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Bossam (Boiled Pork Wraps)
4.6 from 207 votes

Bossam (Boiled Pork Wraps)

Bossam features tender boiled pork belly served as thin slices wrapped in salted Napa cabbage or lettuce leaves. The pork is cooked slowly in a seasoned broth containing aromatics, fermented soybean paste, and optional beer or coffee for depth. Accompaniments include spicy radish salad and salted shrimp to enhance the savory experience.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Servings: 6
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Korean

Ingredients

For the wraps
  • Napa cabbage or red or green leaf lettuce, tender inner parts, salted
  • (Dissolve 1/2 cup coarse salt in 4 cups of water, and soak the cabbage leaves until softened, 2 to 4 hours. Rinse and drain well.)
  • Radish salad musaengchae
  • salted shrimp use it as is or mix with a little bit of gochugaru, sesame oil and seeds, and chopped scallion, saewujeot
For the meat
  • 2 pork belly about 2.5 pounds, whole fresh, about 3-inch wide cut
  • 1/2 onion medium
  • 2 - 3 scallion white parts of large
  • 7 - 8 garlic plump cloves
  • 1 inch ginger thumb size, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns whole
  • 1.5 tablespoons  doenjang fermented soybean paste
  • 1 teaspoon instant coffee or a small bottle (or can) of beer - 12 ounces, or a cup of brewed coffee
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 bay leaf
  • 7 to 8 cups water if using brewed coffee or beer, reduce the amount of water by the equal amount, see note

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. In a pot, bring water and all the brine ingredients to a boil over medium high heat, and continue to boil for 5 minutes.
  2. Add the pork belly, bring it to a boil. and boil for about 5 minutes, uncovered. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook, covered, until the meat is very tender, 45 to 50 minutes. Cut a small slice and try if tender at 40 minute point before cooking longer. Turn the heat off, and cool the meat in the cooking liquid. This will keep the meat moist.
  3. Thinly slice the meat and serve with the salted cabbage (or lettuce), saewujeot, and musaengchae.

Notes

  • Select a pot size that fits the pork belly without excess water to maintain broth flavor concentration.
  • Store leftover pork immersed in the cooking liquid to keep it moist; reheat by boiling in the liquid.