Garlic Bossam (Korean Pork Wraps With Sweet Garlic Sauce)
Garlic Bossam (마늘 보쌈) is a Korean dish of slow-steamed pork belly thinly sliced and topped with a sweet garlic sauce, traditionally wrapped in lettuce or napa cabbage with rice and ssamjang. Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes. Serves 4. The sauce is a bossam-restaurant secret most foreigners haven't tasted yet; two whole heads of garlic simmered until the bite is gone, leaving only sweet, savory depth. I'll show you how to make both the dry-steamed pork and the sauce at home.
Ingredients
- 2 garlic heads (to season meat and also for garlic sauce)
- 500 g thick pork belly (the more fat is has, the more softer it will be)
Seasoning for the meat
- 2 pinches salt
- 7 turns black pepper
- 1 tbsp soybean paste
- 1.5 tbsp minced garlic
Ingredients to boil together
- 2 onions
- 1 stalk spring onions
- 3 tbsp soju
- 3 tbsp water
- 7 turns black pepper
Garlic sauce
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 4 tbsp minced garlic
- 1.5 tbsp corn syrup (can be substituted with honey, but since honey is roughly twice as sweet as Korean corn syrup, use about half the amount)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp Korean vinegar (can be substituted with apple cider vinegar; since apple cider vinegar is less sour than Korean vinegar, 1.5 tbsp is recommended)
Garnish
- 2 pinches sesame seeds (optional)
Equipment
Method
- Peel 2 garlic heads (around 20 cloves total), cut off the ends, and grind them all up. This minced garlic will be used for both the meat seasoning and the garlic sauce.
- Prepare 500 g thick pork belly, season with 2 pinches saltalt and pepper, then spread 1 tbsp soybean paste and 1.5 tbsp minced garlic on it. Let it marinate for about 15 minutes.
- Cut 2 onions in half, and chop 1 stalk spring onions into large pieces (about 3-5 cm).
- In a pot, add the onions, spring onions, and meat, then grind 7 turns black pepper over it. Add 3 tbsp soju and 3 tbsp water.
- Cover the pot and simmer on medium-low heat for 50 minutes. Since this is a dry cooking method, be sure to maintain medium-low heat to avoid burning, and do not open the lid as the steam will cook the meat.
- After 50 minutes, turn off the heat and let it rest with the lid on for 10 minutes. This helps the juices stay inside the meat, making it moist and tender.
- Slice the meat into 0.5 cm thick pieces.
Garlic Sauce
- In a small frying pan combine 2 tbsp cooking oil, 4 tbsp minced garlic, 1.5 tbsp corn syrup, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp Korean vinegar; simmer on low heat for 3–5 minutes
- Pour the garlic sauce over the meat and sprinkle with sesame seeds to finish.
- Place the meat and garlic sauce generously on the lettuce, add ssamjang, and rice, then wrap it up and enjoy your delicious wrap!
Nutrition
Calories 847kcal | Carbohydrates 25g | Protein 15g | Fat 74g | Saturated Fat 25g | Polyunsaturated Fat 9g | Monounsaturated Fat 36g | Trans Fat 0.03g | Cholesterol 90mg | Sodium 505mg | Potassium 474mg | Fiber 3g | Sugar 14g | Vitamin A 201IU | Vitamin C 10mg | Calcium 75mg | Iron 2mg
Notes
Serve with cooked rice and other side dishes of your liking.
