Bossam (Korean Boiled Pork Belly Wraps)
Try Bossam, Korean boiled pork belly wraps, for your next dinner party. This recipe uses a low moisture, slow cooking method for tender, juicy pork belly. Serve with various side dishes and toppings for a healthy and delicious Korean meal!
I love sharing Bossam, the Korean boiled pork belly wraps, with my family. It’s a delicious and memorable meal that’s perfect for dinner parties, too. Your guests will love the flavorful pork and the fun of making their own wraps!
What is Bossam?
Bossam (보쌈) is a beloved Korean dish featuring boiled pork, also known as suyuk (수육). Thick cuts of pork belly are simmered in a flavorful broth until tender and juicy, then sliced thinly.
The word “bossam” means bundling, and to enjoy it, you wrap a slice of pork in a cabbage leaf along with side dishes like spicy radish salad, raw garlic, salted shrimp, fresh chili, and ssamjang (wrap sauce), creating a delicious bundle.
Traditionally, Koreans prepare a large batch of cabbage kimchi in late fall during gimjang, the kimchi-making season, to last through the winter. After the kimchi is made, it’s common for people to gather and enjoy bossam with salted cabbage leaves or freshly made kimchi. This renowned Korean food is also a way to show gratitude by sharing food with those who helped.
Pork Choice
Pork belly is the most commonly used pork cut for bossam, but pork shoulder (pork butt) is another good choice. You might find two pork belly options: with skin on or without.
Pork belly is the most popular cut for bossam, but pork shoulder (or pork butt) is also a great option. When choosing pork belly, you may come across two types: with skin or without.
Both are suitable for this boiled Korean pork belly recipe, but I prefer the skinless version, even though it’s often pricier, as it delivers a softer, more tender texture for bossam. This thick cut of pork belly is also essential for Korean BBQ pork, known as samgyupsal.
Cooking pork belly with Low Moisture
Most cooks boil pork belly for bossam in a seasoned broth, sometimes with doenjang or coffee to remove the gamey smell. However, simmering too long in liquid can diminish the pork’s natural flavor, which is great for soups but not ideal for bossam.
I recommend a low-moisture cooking method. Braising the pork in its own juices with vegetables and fruits, adding only sweet rice wine (mirim) as the liquid, ensures tender, juicy pork without any gamey smell.
Use a heavy-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid, like a Dutch oven, to minimize steam evaporation and achieve the best results.
How to make Bossam
Pickle the cabbage
Quarter the young cabbage lengthwise and sprinkle salt between the layers of leaves. Let it brine for 50 minutes, turning the cabbage occasionally. Rinse thoroughly and squeeze out any excess moisture.
Another option for pickling the cabbage is to use a salt brine made from a 1/2:6 ratio of salt to water. This method is great for prepping in advance. Simply soak the cabbage overnight until it’s slightly wilted, then rinse thoroughly.
Braise pork belly
Season the pork belly with salt and pepper, then place it in a heavy pot layered with sliced onions and apples. Add garlic and crumbled bay leaves. Mix sweet rice wine with ginger, and drizzle around the pork. Top with sliced leek or green onion.
Cover the pot and cook on medium-high heat for 5 minutes, then reduce to low and simmer for 40-50 minutes. Let the pork rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Make spicy radish salad
While the pork is simmering, prepare the radish salad. Toss the sliced radish with corn syrup in a mixing bowl and let it sit for 30-40 minutes until the radish releases plenty of moisture.
Note: Corn syrup withdraws the moisture from the radish like no other and it maintains the crunchy texture. The radish sticks will hold their shape and won’t leak much moisture after they are seasoned. The salad will keep its freshness in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
Firmly squeeze the radish to remove excess moisture, then toss it with the salad seasoning ingredients. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Bossam dipping sauce
You must have the topping sauce called ssamjang for any bossam dish. Store-bought sam sauce can be convenient, but homemade ssamjang is very easy and quick to make.
To prepare, mix together Korean soybean paste, Korean chili paste, garlic, Korean plum extract (optional), and sesame oil. Stir well and chill until ready to serve.
How to serve and eat Bossam
Place the pork belly slices on a large platter and surround them with the spicy radish salad, salted cabbage, and other wrap ingredients. Serve alongside small dishes of salted shrimp, raw garlic, and chili slices.
To create a wrap, lay a piece of pork belly on a cabbage leaf, lettuce, or perilla leaf. Add a dab of ssamjang, a touch of salted shrimp, and top with raw garlic and green chili. Alternatively, you can use cabbage kimchi to wrap the pork.
A bossam wrap can be big, so you might need to take a bite first. But Koreans typically eat the whole wrap in one go. If you prefer, you can enjoy the pork belly with spicy radish salad or serve it with rice instead of making a wrap.
Use lots of toppings to make the delicious pork wraps. Below options are great with this Korean boiled pork.
- Spicy radish salad: recipe follows
- Green onion salad (pa-muchim)
- Salted shrimp: use store-bought
- Cabbage: either fresh or salted napa cabbage leaves (instruction follows)
- Cabbage kimchi: freshly made (Try my quick geotjeori recipe)
- Fresh oysters: optional
- Assorted lettuce
- Perilla leaves (kkennip)
- Raw garlic cloves: sliced
- Fresh chili: sliced
- Minari: Korean water dropwort (water parsley). Try my recipe for minari salad.
- Ssam sauce (ssamjang): one of the common Korean pantry staples. Homemade recipe follows
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Bossam (Korean Boiled Pork Belly Wraps)
Ingredients
For bossam wraps
- bunch assorted lettuce
- bunch perilla leaves (kkennip), optional
- cabbage kimchi, freshly made kimchi preferred
- bunch fresh oysters, optional
- 2 tbsp salted shrimp
- 5-7 cloves fresh garlic , sliced
- 1-2 fresh green chilies, sliced
For pickling cabbage
- 1 head (about 2 lb, 900 g)) small napa cabbage, quartered
- 4 tbsp kosher salt, see note below
For pork belly
- 2 1/2 lb (1.2 kg) thick pork belly, preferably skin removed
- pinches salt and pepper , to season
- 2 onion, roughly sliced
- 1 apple, roughly sliced
- 10 cloves garlic
- 2 bay leaves, crumbled
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) sweet rice wine (mirim)
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 1 Asian leek, optional, roughly sliced
For radish salad
- 1 1/4 lb (560 g) Korean radish or daikon radish, peeled
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) Korean corn syrup (mulyeot)
- 2 tsp salt
- 2-3 tbsp Korean chili flakes (gochugaru)
- 1 tbsp Korean fish sauce
- 1/2 tbsp salted shrimp
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp Korean plum extract (maeshil-cheong), optional
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 2 green onion, fienly chopped
For topping sauce
- 3 tbsp Korean soybean paste (doenjang)
- 1 tbsp Korean chili paste (gochujang)
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp Korean plum extract (maeshil-cheong), or water
- 2 tsp sesame oil
Equipment
Instructions
To pickle the cabbage
- Use the yellow inner part of napa cabbage. Quarter the cabbage lengthwise. Depending on the size of your cabbage, you might only need 2 of them. Rinse the cabbage with water and drain.
- In a large shallow mixing bowl, place the cabbage pieces and sprinkle salt over the cabbage trying to reach in between the layers of leaves, especially the thick white stem parts. Let the cabbage sit for 50 minutes, turning them upside down 2-3 times. Rinse the cabbage once and squeeze out the extra moisture.
To cook pork belly
- In a large, heavy bottom pot, put in diced onion followed by sliced apples. Season pork belly with salt and pepper and place it on top. Add the garlic and crumbled bay leaves.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix together sweet rice wine and ginger puree, and drizzle it around the pork belly. Top the pork belly with sliced leek (or green onion).
- Cover with lid and let it cook over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 40-50 minutes depending on the thickness of your meat.
- Let the pork rest in the pot for 10 minutes, then slice it.
To make spicy radish salad
- Slice radish into 1/4-inch thick matchsticks. Place them in a mixing bowl.
- Add corn syrup and 1 tablespoon of salt. Toss well and let it sit for 30-45 minutes. You will see lots of moisture come out from the radish. Squeeze out the moisture firmly and put the radish in to another mixing bowl.
- Add the Korean chili flakes, Korean fish sauce, salted shrimp, sugar, garlic, Korean plum extract (optional), ginger puree, sesame seeds, and green onion. Mix well and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
To make bossam sauce
- In a small bowl, combine Korean soybean paste, Korean chili paste, garlic, Korean plum extract (optional), and sesame oil. Mix well and chill until ready to serve.
To serve bossam
- Put pork belly slices on a large serving platter and arrange the spicy radish salad, salted cabbage, and other wrap materials around it.
- To make a wrap, place a piece of pork belly on a cabbage leaf, lettuce or perilla leaf. Dot with bossam sauce, and top with a tiny bit of salted shrimp, raw garlic, green chili, and serve. You can also use a piece of cabbage kimchi to wrap a pork.
Notes
- If you want to prepare the cabbage well ahead of time, use a salt brine instead. Dissolve 1/2 cup salt in 6 cups of water.
- Soak the cabbage in the salt brine overnight until slightly wilted. Rinse and squeeze out the extra moisture. Keep the cabbage in a zip bag and chill until ready to use.
This recipe was originally posted in November 2016. I’ve updated the recipe with minor changes, new photos, and more information.
This is my kind of wrap! Looks incredibly delicious!
Hi..unfortunately I’m currently unable to eat / drink any food with any alcohol content. Is it possible to omit / remove the white wine? Or is there any other substitute for the w.wine?
Thanks!
As my son needs a gluten-free diet the available doenjang around here is a no go for me. I managed to make my own gluten-free gochujang, but making doenjang is a longer process (though I’m willing to try it out soon).
So, my question is, would it be possible to substitute doenjang with gluten-free miso to cook this recipe?
Yes, definitely!
Wonderful match!!!! Pork belly is so good with kimchi.
Pork belly is good stuff. Don’t eat it that often (all that fat, you know) but love it whenever I do. Thanks!