Bossam: Tender Boiled Pork Belly

Melt-in-your-mouth pork belly with translucent, silky fat. The meat is incredibly tender, infused with deep aromas of fermented soybean paste and star anise, ready to be wrapped in crisp lettuce leaves.

• Prep time: 20 min
• Cook time: 60 min
• Difficulty: Easy
• Calories: 1495
• Protein: 33 g
• Carbs: 31 g
• Fat: 137 g

Ingredients

• 1 kg Pork belly ( whole )
• 1 piece Onion ( halved )
• 6 piece Garlic ( crushed )
• 2 tbsp doenjang
• 2 tbsp Korean soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Brown sugar
• 1 tbsp Ground coffee
• 10 piece Black peppercorns
• 2 piece star anise
• 1 piece Butterhead lettuce ( whole washed leaves )
• 200 g kimchi
• 100 g ssamjang
• 30 g Fresh ginger ( sliced )
• 2 tbsp Salted fermented shrimp (Saeujeot) ( for serving )

Instructions

1. Blanch the meat

   Plunge the pork belly into a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. This step helps remove impurities and ensures a clean final broth. Drain and rinse the meat with cold water.

2. Prepare the aromatic broth

   In a large pot, pour 2 liters of water. Add the halved onion, crushed garlic cloves, sliced ginger, black pepper, star anise, doenjang, soy sauce, brown sugar, and ground coffee. Bring to a boil.

3. Slow cooking the pork

   Submerge the blanched pork belly into the boiling broth. Reduce heat to maintain a constant simmer. Cover and cook for about 50 minutes. The meat is ready when a knife tip sinks in like butter.

4. Resting and slicing

   Remove the meat from the broth and let it rest for 10 minutes under aluminum foil to let the juices settle. Slice the belly into 5 mm thick strips. Serve with lettuce leaves, kimchi, ssamjang, and fermented shrimp (saeujeot).

Chef's tips

• Ground coffee is not for flavor, but to give the pork a beautiful amber color and neutralize strong meat odors.
• Don't slice the meat too early, or it will dry out and lose its sheen.
• To eat, make a small wrap in a lettuce leaf: pork, ssamjang, kimchi, and a bit of white rice.

Storage

Store the pork in its broth in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat by steaming to maintain its tenderness.