Momofuku Bossam (or Bo ssam) is David Chang’s famous dish from his Momofuku restaurant in New York. It’s an epic centrepiece consisting of slow cooked pork roast with an insane caramelised crust, served with condiments for DIY fully loaded Korean lettuce wraps.
A showstopper made for sharing, astonishingly simple, fun to eat and eye-rollingly delicious. Momofuku charges US$250 for the privilege of eating it. This costs a fraction of that!
Momofuku Bossam (or Bo ssam)
Momofuku Bossum is Chef David Chang’s famous version of a traditional Korean pork dish called Bossam which consists of thinly sliced pork belly simmered in a seasoned broth that are then used to make lettuce wraps.
A signature dish at his New York restaurant Momofuku, he makes it using a pork shoulder that’s been dry cured overnight so it’s seasoned all the way through, slow roasted for 5 to 6 hours until fall apart tender then blasted at the end with a brown sugar rub which forms an epic caramelised crust.
It’s a formidable centrepiece made for sharing, an eating experience you’ll remember for years to come. If you have it at Momofuku, it will cost you a whopping US$250 (that’s A$350!!!). But it’s obscenely easy to make. You don’t even need to make a trip to the Asian store! (Yes, really)
The pork is dry cured overnight so it’s seasoned all the way through from end to end, then slow cooked for 5 – 6 hours until fall apart tender.
What is served with Bossam
Here are all the components that make up David Chang’s Momofuku Bossam:
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Slow roasted pork – dry cured overnight then slow roasted for 5 to 6 hours, the meat is seasoned all the way through and fall apart tender, and encased with an insane crispy brown sugar crust that everybody fights over;
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Ginger shallot sauce – made with a LOT of ginger, this seals the deal;
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Spicy Ssam sauce – the only part that calls for Asian grocery ingredients, but is not a critical part of the overall Bossam experience and is easily replaceable with any hot sauce or chilli paste;
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Rice and kimchi (spicy Korean pickled cabbage) – for stuffing into the lettuce wraps;
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Oysters – might sound strange but it works! Taken from the traditional way of serving Bossam in Korea, raw oysters are stuffed into the lettuce wraps. It’s like a little “surprise inside” when you get to it. Fabulous textural and flavour contrast; and
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Soft lettuce leaves – to stuff everything in, bundle up and devour.
What you need
Here’s what you need to make the slow cooked pork – 4 ingredients!
Boston Butt
Best cut is Pork Butt aka Boston Butt which the upper part of the pork shoulder. Butt is the ideal cut because:
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it’s BIG, as in 3.5 – 4kg / 7-8 lb, and it needs to be so it can sustain the long cook time required to achieve the signature thick caramelised crust without the meat inside become less juicy than ideal; and
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it’s an even rectangle shape so it cooks through evenly.
🇦🇺Australia – get this cut at butchers or Costco (it’s very good value).
How to make Momofuku Bossam
And here’s how to make it:
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Dry cure with just salt and sugar for 24 to 36 hours (ie rub with salt and sugar, refrigerate);
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Slow roast for 5 – 6 hours at 150°C/300°F or until fork tender;
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Cover with brown sugar and blast in hot oven for 10 minutes to create the brown sugar crust;
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Shred and serve with sauces and sides to make lettuce wraps – see below for sauces.
Sauces for Bossam
The two sauces served with Momofuku Bossam are:
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Ginger Shallot Sauce (aka Ginger Scallion Sauce) – this is actually a traditional sauce served with other dishes across Asia (eg Hainanese Chicken); and
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Ssam Sauce – a spicy red sauce made with Korean chilli pastes. Easy substitute with any chilli paste or hot sauce.
Ginger Shallot Sauce
Just a handful of ingredients – just mix and leave to soften for just 20 minutes or so.
Spicy Ssam Sauce
This is the spicy red chilli sauce made with Korean chilli pastes (Gochujang and Ssamjang) and will require a trip to a Korean grocery store or large Asian store to get them. Once you have them, it’s a simple mix job.
But do NOT fret if you can’t get these chilli pastes. You don’t use a lot of the Spicy Ssam Sauce so it’s absolutely not a big deal at all to just substitute it with a simple hot sauce, chilli paste or even Sriracha!
Do NOT worry if you can’t get Gochujang and Ssamjang. Just use your favourite chilli paste, Sriracha or a hot sauce instead – you just want some kind of spicy sauce for the wrap!
How to serve Bossam
Bossam is a DIY affair. Place the magnificent slow cooked pork on a large platter (or tray, as I have done) and surround it with all the sauces and sides that are used to make the lettuce wraps:
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Ginger Shallot Sauce (Scallion);
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Spicy Ssam Sauce – or Sriracha, hot sauce or chilli paste;
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Oysters – for the full Momofuku experience;
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Kimchi – just store bought for me, quite widely available nowadays;
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Rice (out of frame – oops! 😂); and
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Soft lettuce leaves – or crispy if you prefer.
Then let everyone tear into the meat and gear yourself up for a fight over that incredible crust (I’ll take anyone on to get my fair share)…
…and make your own fully loaded Korean Lettuce Wraps. The Momofuku way.
This iconic Bossam recipe is David Chang’s, from his cookbook Momofuku. It’s also been shared in various online publications, including the New York Times.
This recipe follows the published recipe, but with some helpful tips and adjustments we’ve made after making this multiple times over the years. For example, the Ssam sauce as written in NYT has way too much vinegar. There’s way too much salt in the dry rub (you end up throwing half out), and we’ve figured out how to get that brown sugar crust perfect – without setting off your smoke alarm!
That’s enough from me. Now it’s your turn to impress the pants off your family and friends! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Momofuku Bossam (Korean Slow Cooked Pork Shoulder Roast)
Ingredients
Slow Cooked Pork:
- 3.5-4 kg/ 7-8 lb pork butt / shoulder , bone in & skinless (Note 1)
- 1/2 cup (110g) white sugar
- 1/2 cup (115g) kosher or cooking salt (NOT table salt) (Note 2)
Brown Sugar Crust:
- 1 tbsp kosher or cooking salt (NOT table salt) (Note 2)
- 7 tbsp brown sugar , light or normal (not dark)
Ginger Shallot Sauce:
- 2.5 cups scallions , thinly sliced (both green and white parts, ~5-6 stems)
- 1/2 cup fresh ginger , peeled and finely grated (Note 3)
- 1/3 cup canola oil (Note 4)
- 1.5 tsp light soy sauce (or all purpose, not dark soy sauce Note 5)
- 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar (Note 6)
- 1/2 tsp kosher or cooking salt , to taste (Note 2)
Spicy Ssam Sauce (Note 7):
- 2 tbsp ssamjang (Note 8)
- 1 tbsp gochujang (Note 8)
- 5 tsp sherry vinegar (Note 6)
- 2 tbsp canola oil (Note 4)
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tsp white sugar
Serving:
- 4 - 5 heads butter/bib lettuce (40 - 50+ leaves, Note 9)
- 3 cups cooked white rice
- 500g/1lb kimchi
- 12 + oysters , raw, in shell (optional, Note 10)
Instructions
Bossam Slow Cooked Pork:
- Mix sugar and salt together. Pat pork dry. Coat pork in sugar salt mixture, getting it into all the crevices. Rub/pat well to adhere as best you can - discard excess salt unused/falls off (usually ~ 2-3 tbsp).
- Place in a glass dish (Note 13), cover loosely with cling wrap and refrigerated 24 - 36 hours (Note 11).
- Preheat oven to 150°C/300°F (all oven types) with rack in the middle of oven.
- Remove pork from fridge - surface will be wet. Either transfer pork to clean pan (metal, ceramic or glass) or drain off excess liquid / scrape out salt/sugar in same glass pan. Do not rinse pork.
- Roast 5 hours (Note 12), uncovered, spooning over pan juices once each hour, until you can easily pull the meat apart with 2 forks (check on side).
- Remove from oven, rest for 10 minutes (up to 1 hour is fine, loosely cover in foil).
- Turn oven up to 260°C/500°F (all oven types).
Brown Sugar Crust:
- Mix brown sugar and salt.
- Spoon juices all over pork.
- Spoon sugar onto pork and use your hands to make it stick to the top and sides (not underneath). Make layer on top as even as you can (for even caramelisation).
- Place in oven for 10 minutes until surface is a deep golden crust, sugar is bubbling and caramelised (see VIDEO!). Keep a close eye on it from 5 minutes. If the highest points start getting black, cover with small piece of foil (just stick it on).
- Remove from oven and transfer to serving platter for serving. (Don't use pan juices, it will be salty from brine)
Sauces:
- Ginger Shallot Sauce: Mix ingredients in bowl and stand for 20 minutes to let it soften.
- Ssam Sauce: Mix ingredients together. Oil will naturally separate over time if sauce is left to stand, just mix again to reincorporate.
Serving:
- Place pork on serving platter with lettuce, oysters, kimchi, rice, Ginger Shallot Sauce and Ssam Sauce on the side.
- Attack the pork - it will shred easily. Shred as much or little as you want, let people do it themselves or you can do it for them. Prepare to fight over the epic crust.
- To eat, place lettuce in hand. Spoon in some rice, top with pulled pork, small piece of kimchi, oyster, some ginger shallot sauce then finally a little drizzle of spicy Ssam sauce.
- Bundle up, bite and enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
Volume - easily makes 50+ lettuce wraps. Just get as much lettuce as you want to serve, knowing there's enough pork for over 50 lettuce wraps (leftover pork is sensational) 10. Oysters - raw oysters are served with traditional bossam, it's part of the eating experience! It's like a "surprise inside" when you're munching through the lettuce wrap and come across the oyster, great textural contrast. Bit indulgent to have an oyster for every piece of lettuce so just provide as much as you're willing to indulge in. 11. Brining/curing time - minimum 6 hours, 12 hours ok, 24 - 36 hours optimum, 48 hours ok too (especially if using 4.5kg/9lb pork) DO NOT rinse pork after curing. You should only use enough sugar/salt rub so it sticks to the pork, don't layer it on thickly on the surface. Recipes that suggest rinsing are probably using the wrong salt/sugar amount published in NYT and other media publications which is way too much (see Note 13 for more info). 12. Internal temp of pork is irrelevant in slow roasting because the internal temp doesn't change once cooked beyond well done, but meat can still be tough. Need time not temperature for meat to become fall apart. Oven types - for slow roasting at low temps, I find the same temp is required for standard and fan forced/convection. Cook times - original recipe says 6 hours for 3.5 - 5kg / 7 - 10lb pork shoulder. That's a HUGE variation in pork size and the cook times vary - here is the cook times by weight:
- 3.5 - 4kg / 7 - 8lb = 5 hours (best weight for most juicy flesh)
- 4.5/9lb = 5.5 hrs
- 5kg/10lb = 6 hrs
- 2 kg / 4lb = 3 hrs 45 min
- 2.5kg / 5 lb = 4 hrs
- 3kg / 6lb = 4.5 hrs
- Original recipe calls for 1 cup each salt and sugar which is WAY too much. This amount will never stick to the pork so it's wasteful. Sprinkling excess over pork doesn't work either - makes it way too salty. 1/2 cup of each works perfectly - you won't throw out much, seasons the pork perfectly all the way through without being too salty;
- Ssam sauce had way too much vinegar (had 1/2 cup) - way to sour; and
- Cook time - original recipe says 6 hrs for 3.5-5kg/7-10lb pork. That range is too broad - 3.5kg/7lb pork for 6 hours = dry. Found that 3.5-4kg/7-8lb for 5 hrs is perfect, cook times for other weights in Note 12.
Nutrition Information:
The Spicy Side of Life: Korean recipes
Life of Dozer
There’s just no words to tell you how excited/hopeful Dozer was around such an enormous piece of meat.
Did he get some?🤔 Watch today’s recipe video to see!!!
Karmen M says
I feel silly asking this, but does it need to roast in glass pan or would a standard roaster be ok? If not glass, would the oven temp be altered? Thanks!
Nagi says
No silly questions around here Karmen! Plastic is fine too, just not metal (shouldn’t leave anything in metal overnight especially when curing or marinating, metal can get into food 🙂 For plastic, smell gets into it, That’s why I recommend glass!) N x
Joanne says
Can I use pork leg? Loin?
Nagi says
Hi Joanne, I fear they may be too lean for this recipe sorry! You want a bit of fat to ensure juicy meat here. N x
Agatha says
Can you use the same marinade for beef?
MT says
Hi Nagi, love this recipe. Quick (and possibly stupid) question – should the meat reach room temperature before we place it in the oven?
Nagi says
Hi MT, yes I like to leave it out an hour before cooking 🙂 N x
Nick Varner says
Nagi, Thanks so much for all the great recipes. I’ve tried many, many of your recipes and have loved every one. And so have my guests and relatives! My taster Bjorn, a 130 lb. Alaskan Malamute, loves them too. Thanks again!
Joyce N says
Hi Nagi. I’ve used this recipe a few times, and I agree that the Momofuku proportions of the salt and sugar rub and of the vinegar in the sauce are too high. This evening I did the smallest roast yet – 3 pounds (1.4Kg) – and used 1/4 cup each of Kosher salt and sugar for an overnight marinade. I do rinse before cooking because even with the Diamond Kosher salt I find it too salty otherwise. Also, the “secret” for a small roast is not to shorten the time, but to lower the temperature. I roasted it for 6 hours at 250F, a half hour rest, then the sugar roast at 500F for 15 minutes. Nice “bark” and still moist. Best to you and Dozer!
Bella s says
Hi Nagi and Joyce thanks so much for this wonderful recipe! I had a 2kg pork shoulder and roasted for 6 hours at 120c and then 15-20 mins at 250c. It was delicious but maybe a tad dry so maybe would just roast for 5.5 hours next time. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe I impressed my friends (and myself) making this.. oysters are a must with the wrap, you can’t really taste them but they just add a creaminess. Can’t wait to do this recipe with a big ol Pork butt. Thanks guys!
Skye Fraser says
Thanks for another terrific recipe. I so love your blog and recommend it all the time. I enjoyed making this and the family all really enjoyed eating it! The boys are converting leftovers to burgers tonight. I did say this morning that if I did it again I’d lower the temp because I found it a bit much for my 2 k roast and then I found this comment! Lol! Thanks again!
Jer says
This was delicious! I will have to make this again with a bigger piece of pork. The ginger/onion side was perfect with it. What a great recipe find! Thanks for sharing
Marilyn says
Can I use boneless pork shoulder?
Jer says
@Marilyn, you totally can! I’ve cooked it bone-in and boneless. Taste just as great.
Nagi says
I’m so glad you loved it Jer!! N x
Paolo says
Hi, I made this the other day exactly and it came out wonderful, however it was VERY salty. I’m thinking I might’ve gotten the wrong salt? Or there was just too much of the dry rub on the pork still before I tossed it in the oven. I just have regular kosher salt which I used & I made sure to drain the liquid after marinating it. I think I should’ve scraped a little bit more of the excess rub before putting it in the oven though, because it was a bit thick on top & it browned very quickly after the 2-3 hour mark in the oven. Like I reeeaaaallllyyy packed it with the dry rub in every single nook and cranny! Lol. I’m about to make this again because I purchased the big costco 2 pack of this. So any further guidance would be great! LOL
Glen Ackermann says
Use Diamond Kosher salt. It is half as salty as Mortons Kosher salt. Diamond brand is the only one I use anymore.
Nadine Barnes says
Sorry I submitted a comment on the Poke bowl recipe which should have been for this recipe. I made this for my birthday dinner last night and it was amazing. Worked perfectly.
Nagi says
Thanks so much Nadine 🙂 N x
Emily says
Made Momofuku Bossam with sauces minus fresh oysters. Absolute kudos from family. Prep of the meat was surprisingly easy. Sauces required work. Wish there was a way to send you pictures of the finished meal. So enjoyed your site.
Nagi says
I’m so glad you loved it Emily, that’s great!!! N x
Jacky says
Hi Nagi,
This Boston Butt was one of the only things left in the Costco fridge so I grabbed it excited to try another one of your recipes!
My butt is covered with a fat cap – what should I do with that? Is it ok to have the sugar crust on the top or should I flip it over?
Love all your recipes and Dozer xx
Kath says
Hiya Nagi. Crustacean allergy here, so I’d be ok with the oysters (molluscs), but not the kimchi (shrimp). Any suggestions for a sub? I once found vegan kimchi but vv expensive and not easy to get.
Nagi says
Hi Kath, The only recommendation is Vegan kimchi unfortunately – N x
Beck says
Oh my goodness! This was every bit as good as I’d hoped. I was nervous using that amount of salt (I used Maldon salt flakes), but it was perfect. The meat was beautifully tender, and oh, that crust…! It was actually such a simple meal for a group of friends with minimal washing up and maximum fun and flavour. Thanks for the amazing recipe and all the tips!
Nagi says
That’s so great to hear Beck!! N x
Devin says
How will the cooking/taste change if the pork butt is boneless? My butcher only had boneless/smaller cuts so I have two separate pieces.
Nagi says
Hi Devin – it wont be quite the same but still amazing – you’ll just need to adjust the cook time based on the individual weight – N x
P says
If only I could upload a photo here on the reviews. Complete success. We hadn’t tried this type of flavour combo before and I was glad we did. We didn’t have the oysters but everything else was so delicious. I used sushi rice which was excellent as a left over with the Ssamjang sauce. (Actually we couldn’t find the Ssamjang paste so we just added some garlic and a slight drop of sesame oil for a sub, and added a wee bit more of the gochujang paste)
Laura Gabe says
Did not realize I bought such a big roast–almost 8 lbs!–so when I saw this recipe I thought ‘yep, that’s going to happen’. Making this for Sunday School social on Saturday. I have 2 questions-what is ‘cooking’ salt? I got coarse kosher salt to use. And do I have to use a glass dish, baking or bowl, while ‘marinating’ or can I use a regular aluminum pan?
Thank so much for the recipes–and Dozier.
Nagi says
Hi Laura – BIG is GREAT in this recipe, so it’s meant to be!!!Kosher salt is the same thing as cooking salt – so that’s perfect. There’s a few different names for it. It’s better not to use a metal pan because depending on what it is made of, it can be “reactive” which means it can be discoloured and change when food is cooked or left in it for a while – so you then query how much of that goes into the food. For marinating, it’s just safer to use sometime glass just to be safe – because the food stays in there for so long and it’s salted. N x
laura Gabe says
Thanks. Using the crock out of my biggest cooker–fits perfectly. I am thinking of using it to cook the roast since the heat is only 300. Will definitely post a review.
Laura Gabe says
Great taste, little stress pork roast. Went over well at the social–and home.
Thanks for the recipe.
Lisa Kelly says
Hi Nagi. I’m going to try this on the weekend. Looks incredible. If I use the recommended size of meat I will need to freeze some as it is more than I require.
What are your tips for using the pork once defrosted? Do you reheat in the oven or microwave? Do you freeze meat shredded? Are there any other serving suggestions for the pork???
Thanks for any tips – you know how much I love your recipes xx
Nagi says
Hi Lisa, it’s the perfect freezer meal! I like to shred it and store, then reheat covered in the microwave! You could use it in wraps, on a baked potato or even just on rice – there are so many possibilities! N x
Lisa Kelly says
Nagi – I had to come back and say what an ABSOLUTE SUCCESS this recipe was. OMG that pork was the best I have ever eaten and I’ve cooked alot of pork recipes. The flavour…..well I was in flavour town!!!!
As you know I’ve been cooking 2 million of your recipes for years but this one takes the cake!!! Well done lady xx
Lisa Kelly says
Thanks so much Nagi. I love the idea of serving it over a baked potato. That just opened up alot of ideas. Thanks so much for getting back to me xx
Lisa says
Hi Nagi. Omg this recipe looks the best!!! I’m going to make it this weekend. I think I’ll go with a large piece of meat as suggested but it will be way more than we require that night and you’ve mentioned Freezing is fine.
My question is about when you want to use the frozen meat, what is the processing for rehearing etc??? Do you shred the pork before freezing. Do you reheat one over or microwave? How do you stop it from losing moisture? Should I serve it the same way with the wrap options or is there a different way to use the pork????
So excited to try this recipe.
Shannon says
Let me preface that you are my favorite recipe website! I’ve made just about every recipe you have. I never leave bad comments on any website but had to here because it takes a lot of work and money to make this recipe. The salt content is over the top! And I like salt. I actually love salt. But this was so salty that I had to throw away most of the meat. I followed your recipe to a “T” and literally could not eat the pork. Especially the crusty parts, which looked so darn good. Maybe the website measurements are wrong. Just wanted to let you know. Sorry!
Nagi says
Hi Shannon! I’m sorry for the delayed response, I’m a bit behind on responding to messages! I’m sorry to hear that, is there anyway you used TABLE salt instead of COOKING or KOSHER salt? I put multiple warnings about this in the recipe because if you used table salt, yes it will be too salty because the grains are much much finer, so 1/2 cup table salt is the equivalent of about 3/4 cup cooking salt! Also because the grains are so much smaller they get into the cracks and crevices way too much which makes the pork too salty. I am 100% confident the measurements are right because a) multiple readers have now made this b) multiple people in my family have made it and we’ve all tasted it c) the salt is HALF that of David Chang’s original recipe because I found HIS recipe way way too salty 🙂 I’m sorry to hear you had problems, I wish I could’ve been in the kitchen with you to troubleshoot! N xx
Shannon says
No worries! I never use table salt so maybe I measured wrong. Wish you and Dozer were with me as well. If you’re ever in Rhode Island USA you will be our guest!
Alison says
Hi Nagi, I cooked this yesterday. I used 1.5kg pork scotch roast, which I think is shoulder??? It took about 3 1/2 hrs. It was delicious! I served it with bao buns as well as lettuce, (no oysters). The spicy ssam sauce was amazing – what else would be good with this sauce?
Thank you
Nagi says
Hiiii Alison! Scotch is not pork shoulder, it’s a more tender cut! So glad you enjoyed it though! The Sauce will go with anything Asian – stir fries, noodles, soups. Basically anything in the Asian category of my website! N xx PS If you get a chance, try to get your hands on pork shoulder for this recipe! The pulled pork is even juicier and you will get an even more amazing crust!