I had a dinner party for 10 last night and made this delicious recipe with some Korean sides. It went over very well.
Korean Pork Bo Ssam
Serves 6 to 10
• 1 (8- to 10-pound) bone-in pork shoulder or pork butt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• 7 tablespoons light-brown sugar
• 1 cup Napa Cabbage Kimchi, for serving
• 1 cup Napa Cabbage Kimchi, pureed, for serving
• 1 cup Ginger-Scallion Sauce, for serving
• 1 cup Ssam Sauce, for serving
• 2 cups steamed short-grain white rice, for serving
• 3 to 4 heads Bibb lettuce, leaves separated, washed well, and spun dry
• Sea salt
Directions
- Place pork in a large bowl or roasting pan. In a medium bowl, mix together granulated sugar and 1 cup coarse salt. Rub sugar mixture all over pork and cover bowl with plastic wrap; transfer to refrigerator for at least 6 hours and up to overnight.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- Transfer pork to a large roasting pan, discarding any accumulated juices (or drain accumulated juices from roasting pan that pork is in). Transfer roasting pan to oven and cook, basting every hour with rendered fat in roasting pan, until meat is tender and easily shredded with a fork, about 6 hours.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together remaining tablespoon coarse salt and brown sugar; rub mixture all over pork.
- Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees F. Return pork to oven until sugar has melted into a crisp crust, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve hot with kimchis, ginger-scallion sauce, ssam sauce, rice, lettuce, and sea salt.
Napa Cabbage Kimchi
Makes 1 to 1 1/2 quarts.
• 1 small to medium head Napa cabbage, halved crosswise, halves sliced lengthwise into 1-inch-thick pieces
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons coarse salt
• 20 cloves garlic, peeled
• 20 slices peeled ginger
• 1/2 cup Korean chili powder
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons salted shrimp
• 1/2 cup (1-inch) scallion pieces
• 1/2 cup julienned carrot pieces
Directions
- Place cabbage in a large bowl and sprinkle 2 teaspoons sugar and salt over it. Transfer bowl to refrigerator; refrigerate overnight.
- Place garlic and ginger in the bowl of a small food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Transfer garlic and ginger to a large bowl, along with chili powder, fish sauce, soy sauce, shrimp, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar; stir to combine. Mixture should resemble the texture of a creamy salad dressing. If mixture is too thick, stir in 1/3 cup of water.
- Add scallion, carrots, and cabbage mixture; toss to combine. Cover and transfer to refrigerator for at least 24 hours. Kimchi gets better as it ages and is at its peak after 2 weeks in the refrigerator. It is best eaten within one month.
Ginger-Scallion Sauce
Makes about 3 cups
• 2 1/2 cups thinly sliced scallions (from 1 to 2 large bunches)
• 1/2 cup finely minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 3/4 teaspoons sherry-wine vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoons coarse salt
Directions - Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl; let stand 15 to 20 minutes before using. Sauce may be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Makes 1 cup
• 1 tablespoon ssamjang (soybean and chili-pepper paste)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kochujang (Korean chili-pepper paste)
• 1/4 cup sherry-wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
Directions - Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Sauce may be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.