Instant Pot Korean Pork Belly (Bossam) with Garlic Sauce
A super tender pork dish topped with a delicious trendy sweet garlic sauce made super easy in minutes in an Instant Pot but also easily cookable over the stove.
Servings: 3 large or 4 small portions
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs 1 kg of whole strips of pork belly
- 1.5 Tbsp doenjang Korean soy bean paste
- 1 small onion cut in half
- 1 green onion scallion, chopped into large pieces
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ Tbsp whole black peppercorn
- 6 whole garlic cloves
- ¼ cup (4 Tbsp) mirin
- ½ apple optional
- 5 cups water or until the pork belly is fully emerged in the water - depending on the instant pot size, may need up to 6-7 cups of water
Garlic Sauce
- 5 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 ½ Tbsp honey
- 2 tsp lemon
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- Sprinkle of salt
Optional: Super Simple Korean ssamjang - dipping sauce
- 1 Tbsp gochujang
- 2 Tbsp doenjang soy bean paste
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
To Serve!
- Bowls of warm rice
- Spicy Radish Salad
Instructions
- Place the pork and all of the brine ingredients into the instant pot. Add in about 5 cups water or until the pork belly is fully emerged in the water (depending on the instant pot size, may need up to 6-7 cups of water). Mix around and make sure the doenjang is fully dissolved in the water.
- Time on Instant Pot:
For a bit of chew: I like a bit more chew particularly with the garlic sauce and so the 16-18 minute range works well for me.
For super soft: Other blogs have preferred the 20-22 minute mark but it almost becomes too soft for me - Make the garlic sauce: Heat a frypan on medium-low heat with about 1 Tbsp of oil, when warm, toss in the minced garlic and saute until the garlic becomes slightly browned and aromatic. Add in the honey and lemon. Saute for another 1-2 minutes until the honey has been well mixed in with the garlic. Finish with sesame oil and a sprinkle of salt. Saute for one last minute and remove from heat.
- Make the ssamjang: Add all the ingredients into a small bowl and mix well.
- Serve! Cut the pork into a slices and place onto a large plate. Top the pork pieces with garlic sauce. Serve with a bowl of rice and a side dish of spicy radish! Optionally, dip the pork slices into a little bit of ssamjang!
Notes
*Pork shoulder can also be used for bossam but the instant pot testing times were based off of pork belly which is more tender overall so the time may need to be adjusted *The garlic sauce makes enough for a small amount of sauce per pork slice but some restaurants top a LOT of the garlic sauce on the pork belly. If that is your preference, just double the recipe!