Korean Boiled Pork Belly (Bossam) - Cook With Dana (2024)

This Korean Boiled Pork Belly known as Bossam is a super tender and flavorful pork dish. All you have to do is cook the pork in the savory broth for an hour at low heat. Wrap the pork belly in some crispy napa cabbage and kimchi for the best bite!

What is Bossam?

Bossam is a traditional Korean dish made with boiled pork belly that’s thinly sliced, wrapped in lettuce, salted napa cabbage or perilla leaves, and served with various condiments like ssamjang (a spicy paste made with fermented soybean and chili paste), kimchi, garlic, and green chili peppers.

Bossam goes best with different types of pickled veggies (like kimchi!) because the acidity helps break down the fattiness of the pork. You can find kimchi at your local asian or Korean grocery store (such as H-Mart or Zion Market).

Ingredients:

Here’s a look at what you need to make Korean Bossam. The highlights are here but thefull ingredient list and quantities of each are in the recipe card.

Cabbage

• Salt – this helps draw out the moisture of the napa cabbage and makes the veggies crispy and wilted.
• Napa cabbage – this type of vegetable is used traditionally in Korean Bossam. The vegetables taste sweet and mild, which is perfect to use for wrapping the pork belly.

Pork Belly:

• Pork belly – only this type of meat is used for this dish. I recommend using pork belly with skin-on and some fat so the meat really melts in your mouth! you can find this at Korean or asian grocery stores. I found my pork belly at Costco.
• Onion – adding onions give sweetness to the broth.
• Green onions – adding green onions give sweetness and helps remove the gaminess to the pork.
• Garlic – lots of garlic gives the bossam it’s delicious flavor. I recommend to add the suggested amount for delicious bossam!
• Ginger – this is a must add to remove gaminess from the pork.
• Whole black peppercorns – gives a little spice and flavor to the broth.
• Soy sauce – This is the base of the broth that helps flavor the pork belly and gives it a brown color.
• Water – Add water to help boil the pork belly. If you want to add extra flavor, add half amount of chicken broth and water!
• Sugar – helps balance the bitterness of the coffee and gives a sweet flavor to the pork.
• Instant coffee (optional) – Add instant coffee or grounded coffee beans for an extra touch of depth to your pork belly. It makes it very aromatic and you don’t taste the coffee at all!
• Soybean paste – This gives savoriness to the broth and is one of the main flavor enhancers in the dish. You can also use miso paste instead (which might be less salty). You can find this at most asian grocery stores.
• Soju or sake – This helps remove the gaminess of the pork flavor and gives sweetness in the broth.

Ssamjang

• Red pepper paste (gochujang) – a fermented Korean red pepper paste that tastes spicy and sweet. The saltiness is great for the pork belly dipping sauce. You can find this at most asian grocery stores like H-mart or 99 Ranch.
• Soybean paste – fermented soybean paste is used for stew and for this delicious dipping sauce. Be careful to not add to much or it will taste really salty.

Steps to make the Korean Bossam:

Salt Napa Cabbage:

Step 1: Cut the bottom stem of the napa cabbage, so you are left with cabbage leaves. Soak cabbage leaves in salt, vinegar and water. Make sure every leaf is salted so we can squeeze out the mixture.

Step 2: Flip the napa cabbage every 30 minutes or so until the cabbage has wilted (takes 1.5 hours). The leaf should bend like the photo above. Once wilted, squeeze out the excess water and set aside in the refrigerator until you make the pork belly wraps.

Boil Pork Belly

Step 3: To make the pork belly, add onion, green onions, garlic cloves, slices of ginger, black peppercorns, soy sauce, water, bay leaves, sugar, instant coffee, soybean paste, and soju.

Step 4: Heat pot on high heat. When it starts boiling, add your pork belly and let it boil for 20 minutes on high heat with a lid covered.

Step 5: After 20 minutes, reduce heat to low and simmer for an additional 50 minutes with the lid covered.

Step 6: Take out the pork of the broth and let it rest (until the bossam has cooled down). Cut the bossam in slices (up to you how thick or thin you like it).

See Also

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Expert Tips

• Salt the napa cabbages a few hours before your prepare the bossam. The napa cabbages takes at least 2 hours prior to cooking the pork belly. Make sure you salt every leaf to draw out moisture of the leaf! If you don’t want to do this because it’s time consuming, use romaine lettuce instead!
• I recommend to use a cast ron pot if you have it! This type of pot really helps tenderize the pork when you cook it on low.
• Optional: Add 2 cups of chicken broth instead of water to make the sauce taste extra delicious!

Recipe FAQs

More Delicious Korean Dishes:

• Korean Pork Belly BBQ (Samgyeopsal) – grilled pork belly eaten with sesame oil wrapped in lettuce.
• Easy One Pot Bibimbap – delicious Korean inspired rice with vegetables and beef made in one pot.
• Sweet and Sour Pork Spareribs – tangy and flavorful ribs that are braised in a sweet and sour vinegar sauce

More Authentic Easy Korean Recipes