Bo Ssämified

Pork butt with sauces and bibb lettuce waiting to be bo ssämified.

Now that it's so freaking hot that I can barely stand to look at my stove let alone turn it on, I can happily rely on fellow cooking partner-in-crime, Chad, to offer his place (with central air!) to cook and hang out in or to host dinner parties. I think this past weekend was our tour de force.

We've been going to Momofuku Ssäm Bar for holiday and birthday dinners with the sole purpose of ordering the bo ssäm, a do-it-yourself pork wrap sandwich thang that you make from a whole slow roasted pork butt (AKA the pork shoulder/Boston butt/Boston roast/pork butt roast/pork shoulder Boston butt/Boston-style shoulder/Boston shoulder/Boston-style butt/fresh pork butt...) bibb lettuce, and an array of garnishes. It's AH-MAZING.


Going.

Going.

Gone.

Ginger Scallion Sauce.

Well, now that there is a Momofuku cookbook you can do it yourself. So we did! (Or if you are lazy, you can order your own Bo Ssäm to go.) It was more of a time suck that anything else. Fortunately the pork butt spends most of it's time unattended. It hangs out overnight in a rub of salt and sugar, then 6 hours in a 300˚F oven, then a quick blast of 500˚F to crisp the skin. (I don't own the cookbook so you'll have to buy your own for the actual recipes.) We also made the accompanying sauces (but bought the kimchi from Koreatown and left out the oysters). Oh wait, I just remembered that you can find a version of the brussels sprouts recipe at Food & Wine!


Brussels sprouts in their natural state.

Brussels sprouts Momofukified.

This is hands down my new favorite holiday meal, whatever the holiday. We were just hanging out with awesome friends from Savannah and NYC, but I would happily stuff myself if someone served it to me for Christmas, Easter, or Thanksgiving. Or next Tuesday night. Anyone?

Brussels and Bacon

Do all Brussels sprouts come from Brussels? No. But apparently they were all the rage there back in the 1200's. And did you know that the lil' mini-cabbages grow on stalks? And that they are full of vitamin A, vitamin C, and folate? Yep. For some reason I was in the mood to roast up some Brussels sprouts last week, and searched high and low for them with no luck. (It's November already! Where were you?!?) Just a few days later they are all over the place. Of course. I found the stalk above at my local farmers' market and additional piles of single sprouts in my local supermarkets.

Thanksgiving is on the brain so I thought I'd share one of my all time favorite (super easy) side dishes. If you or your family think they don't like Brussels sprouts, think again. Roasting them is the key to the most fabulous results (in my humble opinion) and bacon is the secret weapon. What doesn't taste better with bacon? (You could certainly leave the bacon out...but why? WHY? OK. You veggie peeps would probably want to do that.)

Some outer leaves are likely to fall off and get all crispy. Not to fret. They are a yummy treat for the chef and anyone else fortunate enough to be standing nearby when they come out of the oven. But it's also the reason to stir everything once or twice while roasting. (I find that the vegetables on the edges of the pan tend to get more brown than what is in the center of the pan...at least in my oven). You might also want to consider making two sheet pans worth, because if you're anything like me, the bacon and Brussels sprouts will disappear before you even get around to serving them.



Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Bacon

2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 - 6 slices bacon, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Toss all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and roast, stirring once midway through cooking, until the Brussels sprouts are tender and deep golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Serves 6 as a side dish.