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1
The Night Before Serving the Bo Ssam
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2
Place 2 cups each sugar and salt in a bowl or saucepan large enough to hold the pork butt, add 6 cups water, and stir until dissolved. Place the pork butt in the brine solution. Make sure it's submerged (weigh it down with a heavy plate, if necessary), and refrigerate overnight.
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3
The Day of Serving the Bo SSam
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4
Wash the chile peppers (leave the seeds in for a hotter flavor) and slice them 1/2-inch thick, on the bias.
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5
Mix remaining 1/3 cup sugar with 1/3 cup salt and 1 cup water until dissolved, pour over the chiles, and set aside for at least 8 hours at room temperature, covered
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6
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
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7
Transfer the pork to a large, 6-inch-deep pot or casserole, and cook uncovered in the oven for about 4 1/2-5 1/2 hours, basting the pork with the pan drippings every hour. When the meat is fork-tender and pulls away from the bone, sprinkle the exterior with a mixture of one half tablespoon brown sugar and one half tablespoon salt. Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees, and continue roasting until the outside appears crunchy and well caramelized, anywhere from ten to thirty minutes, depending on the heat of your oven. Remove from oven and set aside.
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8
Rinse the rice well to remove any sediment. Combine 7 cups cold water, 1 tablespoon salt, and 4 cups rice in a large pot, and cook for 20 minutes, or until water evaporates.
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9
Separate and wash the lettuce leaves; select the best leaves, and set aside for service
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10
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11
Assembly and Serving
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12
Transfer the pork to a large cutting board, and using forks and fingers, tear pieces away from the pork butt. Arrange the pork pieces on a large platter surrounded with the pickled chiles. Place the rice, ssam jang, salted shrimp, kimchee, and lettuce in separate bowls. Allow guests to assemble their ssam by wrapping as much of each component as they like in a lettuce leaf.
