Tender and Juicy Bossam (Boiled Pork Belly)
The Essential Boiled Pork Recipe for Kimchi Season: Perfect Bossam & Pork Boiling Guide
You can make delicious bossam at home that rivals professional restaurants! If you have fresh pork shoulder, you don’t need complicated ingredients. Simply boil it with aromatic spices in water. Wrapped in freshly made kimchi, it’s truly divine. We’re revealing the secret to making bossam that anyone can follow easily!
Ingredients
- Pork shoulder (with skin) 800g (ask your butcher to prepare it in a suitable size for boiling)
- Garlic cloves 5 (use whole with skin, or sliced)
- Ginger 1 small piece (sliced thinly)
- Whole peppercorns 1 teaspoon
- Bay leaves 3
- Doenjang (Korean soybean paste) 1 tablespoon
- Water (enough to generously cover the pork)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
The foundation of delicious bossam is choosing good quality meat. We particularly prefer pork shoulder with the skin on. We’ve asked our regular butcher to prepare 800g of it in a size suitable for boiling. If the pieces are too thick, they’ll take longer to cook, so it’s important to have them cut to an appropriate thickness. For an even cleaner taste, you can soak the pork in cold water for about 30 minutes to remove excess blood before boiling.
Step 2
Arrange the prepared pork shoulder pieces in a pot. Now it’s time to add the aromatics that will infuse the meat with flavor. Add 5 whole garlic cloves (you can leave the skin on or peel and slice them). Also, add thinly sliced ginger. Toss in 1 teaspoon of whole peppercorns, 3 bay leaves, and 1 tablespoon of doenjang, which helps eliminate any porky odor.
Step 3
Pour in enough water to generously cover the pork. Adjust the water level based on the size of your pot and the amount of meat, ensuring that the pork is fully submerged for even cooking. Once all ingredients are in the pot, bring it to a boil over high heat.
Step 4
Once the water is at a rolling boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and let it simmer gently for 30 to 40 minutes. The cooking time can vary slightly depending on the thickness of the pork and the heat level. It’s best to check for doneness by piercing the meat with a chopstick; it’s cooked through when clear juices run out and no pinkness remains.
Step 5
Carefully remove the cooked bossam from the pot and place it on a rack or colander to cool slightly. Cutting the pork while it’s too hot can cause it to fall apart. Wait until it’s warm enough to handle comfortably, then slice it into bite-sized pieces. Serve this lovingly prepared bossam with kimchi, fresh salads, or pickled radish wraps for an exceptional meal!
