Instant Pot Bossam (Korean Boiled Pork Belly) with Oyster Radish Kimchi

oval platter of Bossam with radish kimchi

4.86 from 7 votes

Instant Pot Bossam (Korean Boiled Pork Belly) with Oyster Radish Kimchi

Classic Korean Bossam - with an Instant Pot makeover! All that jiggly, luscious, tender, Korean boiled pork belly. With spicy Oyster Radish Kimchi.

Prep Time20

Cook Time18

Total Time38

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Korean

Keyword: Instant Pot, Pork Belly, Radish Kimch with Oysters

Servings:

Calories: 1263kcal

Author: The Subversive Table | Lis Lam

Equipment

Instant Pot or large stock pot

Ingredients

Bossam:

3 lb Pork Belly (long strips)
1/4 cup Doenjang (Korean fermented soy bean paste) or miso paste
1 onion (peeled and halved)
2 green onions (trimmed and halved)
10-12 garlic cloves (1 entire head, halved)
3 inch ginger (sliced thinly)
1 Tbsp instant coffee or 1 cup regular coffee
1 tsp peppercorns
2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
6 cups water

Oyster Radish Kimchi:

1 lb Korean radish or daikon (chinese white radish also works) peeled and trimmed
2 tsp salt
1 8 oz bag frozen (raw) oysters (find in the freezer section)
2 Tbsp Gochukaru (Korean chili flakes)
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp sugar
2 garlic cloves minced
2 green onions chopped

Instructions

Instant Pot Bossam:

Place all ingredients in the Instant Pot: pork belly, doenjang, instant coffee, ginger, garlic, onion, salt, sugar, peppercorns. Add the water last. It’s ok if the Doen Jang is in a big clump. Turn off KEEP WARM function. Lock the lid and set for manual mode.
Add cooking time according to thickness of pork belly:
14 minutes: for skinny, short pork belly that's 1-2 inches thick
16 minutes: for medium sized, meaty pork belly that's 2-3 inches thick
18 minutes: for extra thick + meaty pork belly that's 3-4 inches thick
When the timer beeps, manually release the steam. When all the steam has released, open the lid. Remove the Instant Pot container from the machine. Set aside. This prevents the pork belly from overcooking. Keep the pork belly submerged in the liquid until ready to serve. Ideally, the pork belly and liquid should cool to room temperature before serving.

Stovetop Instructions:

Place all Bossam ingredients in a large stock pot. It's ok if the Doen Jang is in a big clump. Bring to a boil and simmer on medium low heat until pork belly is soft and tender but not falling apart, about 1-1.5 hours.
The cook time depends on the thickness of the pork belly and also the ratio of fat to meat. Start checking after 45 minutes of cooking time by poking the pork belly with your index finger or tongs. If the pork belly is still firm and overly "bouncy," it needs more boiling. Keep cooking and check in 15 minute intervals until the meat is tender and not so "bouncy" when you poke it.
Remove the pot from heat source. Keep the pork belly submerged in the liquid until ready to serve. Ideally, the pork belly and liquid should cool to room temperature before serving.

Radish Kimchi with Oysters:

Defrost oysters by placing in cold water. Drain well and set aside.
Chop the Korean radish or daikon into matchsticks. Place in large bowl and sprinkle with salt. Mix thoroughly with hands. This begins the pickling process. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Transfer radish into a clean bowl. There should be a lot of liquid left in the bottom of the old bowl. Do not use this liquid; dump it out. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Press against a colander with a wooden spoon. Or, do it the Korean way: place in a thin dish cloth and wring out as much liquid as possible. This will ensure the kimchi is not too wet.
In the new bowl, add the salted, drained radish. It will look wilted. Add fish sauce, garlic, green onions, gochukaru, and sugar. Mix thoroughly until well coated.
Add defrosted oysters. Be gentle as you mix in the oysters. If they are very large, snip oysters in half with scissors. Cover and store in the fridge until ready to serve.

To serve:

Remove pork belly from liquid and slice into thin strips. Arrange on a platter. Serve alongside Radish Kimchi with Oysters, lettuce leaves and/or perilla leaves, and rice.

Video

Notes

*The cook time does not include the time the Instant Pot needs to pressurize.

**Doenjang is Korean fermented soybean paste. It's very similar in taste and texture to Miso paste, although it's much stronger in taste and color. If you have difficulty finding Doen jang, Miso paste is an acceptable substitute.

***Frozen pork belly cooks beautifully in the instant pot! Make sure that the pork belly strips are separated from each other (not in one big clump) and add 1 additional minute to the cook time.

Nutrition