Slow-Cooked Pork Shoulder | Momofuku Bo Ssam (Bossam)

Recipe adapted from David Chang's Momofuku Bo Ssam recipe in the NYT and hundreds of online reviews.

Ingredients for 6-8 Hungry Hippos:
6.5 lb Pork Butt (which could be pork shoulder heh)
1 cup and 4 Tablespoons of Sugar
1/2 cup for Salt
Splash of vinegar

1. Combine salt, sugar, and vinegar to form a paste and spread all around pork. *A word on salt: A tablespoon of fine table salt (ie Mortons) is worth 1.85 tablespoons of Diamond Crystal kosher salt so if you're using Mortons, use less of it.

2. Cover with saran-wrap and put in fridge over night or for at least 8-12 hours. Even better to do a full 24 hours, just make sure you flip the meat so it gets even exposure to the paste.

3. Without washing off, transfer to pan and into pre-heated oven at 275 F.

4. Roast slowly for 6 hours. Every hour, open oven and baste meat with resulting juices.

5. 30 minutes before eating, top outer crust with 4 Tablespoons of brown sugar. Crank up oven to 500 F. Return pork to oven for 10-15 minutes or until top is caramelized.

6. Enjoy with kimchi, rice, and sauces (ingredients below.)

SAUCE INGREDIENTS

Ginger-scallion sauce: blend together a 3 inch hunk of ginger, 2 cups of scallions, 1/2 cup of neutrally-flavored oil (canola or grapeseed), salt.

Ssam sauce: blend together 4 Tbsp of miso (Japanese soybean paste), 2 Tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste), 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, 1/2 Tbsp Honey, 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds, 1/5 of a peeled ripe pear, 10 g of onion, 2 garlic cloves.

Pepper-garlic: mince 4 fresh hot chilies (Thai or habaneros), 6 gloves of raw garlic, a splash of rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp salt, & 1 tsp sugar and let sit for a few hours to mellow the garlic out.