang’s Momofuku Bossam:
Slow roasted pork – dry cured overnight then slow roasted for 5 to 6 hours, the meat is seasoned all the way through and fall apart tender, and encased with an insane crispy brown sugar crust that everybody fights over; Ginger shallot sauce – made with a LOT of ginger, this seals the deal; Spicy Ssam sauce – the only part that calls for Asian grocery ingredients, but is not a critical part of the overall Bossam experience and is easily replaceable with any hot sauce or chilli paste; Rice and kimchi (spicy Korean pickled cabbage) – for stuffing into the lettuce wraps; Oysters – might sound strange but it works! Taken from the traditional way of serving Bossam in Korea, raw oysters are stuffed into the lettuce wraps. It’s like a little “surprise inside” when you get to it. Fabulous textural and flavour contrast; and Soft lettuce leaves – to stuff everything in, bundle up and devour.
What you need
Here’s what you need to make the slow cooked pork – 4 ingredients!
Boston Butt
Best cut is Pork Butt aka Boston Butt which the upper part of the pork shoulder. Butt is the ideal cut because:
it’s BIG, as in 3.5 – 4kg / 7-8 lb, and it needs to be so it can sustain the long cook time required to achieve the signature thick caramelised crust without the meat inside become less juicy than ideal; and it’s an even rectangle shape so it cooks through evenly.
🇦🇺Australia – get this cut at butchers or Costco (it’s very good value).
How to make Momofuku Bossam
And here’s how to make it:
Dry cure with just salt and sugar for 24 to 36 hours (ie rub with salt and sugar, refrigerate); Slow roast for 5 – 6 hours at 150°C/300°F or until fork tender; Cover with brown sugar and blast in hot oven for 10 minutes to create the brown sugar crust; Shred and serve with sauces and sides to make lettuce wraps – see below for sauces.
Sauces for Bossam
The two sauces served with Momofuku Bossam are:
Ginger Shallot Sauce
Just a handful of ingredients – just mix and leave to soften for just 20 minutes or so.
Spicy Ssam Sauce
This is the spicy red chilli sauce made with Korean chilli pastes (Gochujang and Ssamjang) and will require a trip to a Korean grocery store or large Asian store to get them. Once you have them, it’s a simple mix job. But do NOT fret if you can’t get these chilli pastes. You don’t use a lot of the Spicy Ssam Sauce so it’s absolutely not a big deal at all to just substitute it with a simple hot sauce, chilli paste or even Sriracha!
Do NOT worry if you can’t get Gochujang and Ssamjang. Just use your favourite chilli paste, Sriracha or a hot sauce instead – you just want some kind of spicy sauce for the wrap!
How to serve Bossam
Bossam is a DIY affair. Place the magnificent slow cooked pork on a large platter (or tray, as I have done) and surround it with all the sauces and sides that are used to make the lettuce wraps:
Ginger Shallot Sauce (Scallion); Spicy Ssam Sauce – or Sriracha, hot sauce or chilli paste; Oysters – for the full Momofuku experience; Kimchi – just store bought for me, quite widely available nowadays; Rice (out of frame – oops! 😂); and Soft lettuce leaves – or crispy if you prefer.
Then let everyone tear into the meat and gear yourself up for a fight over that incredible crust (I’ll take anyone on to get my fair share)…
…and make your own fully loaded Korean Lettuce Wraps. The Momofuku way.
This iconic Bossam recipe is David Chang’s, from his cookbook Momofuku. It’s also been shared in various online publications, including the New York Times. This recipe follows the published recipe, but with some helpful tips and adjustments we’ve made after making this multiple times over the years. For example, the Ssam sauce as written in NYT has way too much vinegar. There’s way too much salt in the dry rub (you end up throwing half out), and we’ve figured out how to get that brown sugar crust perfect – without setting off your smoke alarm! That’s enough from me. Now it’s your turn to impress the pants off your family and friends! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
The Spicy Side of Life: Korean recipes
Life of Dozer
There’s just no words to tell you how excited/hopeful Dozer was around such an enormous piece of meat. Did he get some?🤔 Watch today’s recipe video to see!!!
