Hi all! We decided to make a Korean style dish called Bo Ssam where the pork is usually steamed, thinly sliced and served alongside a number of sides and condiments. We thought it would be fun to add more flavor to the pork itself by brining and roasting the pork shoulder and glazing it with the sweet and deeply flavorful syrup.
Not only is this a fairly easy dish to make, despite the seemingly intimidating number of ingredients and components, it’s a great dish to serve for a get together with a naturally beautiful presentation. We took our photos and excitedly started eating our finished product. Bo Ssam is something that’s actually surprisingly light and refreshing despite the use of roasted pork. There are so many different layers of flavor in this dish from the sweet and salty pork, to the umami-ness of the perilla leaves.
The syrup really added a great touch of sweetness, against the salty brine, as well a a nice caramelized crust to the pork. We were pretty much eating that pork for days, with everything, and it was awesome. This dish is also super fun because of all the other added elements you can choose to pair with your pork. Most dishes that come to mind when we think of pork are rather heavy. This is actually lighter, and more refreshing. So go get all your cute small dishes out and make this!
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Bo Ssam
INGREDIENTS
pork brine
- ½ cup kosher salt
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons crystallized ginger, chopped
- 6 cups water
- 3 pounds Becker Lane Organic Farm Pork Shoulder
- ⅔ cup BLiS Bourbon Barrel Matured Maple Syrup
seasoned spinach
- 1 pound spinach
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
spicy shredded daikon
- 1 tablespoon distilled vinegar
- 2 teaspoons gochugaru (Korean chili powder)
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ daikon radish (about 10 ounces), coarsely shredded
- 1 ½ cups steamed rice
- 1 cup store bought kimchi, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup Ssamjang
- 1 tablespoons tiny salted and fermented shrimp (saeujeot)
- 40 perilla leaves
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place brine ingredients into a large container, except pork, and stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Place pork into the brine, cover and refrigerate for 6 hours.
- Remove the pork from the brine and rinse over cold water. Pat dry and place onto a roasting pan.
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Place pork into oven and roast for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325°F and cover roast with foil. Continue to cook for 1 ½ hours.
- Remove foil and baste with ½ the syrup. Place roast back into the oven and continue to bake for 30 minutes.
- Baste with remaining syrup. Raise heat back to 425°F and cook for 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow roast to rest for 10 minutes.
- Bring a large pot of water up to a boil. Drop the spinach into the boiling water for 30 seconds.
- Drain spinach from water and squeeze out any excess water.
- Place remaining seasoned spinach ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk together.
- Toss spinach into the seasoning mixture, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Place all ingredients for spicy seasoned daikon, except for daikon, into a mixing bowl.
- Pour mixture over daikon and mix together until completely combined.
- Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, to allow the daikon to marinate.
- To serve: Thinly slice the pork and serve on a platter with kimchi. Place remaining sides/condiments into individual dishes and serve.
- This dish is meant to be eaten “taco style”, by wrapping a small amount of each component (pork, spinach, rice, kimchi, etc) into a perilla leaf before consuming it.
Did you make this recipe? We want to see!
tag @SpoonForkBacon and #SpoonForkBacon on Instagram
How are the saeujeot and ssamjang utilized? Making this for a dinner party of 10 and can’t wait! Thanks.
They’red used sort of as “condiments”…like pickles and ketchup (but obviously a 100 times better!)..just go easy on the amounts as they are very spicy and salty/briny! Good luck! Bo ssam is one of my favorite meals!
How much water did you use for your brine?
Hi Gina! I added about 6 cups. Thanks for catching that; I forgot to add it to the ingredient list. It’s all fixed now. Good luck!
This sounds delicious, loving the photos too.
damn this looks divine.
You guys rock my world.
This looks amazing. The colors and combination of flavors is making me happy! I really want to try this.
Love it, everything looks so fresh and very tasty!
my korean half just did a major fist pump! i loooove this dinner (although we’ve only made it with thinly sliced beef)! the sesame leaves are an absolute must, as is the ssamjang! sometimes we make a little dipping sauce for the beef with sesame oil, salt & pepper. sooooo super good and if you have all the side dishes ready, it’s really fast! :)
I never would’ve thought to put crystallized ginger in a brine until I made Alton’s (we’re on a first name basis), but I have to say it was so subtle and delicious. I’m totally into this brine. Also, steamed anything < roasting. Duh. And I'm even more psyched about how beautiful those perilla leaves are.
P.S. I'm sort of obsessed with this dish. CANYOUTELL?!
I’m diggin’ using crystallized ginger in your brining solution. Genius! Awesome recipe all around; these look awesome!
I! Want! It! Now!
But I never heard before of perilla leafes … can I use something else in exchange?
Mel.
Not sure what the substitute would be….It is pretty distinctive, imo…Perilla is also known as Shiso leaf. It is served with sushi which is how I learned about it. Hope you are able to find it! Good Luck!
Perilla leaf(sesame leaf) has totally different tast from shiso leaf although they look similar.
Hi Mel! The flavors of perilla leaves are rather distinct, but if I’m out and don’t want to make a trip to the Korean market I’ll usually substitute red leaf lettuce and mint leaves. Hope this was helpful!
This looks SO GOOD!!!
Anything “build your own taco” RULES MY LIFE.