Momofuku's Bo Ssam on the WSM


 

jeff davidson

TVWBB Super Fan
The NYT published this recipe from David Chang's beloved momofuku restaurant:

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12197-momofukus-bo-ssam

I followed the recipe but smoked the pork in the weber. The ssam sauce is an absolute must as is adding kimchee to lettuce wrap. If you can' t find a korean grocery, I believe whole foods carries ssam sauce. We made rice bowl leftovers by layering jasmine rice with pork in a bowl, 1-2 mins in the microwave, 3-4 tablespoons of ssam and adding a top layer of kimchee. Wow!
 
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This looks really good, Jeff! Thanks for posting the link! Any pics of your rendition?

Rich
 
rich, sorry, no pics but it looked a lot like the nyt photo. It was really easy to make and as you know, it's tough to mess up pork shoulder. The caramelized brown sugar combined with the salt of the marinade is terrific. I didn't use oysters and the ginger scallion sauce was overwhelmed by the other flavors, not sure I'd make it again.

you're in bay area, easy to find the ingredients for the ssam give it a try and report back!
 
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This looks interesting but is the meat supposed to be with skin (around here it would be called picnic) or skinless (Boston butt)?
 
Made this today in the WSM. It was really good, a nice change from the usual pulled pork presentation. The Saam sauce is like a Carolina vinegar sauce only better. I used less salt and sugar than was called for in the brine but otherwise followed the recipe closely.
 
Here's the recipe text in case the link breaks or goes away.

INGREDIENTS

PORK BUTT:
1 whole bone-in pork butt or picnic ham (8 to 10 pounds)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon kosher salt
7 tablespoons brown sugar

GINGER-SCALLION SAUCE:
2 ½ cups thinly sliced scallions, both green and white parts
½ cup peeled, minced fresh ginger
¼ cup neutral oil (like grapeseed)
1 ½ teaspoons light soy sauce
1 scant teaspoon sherry vinegar
½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

SSAM SAUCE:
2 tablespoons fermented bean-and-chili paste (ssamjang, available in many Asian markets, and online)
1 tablespoon chili paste (kochujang, available in many Asian markets, and online)
½ cup sherry vinegar
½ cup neutral oil (like grapeseed)

ACCOMPANIMENTS:
2 cups plain white rice, cooked
3 heads bibb lettuce, leaves separated, washed and dried
1 dozen or more fresh oysters (optional)
Kimchi (available in many Asian markets, and online)

PREPARATION

Place the pork in a large, shallow bowl. Mix the white sugar and 1 cup of the salt together in another bowl, then rub the mixture all over the meat. Cover it with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, or overnight.

When you're ready to cook, heat oven to 300. Remove pork from refrigerator and discard any juices. Place the pork in a roasting pan and set in the oven and cook for approximately 6 hours, or until it collapses, yielding easily to the tines of a fork. (After the first hour, baste hourly with pan juices.) At this point, you may remove the meat from the oven and allow it to rest for up to an hour.

Meanwhile, make the ginger-scallion sauce. In a large bowl, combine the scallions with the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and taste, adding salt if needed.

Make the ssam sauce. In a medium bowl, combine the chili pastes with the vinegar and oil, and mix well.

Prepare rice, wash lettuce and, if using, shuck the oysters. Put kimchi and sauces into serving bowls.

When your accompaniments are prepared and you are ready to serve the food, turn oven to 500. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining tablespoon of salt with the brown sugar. Rub this mixture all over the cooked pork. Place in oven for approximately 10 to 15 minutes, or until a dark caramel crust has developed on the meat. Serve hot, with the accompaniments.
 
Made this today in the WSM. It was really good, a nice change from the usual pulled pork presentation. The Saam sauce is like a Carolina vinegar sauce only better. I used less salt and sugar than was called for in the brine but otherwise followed the recipe closely.

carl, glad you liked it, that's a great description of the saam sauce! we have a big korean grocery store near us that makes their own kimchi and it's wonderful with the dish. I've since made this about five times, really easy and big, bold exotic flavors.
 

 

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