Like - Momofuku Bo Ssam

I don’t think about David Chang that much. I know he’s had a mammoth legacy in the food world over the last decade. Some of that was very admirable and other parts of it have been met with derision. But I will always love him for sharing the Momofuku Bo Ssam recipe. If you’ve had it before you know how wonderful it is. If you haven’t had before you should fix that soon. It takes a long time in terms of hours but is minimal in terms of effort. All you do is 1) buy a big pork shoulder, 2) remove some of the fat cap if it is too thick, 3) cover in a cup of kosher salt & a cup of sugar, 4) let it sit over the night, then 5) drain the juices and knock off the excess salt & sugar clumps, 6) roast it at 300 degrees for six or so hours or until it’s tender, 7) take it out for a bit, 8) crank up the heat to 500, 9) add a coating of brown sugar with a little more salt to it, 10) roast until caramelized (~approximately ten minutes), 11) pull the roast apart with two forks, and 12) serve with a green onion & ginger sauce and a gochujang, ssamjang, sherry vinegar, and oil sauce; rice; and butter lettuce—and some kimchi as well. It’s so great and it’s so easy and it tastes so good. It’s a total gift of a recipe. If you want to practice hosting, it’s probably the best and easiest carnivorous option around. It smells incredible, looks amazing, and tastes fabulous. People will (still¹) tell you you’re incredible for making it despite how little work you really had to do. Plus, it’s as good a reason as any other to keep a thing of sherry vinegar in your cabinet.² And then, once you’ve enjoyed the Momofuku version of this dish, go try a traditional Korean bo ssam. It’ll delight you in a different way.

1. This is by no means a new recipe and yet every time it’s still a hit.

2. There’s over a half cup of sherry vinegar in this recipe and I must confess I never use it for anything else. If you’re a sherry vinegar head, share a recipe idea with me.