Description
Dive into the flavorful world of Gochujang Pork Shoulder Lettuce Wraps! This recipe blends Korean barbecue tradition with a spicy, savory twist and lots of greenery. Unwrap the secrets to making this delicious, easy-to-follow Korean-inspired recipe that promises to elevate your traditional grill-out.
Ingredients
PORK SHOULDER:
- 8 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed with the back of a knife
- One 2” piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup dry sake
- 1/2 cup gochujang
- 1/2 cup mirin
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil (or other neutral oil like grapeseed), plus more for grilling
- 1–1/2 pounds boneless, skinless pork shoulder, sliced into 1/2– to 3/4-inch-thick steaks*
FOR SERVING:
- Crisp lettuce, like butter or green/red leaf, or perilla if you can find it, which would be more traditional
- Thinly sliced jalapeños and green onions
- Ssamjang sauce, homemade here and here or store-bought**
- Toasted sesame oil seasoned with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Sesame seeds, for sprinkling
*Serving accompaniments are optional and completely customizable.
Instructions
- Add the garlic, ginger, sake, gochujang, mirin, and the 1/4 cup vegetable oil to a blender. Puree until combined and as smooth as possible. Reserve 1/4 cup marinade in the refrigerator. Transfer the remaining marinade to a large dish; add the pork, turning to coat thoroughly. Transfer to the refrigerate and marinate for at least two hours and up to 24 hours.
- Preheat grill to medium-high or a grill pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Lightly the grill grate or grill pan, depending on what you’re using (the marinade has a high sugar content and will stick). Remove the pork from the marinade, allowing excess to drip off, and transfer to the grill or grill pan. Cook, turning occasionally and basting with the reserved 1/4 cup marinade, for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of your pork and desired final temperature (I like pork to be cooked to medium with a light pink center). You may need to lower the temperature and/or move the pork to the cool side of the grill if you get flare-ups or if the meat begins to char.
- Let the meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing thinly against the grain and serving with your desired accompaniments and sauces.
Notes
*If you have access to a butcher, ask them to do this for you. If not, slice as thinly as you can using a very sharp chef’s or slicing knife. Because pork shoulder can be tough and chewy if not cooked low and slow, it’s important to have these pork steaks pretty thin.
**I purchased and used Momofuku’s ssam sauce when I made this, but it appears to be out of stock everywhere. I did find a recipe for it here but cannot attest to its quality or authenticity.
Inspiration: Gochujang Pork Shoulder Steaks on bonappetit.com
- Category: Pork, Korean-Inspired, Asian-Inspired