Slow-roasted brown sugar-cured pork shoulder with crackling crust, served with lettuce wraps, kimchi and ssamjang — Momofuku's signature centrepiece.
⭐Inspired by David Chang · 🇨🇦 CanadaThis recipe is inspired by Chef David Chang's iconic bo ssäm at Momofuku Ssäm Bar in New York — possibly the most famous single dish from his entire group. Korean bo ssäm traditionally uses boiled pork; Chang's revolutionary 2008 menu version cures and slow-roasts the shoulder, finishes it under high heat for a sugar-glazed crust, then serves it whole at the table with lettuce, kimchi, ssamjang (Korean spicy paste) and oysters. The result is a centrepiece dish that sits between Korean ssäm tradition and modern Asian-American fine dining.
Serves 8
Mix the brown sugar and kosher salt for the cure. Pat the pork shoulder dry. Rub the cure over every surface, pressing in firmly. Place fat-side up in a baking dish. Cover and refrigerate AT LEAST 12 hours, up to 24.
Preheat oven to 150°C / 300°F. Pour off any liquid and discard. Place the pork on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast uncovered for 5–6 hours, basting with pan juices every hour. The internal temperature should reach 90–93°C (it's not about safe temperature, it's about collagen breakdown).
Whisk gochujang, doenjang, honey, rice vinegar, garlic and sesame oil. Let stand 30 minutes for the flavours to meld.
Increase oven to 250°C / 480°F. Mix the second batch of brown sugar with Maldon salt. Pat the pork's top surface dry. Press the glaze onto the surface in an even crust. Roast at high heat for 10–15 minutes until the glaze caramelises into a deep mahogany crust — watch carefully so it doesn't burn.
Rest the pork 15 minutes. Bring it to the table whole. Have all the components ready: lettuce leaves, kimchi, rice, oysters, ssamjang, spring onions.
Each diner builds their own wrap: lettuce leaf, spoonful of rice, a strip of pork pulled directly from the shoulder, dab of ssamjang, kimchi, an oyster if using, scattering of spring onions. Wrap into a packet. Eat in one bite. Repeat.
A 12-hour cure is the minimum; 24 hours produces deeper flavour.
Don't skip the high-heat glaze finish — it's the visual signature of the dish.
Real Korean kimchi is essential — supermarket sweet kimchi won't work.
Spicy Pork Shoulder: rub with gochugaru paste before slow-roasting.
Smaller Format: use a 1.2kg shoulder, cure 12 hours, roast 3 hours total.
Leftovers refrigerate 4 days. Excellent in fried rice or sandwiches.
Bo ssäm is a traditional Korean dish — boiled pork wrapped in lettuce with kimchi and ssamjang. David Chang's 2008 reinterpretation at Momofuku Ssäm Bar — slow-roasted, sugar-glazed, served whole at the table — became one of the most influential restaurant dishes of the late 2000s and is still on Momofuku's menu today.
Ssamjang is the dipping sauce that accompanies ssäm — a blend of gochujang (Korean chili paste), doenjang (soybean paste), garlic, sesame oil and seasonings. It is found at every Korean barbecue table and is essential to the wrap experience.
The brown sugar cure both seasons the meat from the inside out and creates the conditions for the final mahogany crust. The high-heat glaze finish caramelises the outer layer of sugar into the dish's signature crackling-but-soft crust.
A traditional Korean dish — boiled pork wrapped in lettuce leaves with kimchi, ssamjang and rice. David Chang's 2008 Momofuku Ssäm Bar reinterpretation — slow-roasted shoulder with sugar-glazed crust, served whole at the table — became one of the most influential restaurant dishes of the late 2000s.
Optional but traditional in many Korean ssäm preparations. The briny oyster cuts through the rich pork and adds another textural element. Chang's menu version always includes them; home versions often skip them for simplicity.
12 hours minimum produces meaningfully better results than 4-6 hours. The cure both seasons the meat from the inside and creates the conditions for the final mahogany crust. 24 hours is the gold standard; less than 12 is a shortcut you'll taste.
Per serving (380g / 13.4 oz) · 8 servings total
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