Trotters and Hocks Bo Ssam Recipe
Recipes and stories for everything but the oink.

[Photograph: Chichi Wang]
Adapted from Momofuku by David Chang and Peter Meehan.
Read more: The Nasty Bits: Momofuku-Style Bo Ssam, But With More Hocks and Trotters
- Yield:serves 4 to 6
- Active time: 20 minutes
- Total time:about 12 hours
Ingredients
- 2 whole pork trotters with lower hocks still attached (3 pounds each, about 6 pounds total)
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- For the Ginger-Scallion Sauce:
- 1 cup thinly sliced scallions, green and white parts
- 1 tablespoon ginger, minced or grated with a microplane grater
- 2 tablespoon neutral-tasting oil such as canola or grapeseed
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon sherry or red wine vinegar
- Kosher salt
- For the Ssam Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon fermented bean-and- chili paste (ssamjang, available in many Asian markets, and online)
- 1-2 teaspoons chili paste (kochujang, available in many Asian markets, and online)
- 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
- 3 to 4 tablespoons neutral-tasting oil such as canola or grapeseed
- To Serve:
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 cups plain white rice, cooked
- 1 to 2 heads bibb lettuce, leaves separated, washed and dried
- Kimchi (available in many Asian markets, and online).
Directions
-
1.
Place the hock/trotters on a large plate or a tray. In a small mixing bowl, mix the white sugar and 1/2 cup of the salt. Rub the mixture over the hocks and trotter, both skin as well as meat. Transfer to a baking dish, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
-
2.
The next day, adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat oven to 300°F. Remove the hocks/trotters from the refrigerator and discard any pork liquids that have pooled at the bottom of the dish. Place the hocks/trotters in a V-rack set in a roasting pan and roast until very tender, about 4 hours, basting with pan juices every 30 minutes after the first hour. Allow meat to cool for at least 2 hours, or refrigerate for up to 3 days before proceeding.
-
3.
Make the ginger scallion sauce: Combine the scallions ginger, oil, soy sauce, and vinegar in a small mixing bowl. Season to taste with salt and set aside.
-
4.
Make the ssam sauce: combine the chili pastes with the vinegar and oil in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
-
5.
When ready to serve, preheat oven to 500°F. Combine remaining tablespoon salt with brown sugar. Rub the mixture over the cooked trotters/hocks. Roast in the oven until the skin is very dark and crispy, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately with sauces, rice, lettuce, and kimchi
This Recipe Appears In
The Nasty Bits: Momofuku-Style Bo Ssam, But With More Hocks and Trotters Pantry Essentials: All About SsämjangAll products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.
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