Bossam is a special dish that Koreans prepare and serve to those who help make kimchi for the winter during kimjang. The pork belly is boiled in a delicious beauty-broth until tender, thinly sliced, and served with lettuce wraps and crispy fresh kimchi. I like to broil the skin just before serving to add another dimension of texture — crispy skin!

Recipe Type: Special Occasion

Time: 2 hours or 6+ hours if broiling skin

Servings: 4-6

From Le Kimchi Party Menu

Ingredients

2-3 pounds pork belly cut into 3 inch strips (½ lb per person)

5 tablespoons doenjang - Korean fermented soybean paste

1 inch piece peeled ginger

1 white onion peeled and quartered

4 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon instant coffee

1 tablespoon honey (or sugar)

An apple quartered or asian pear peeled and quartered

1 tablespoon soy sauce

3 dried jujube (Korean dried dates)

Instructions

Place pork belly into a medium sized pot with all of the ingredients. Pour enough water into the pot to submerge the ingredients.
Set the pot on the stove over high heat, place the lid on the pot slightly ajar, and bring the pot to a boil. Once the liquid comes to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low so the gorgeous liquid is simmering gently.
Let the pork belly simmer in the beauty-broth for 1.5 - 2 hours. You’ll know the pork is ready when a small sharp knife pierces the meat (not fat) easily. The pork belly should be tender, but not falling apart.
Once the pork is tender, pull out of pot with tongs and set on a quarter baking sheet or plate and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

How to Serve

Slice into ¼ -½ inch pieces and serve immediately with ssamjang and lettuce wraps, fresh kimchi, and steamed rice.

Optional Upgrade - Crisp the Skin

You can upgrade the pork belly by crisping the skin in the broiler before serving. I learned this method from Deuki Hong’s Koreatown cookbook.

Chill the pork in the fridge for 4 hours and overnight to dry out the skin. Place the pork skin side up and prop the pork up with some crumpled foil if it’s not standing up.
After the pork has chilled, slice into ¼ pieces and place on a broiler-safe surface (I like to use a quarter baking sheet).
To reheat, place the pork in the middle rack of the oven and bake at 325 for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the pork from the oven and set an oven rack directly beneath the broiler — in my oven this is the top rack.
Set your oven to broil. Once the broiler is on, place your pork underneath the broiler and let the skin crisp and bubble. This will take anywhere from 3-8 minutes depending on your broiler. You will hear the fat of the skin sizzle and pop occasionally. Be careful when opening the oven door.

The pork belly is ready to serve when the skin has crisped and darkened in color. Serve immediately with ssamjang and lettuce wraps, fresh kimchi, and steamed rice.