Momofuku Bo Ssam - Perfected

Step 1

Put the pork shoulder in a roasting pan, ideally one that holds it snugly. Mix together the granulated sugar and ½ cup of the salt in a bowl, then rub the mixture into the meat; discard any excess salt and sugar mixture. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and put it into the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, or overnight.

Step 2

Heat the oven to 300F. Remove the pork from the refrigerator, lightly rinse the brine off the pork butt and discard any juices that have accumulated and rinse the pan out.

Step 3

Put the pork in the oven and cook for 6 hours, basting with the rendered fat and pan juices every hour. The pork should be tender and yielding at this point – it should offer almost no resistance to the blade of a knife and you should be able to easily pull meat off the shoulder with a fork. Depending on your schedule, you can serve the pork right away or let it rest and mellow out at room temperature for up to an hour.

Step 4

Cook the rice (rice cooker or pot) - 2 cups of short grained rice to 2 ⅓ cups of water. Or follow one of the many recipes online. My preference is a more wet rice. If you prefer a drier cooked rice, use a 1:1 ratio of rice to water.

Step 5

When ready to serve – rice is made, sauces are made, lettuce is washed – turn the oven to 500F.

Step 6

Baste the pork butt again and stir together the remaining 1 tablespoon salt and the brown sugar and rub the mixture all over the pork. Lightly baste the sugar covering (this is important to help create the caramelized crust).

Step 7

Put it in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until the sugar has melted into a crisp, sweet crust.  It shouldn’t smoke and burn but sizzle and crisp to a caramelized crust.

Step 8

Serve the bo ssam whole and hot, surrounded with the accompaniments.

Step 9

Shred the pork