Pressure Cooker Bo Ssam

By Kay Chun

Published March 9, 2022

  • Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(153)
Comments
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Bo ssam is a Korean dish featuring boiled pork belly or shoulder that’s slowly braised in an aromatic broth until incredibly tender. While the dish traditionally takes hours to prepare, a pressure cooker can turn it into a festive weeknight meal. For the best bite, wrap the rich pork in small bundles of napa cabbage leaves and dollop with ssamjang and other spicy condiments, like the piquant radish salad, which comes together quickly and lasts a week in the fridge, or serve this dish with store-bought kimchi, a tasty alternative and time saver. Leftover pork can be chopped up for a flavorful fried rice or tossed with pasta and grated Parm for a comforting meal.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

FOR THE BO SSAM

  • 2 tablespoons doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste)

  • 1 head garlic, halved crosswise

  • 1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and sliced

  • 5 scallions, trimmed and halved crosswise

  • 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

  • 3 to 3 ½ pounds pork belly, cut into 2-inch-thick lengths

  • Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)

  • 1 pound inner napa cabbage leaves, separated (reserve larger outer leaves for another use)

  • Thinly sliced long green chile peppers, thinly sliced garlic and kimchi, for serving (optional)

FOR THE SPICY RADISH SALAD

  • 8 ounces Korean radish or daikon, peeled and julienned (2 packed cups)

  • 1 tablespoon gochugaru (Korean red-pepper flakes)

  • 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • ½ teaspoon minced garlic

  • ½ teaspoon granulated sugar

FOR THE SSAMJANG

  • ¼ cup doenjang

  • 1 tablespoon gochujang

  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

15 grams carbs; 265 milligrams cholesterol; 2003 calories; 92 grams monosaturated fat; 22 grams polyunsaturated fat; 72 grams saturated fat; 198 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 1383 milligrams sodium; 40 grams protein; 5 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the bo ssam: In a 6- to 8-quart electric pressure cooker, combine 4 cups of water and doenjang, and whisk until well blended. Add the garlic, ginger, scallions and peppercorns. Season pork belly with salt and add to cooker in an even layer, pressing to submerge in the liquid. Lock pressure cooker lid in place, and set steam vent to sealing position. Select high pressure, and cook for 30 minutes. Let pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then manually release.

  2. Step 2

    While pork belly cooks, in a medium bowl, dissolve ¼ cup of salt in 4 cups water. Add cabbage leaves and toss to evenly coat. Let stand, turning occasionally, until softened and lightly salted, about 30 minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess water.

  3. Step 3

    Make the spicy radish salad: In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well.

  4. Step 4

    Make the ssamjang: In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well.

  5. Step 5

    When ready to eat, slice the pork belly crosswise into ¼-inch-thick pieces, and arrange on a serving platter alongside the cabbage. (The braising liquid can be degreased and used as a delicious soup base, or discarded.) Serve with the spicy radish salad, ssamjang and preferred toppings like thinly sliced long green chile peppers, thinly sliced garlic and kimchi.

  6. Step 6

    To eat, place a piece of pork belly on a cabbage leaf and place a dab of ssamjang on top. Add a little radish salad and any other toppings. Wrap the cabbage around the filling and enjoy.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
153 user ratings
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Comments

Laura Scannevin

Made this following Melissa Clark's adaption of Chef Chang's bo ssam in her cookbook, Comfort in an Instant, which includes a fabulous recipe for Ginger Scallion Sauce. This dish is worth every minute of preparation. Was asked to bring the Ginger Scallion Sauce to Thanksgiving dinner; it's such a versatile side.

Todd

This sounds delicious - how long should it be braised in a regular pot?

Karolyn Schalk

Going to try this as soon as I get my hands on a nice pork belly. I'm thinking that adding a step to crisp at least some of the pork belly in the broiler before serving would be good, as other Bo Ssam recipes I make with larger pork cuts (which take three times longer to make) have crispy outsides that add a lot to the taste.

Shelly K.

Made this in a Ninja Foodi and it turned out great. I may play around a little with the cooking time as my meat shredded instead of sliced. This was also after I let it cool completely.

MSN

I made this as written, with the radish salad and all the suggested toppings. The cooked pork belly had a wonderful flavor and the little wraps were delicious and fun to put together. After tasting the pork belly, I decided to fry the slices like Eric Kim does in his recipe for Samgyeopsal. That is the only change I would make, just it's because of my aversion to the mouthfeel of "flabby" foods, it's not a fault of the recipe.

Jenny Engle

Made this with a boneless pork loin that had a beautiful fat cap - results were delicious. Agree that adding Ginger Scallion Sauce is a must. Subbed red miso for the doenjang - will have to pick up some doenjang and make again to compare. Will use braising liquid as a soup base. I also did not have napa cabbage on hand, but salted bok choy and radish leaves with no problem.

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