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Bo Ssäm
Ingredients
For Bo Ssäm
- 1 whole 8- to 10-pound bone-in Boston pork butt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 7 tablespoons light brown sugar
Accompaniments
- 1 dozen oysters, shucked
- 2 cups Short-Grain Rice
- 3 to 4 heads Bibb lettuce, leaves separated, well washed, and spun dry
- Maldon sea salt
- Ginger Scallion Sauce (see below)
- Ssäm Sauce
- Quick Pickles (see below) or Kimchi
For ginger Scallion Sauce
- 2 1/2 cups thinly sliced scallions (greens and whites, from 1 to 2 large bunches)
- 1/2 cup finely minced peeled fresh ginger
- 1/4 cup grapeseed or other neutral oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons usukuchi (light soy sauce)
- 3/4 teaspoon sherry vinegar
- 2/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
For quick Pickles
- 2 meaty kirby cucumbers, cut into 1/8-inch-thick disks
- 1 tablespoon sugar, or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
Directions
Bo Ssäm
- Put the pork shoulder in a roasting pan, ideally one that holds it snugly. Mix together the granulated sugar and 1 cup of salt in a bowl, then rub the mixture into the meat; discard any excess salt-and-sugar mixture. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and put it into the fridge for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
- Heat the oven to 300ºF. Remove the pork from the refrigerator and discard any juices that have accumulated. Put the pork in the oven and cook for 6 hours, basting with the rendered fat and pan juices every hour. The pork should be tender and yielding at this point—it should offer almost no resistance to the blade of a knife and you should be able to easily pull the meat of the shoulder with a fork. Depending on your schedule, you can serve the pork right away or let it rest and mellow out at room temperature for up to an hour.
- Prepare sauce and quick pickles, shuck oysters, wash lettuce
- When ready to serve—sauce is made, oysters are ready to be shucked, lettuce is washed, etc.—turn the oven to 500ºF.
- Stir together the remaining 1 tablespoon salt and the brown sugar and rub the mixture all over the pork. Put it in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until the sugar has melted into a crisp, sweet crust.
- Serve the bo ssäm whole and hot, surrounded with the accompaniments.
Ginger Scallion Sauce
- Mix together the scallions, ginger, oil, soy, vinegar, and salt in a bowl. Taste and check for salt, adding more if needed.
Quick Pickles
- Combine the cucumbers with the sugar and salt in a small mixing bowl and toss to coast with the sugar and salt. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
Taste: if the pickles are too sweet or too salty, put them in a colander, rinse off the seasoning, and dry in a kitchen towel. Taste again and add more sugar or salt as needed. Serve after 5 to 10 minutes, or refrigerate up to 4 hours.
Reference