A couple of weeks back on that super rainy, rainy Sunday during Martin Luther King weekend, my good friend Jason and I decided to venture out for brunch. Why? We were both a little stir-crazy! Inspired by a previous visit, we ventured aaaallll the way over to a restaurant on 125th Street and 12th Avenue, but after suiting up in my poncho and galoshes, it turned out to be a big food disappointment—something you never want to have, especially not on a rainy day.
How ever would we salvage this long, wet unrequited journey to the West Side? Grocery shopping! Fairway was mere blocks away, and my oven was calling for some slow and low cooking. Roasted pork butt would be the ticket, and the recipe would be from David Chang, the Korean king of the Momofuku dynasty (Ssam Bar, Noodle Bar, Milk Bar, Ma Peche) and his version of bo ssam!
The trip to Fairway would be short and to the point. While I picked up a four-pound boneless pork butt and a couple of other things, Jason’s focus was on making udon noodle soup—a sign we were definitely unsatisfied with our brunch. We checked out, jumped in a cab and headed to our respective homes to Facetime while cooking (FWC).
Once home and unpacked, I realized that I would not be eating this delectable dish for at least 24-plus hours, as the seasoned meat needed to marinate and cook. Deflated but not thwarted, I pressed on and made adjustments to the recipe (below), halving it for the size of my roast.
BO SSAM
1 whole bone-in pork butt or picnic ham (8 to 10 pounds)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon kosher salt
7 tablespoons brown sugar
GINGER SCALLION SAUCE
2 1/2 cups thinly sliced scallions, both green and white parts
1/2 cup peeled, minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup neutral oil (such as grapeseed)
1 1/2 teaspoons light soy sauce
1 scant teaspoon sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
SSAM SAUCE
(SCHOP! Tip: I found all of the Korean ingredients needed uptown at M2M at Broadway and 115th Street)
2 tablespoons fermented bean-and-chili paste (ssamjang)
1 tablespoon chili paste (kochujang)
1/2 cup sherry vinegar
1/2 cup neutral oil (like grapeseed)
Other elements:
2 cups cooked white rice
3 heads Bibb lettuce, leaves separated, washed and dried
Kimchi (Korean pickled cabbage)
Place the pork in a large, shallow bowl. Mix the white sugar and 1 cup of the salt together in another bowl, then rub the mixture all over the meat. Cover it with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least six hours, or overnight.
Remove pork from refrigerator and discard any juices. Heat oven to 300. Place the pork in a roasting pan and set in the oven and cook for approximately six hours, or until it collapses, yielding easily to the tines of a fork. (After the first hour, baste hourly with pan juices.) Remove the meat from the oven and allow it to rest for up to an hour.
Meanwhile, make the ginger scallion and ssam sauces, combining respective ingredients in separate bowls.
Turn oven to 500. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining tablespoon of salt with the brown sugar. Rub this mixture all over the cooked pork. Place pork in oven for approximately 10 to 15 minutes, or until a dark caramel crust has developed on the meat. Serve hot, with the accompaniments. Guests will fill lettuce leaf with rice, pork, kimchi and sauces, wrap (“ssam”) and eat.
Once all was said and done, my first time making bo ssam was delicious. Next time I will use a bone-in shoulder, as I think it would help with the cookery of the meat in maintaining an internal temperature.
If you love Korean food, you must try this one at home!
Happy eating and thanks for reading!
Kysha Harris is a food writer, culinary producer, consultant and owner of SCHOP!, a personalized food service offering weekly and in-home entertaining packages. Questions? Comments? Requests? Feedback? Invitations? Email her at kysha@iSCHOP.com, follow her on Twitter and Instagram @SCHOPgirl or on Facebook www.facebook.com/SCHOPnyc. For even more recipes, tips and food musings, subscribe to her blog at www.talkingSCHOP.wordpress.com.