Boiled pork sounds like it should be bland, maybe even a little sad. Bossam proves the opposite. Simmering the pork belly slowly in an aromatic broth renders out most of the fat while keeping the meat soft enough to pull apart with chopsticks, and the result tastes far richer than anything grilled.
Unlike samgyeopsal, there's no grill involved here at all, just a pot, a handful of aromatics, and patience.
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| Sliced thin enough to see every layer, this is bossam done right. |
Active prep takes about 15 minutes, the pork needs roughly an hour of gentle simmering, and one slab feeds four to five people generously.
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| A short list of aromatics is doing all the work in this pot. |
Ingredients
- 2 lbs skin-on pork belly, in one whole slab (ask for "bossam cut" at H Mart, or a whole slab from Whole Foods works fine)
- 4 scallions, roughly cut into thirds
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 6 slices fresh ginger
- 6 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 dried red chili peppers (optional, for a subtle background heat)
- 2 tbsp doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste, found at Whole Foods in the Asian foods aisle or ordered online)
- 1 tbsp instant coffee granules (an old but effective trick for tenderizing and reducing gaminess)
- 1 head napa cabbage kimchi, for serving
- 1 head red leaf lettuce or a few whole napa cabbage leaves, for wrapping
- 2 tbsp saeujeot (salted fermented shrimp), for dipping, or a light soy sauce dip as a substitute
How to Make It
- Fill a large pot with enough water to fully submerge the pork belly and bring it to a boil.
- Add the scallions, onion, ginger, garlic, bay leaf, dried chilies, doenjang, and instant coffee to the boiling water, stirring until the doenjang dissolves.
- Lower the pork belly into the pot, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, and cover partially.
- Simmer for about 50 to 60 minutes, until a chopstick slides through the thickest part of the meat with no resistance.
- Remove the pork belly from the pot and let it rest on a cutting board for about 10 minutes before slicing.
- Slice the pork belly into thin, even pieces about 1/4 inch thick, cutting across the grain.
- Arrange the slices on a serving board alongside kimchi, lettuce leaves, and your dipping sauce of choice.
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| Once the pork goes in, the pot mostly takes care of itself. |
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| This is the moment you know the pork is finally done, when it lifts out clean. |
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| Clean layers like this are the sign the pork was cooked low and slow enough. |
The Korean Insider Tip
The instant coffee in the boiling liquid isn't a typo. A tablespoon dissolved into the pot neutralizes the gamey smell that can linger in pork belly, and it doesn't add any coffee flavor to the finished dish. It's an old trick that home cooks in Korea have used for generations, long before it ever showed up in a recipe blog. Skip it if you'd rather not, but it's worth trying at least once before deciding.
Why This Recipe Works
- Simmering rather than boiling hard keeps the pork belly tender instead of tough, since a rolling boil tightens the muscle fibers faster than they can soften.
- The aromatics in the poaching liquid, especially the doenjang, season the meat from the inside out during the hour it spends in the pot.
- Resting the pork before slicing lets the juices redistribute, which is why the slices hold together cleanly instead of falling apart on the cutting board.
Pro Tips
Slicing the pork too thick is a common misstep. Bossam is meant to be thin enough to fold easily inside a lettuce wrap, closer to deli-style than a thick chop.
What if the meat still feels tough after an hour? It likely needs more time rather than higher heat. A longer, gentler simmer breaks down connective tissue that a hotter, shorter cook won't touch.
Skipping the resting period before slicing causes the juices to run out onto the board instead of staying in the meat, leaving drier slices than the dish should have.
A common assumption is that bossam needs the fattiest cut of pork belly available. A moderately marbled slab actually slices cleaner and holds its shape better than one with an overly thick fat cap.
Plating Like a Local
Bossam is traditionally served as a build-your-own wrap, so lay the sliced pork belly in slightly overlapping rows down the center of a large board, with lettuce leaves fanned out on one side and kimchi piled on the other. The wrap itself goes lettuce leaf, a slice of pork, a small spoon of saeujeot, and a bit of kimchi folded on top, all closed into one bite. Leaving the pork slices visibly layered rather than stacked flat is what makes the plate look inviting before anyone's even touched it.
How to Serve and Variations
A side of freshly made or slightly aged kimchi is non-negotiable here, since its acidity cuts through the richness of the pork. Some households add a small dish of ssamjang alongside the saeujeot for anyone who prefers a spicier dip. For a lighter version, oi bossam swaps in fresh cucumber and radish kimchi in place of a portion of the pork, though that's really a separate dish worth its own recipe.
What is bossam and how is it different from samgyeopsal?
Bossam is pork belly boiled in an aromatic broth until tender and served in thin slices, while samgyeopsal is grilled at the table. The two share the same cut of meat but end up with very different textures, bossam is soft and almost melts apart, while samgyeopsal has a crisp, charred exterior.
Why do you put coffee in the pot when making bossam?
Instant coffee helps neutralize any gamey smell in the pork belly during simmering without leaving a coffee taste behind. It's a traditional trick rather than a strict requirement, and the dish still works fine without it.
Can I make bossam ahead of time?
Yes. The pork belly can be simmered a day ahead, cooled, and refrigerated whole, then sliced and gently reheated in the microwave or a quick steam right before serving.
What do you dip bossam in?
Saeujeot, salted fermented shrimp, is the traditional dip, offering a briny contrast to the richness of the pork. Ssamjang works as a spicier alternative for those who prefer more heat.
Once the pork's had its hour in the pot, slicing and building the wraps takes no time at all, and there's rarely much left on the board by the end of the night.
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