Gamjatang (Pork Bone and Potato Stew)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large heavy pot, 7 to 8 quart capacity
• •Large mixing bowl for soaking bones
• •Fine skimmer or ladle
• •Tongs for lifting bones
• •Optional pressure cooker, 6 quart or larger

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the bones

   Put the pork bones in a large bowl, cover with cold water by 2 inches, and stir in the coarse salt. Soak 30 minutes, changing the water once if it turns very red. This pulls out blood and loose bone dust, which is why the finished broth tastes clean instead of heavy.

2. 2

   Blanch and rinse

   Drain the bones, put them in a large pot, cover with fresh cold water, and bring to a hard boil for 8 minutes. Drain again. Rinse each bone under running water, rubbing away gray scum and dark clots, and wash the pot before the bones go back in. This is the step lazy recipes hide, and it is the step the stew remembers.

   Use your fingers around the cut edges of the bone. The small dark bits there are what cloud the broth.
3. 3

   Start the broth

   Return the clean bones to the clean pot with 8 cups water, the onion, halved garlic head, ginger, scallion lengths, peppercorns, and doenjang. Bring to a boil, then lower to a steady simmer and cook 1 hour 30 minutes, partly covered. Skim only the first foam that rises; after that, let the bones give their body to the broth.

4. 4

   Mix the seasoning

   While the bones simmer, mix the gochugaru, gochujang, soup soy sauce, fish sauce, minced garlic, mirin, sesame oil, black pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the perilla seed powder in a small bowl. The gochujang is only one tablespoon because gamjatang should taste of pork bone, greens, and perilla, not like a chili paste pot.

5. 5

   Strain the pot

   Lift out and discard the onion, garlic head, ginger, scallions, and peppercorns. If the broth has dropped below 5 cups, add water to bring it back to about 5 cups. Taste the broth before seasoning. It should already be porky and faintly salty from the doenjang, because the sauce will finish the work.

6. 6

   Add greens and potatoes

   Add the siraegi and potatoes to the pot, then stir in the seasoning paste. Simmer 35 to 45 minutes, partly covered, until a chopstick slides into the potatoes and the greens are soft but not falling apart. Siraegi needs time because dried greens are stubborn; if you use blanched napa cabbage, add it after the potatoes have cooked 20 minutes.

7. 7

   Finish with perilla

   Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons perilla seed powder and simmer 5 minutes more. The broth should look lightly thickened and cling to the potatoes. Taste now. Add up to 1 tablespoon more perilla seed powder if the broth feels thin, or 1 teaspoon sugar only if the chili and greens taste sharp. Do not sweeten it into softness.

8. 8

   Serve the stew

   Lay the torn perilla leaves and sliced scallions over the top and turn off the heat. Let them wilt in the pot's own heat so their perfume stays clear. Serve in the pot with rice, kimchi, and bowls for the bones. The meat should pull away easily, and the potatoes should be soft enough to break against a spoon.

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for pork neck bones or backbone cut for gamjatang. You want bones with real meat attached, not bare soup bones. A pot with nothing to pick from is only broth with ambition.
• •Siraegi (dried radish greens) is worth finding in a Korean market. Soak it overnight if it is fully dried, then boil until bendable before using. If your market only has napa cabbage, use it honestly and add it later so it does not collapse.
• •Perilla seed powder goes stale quickly. Taste a pinch before using it. It should be nutty, never bitter or paint-like. Store the bag in the freezer once opened.
• •A pressure cooker is a fair modern tool here. After blanching and rinsing, cook the bones with the aromatics and doenjang under pressure for 45 minutes, natural-release 15 minutes, then continue from the greens and potatoes step in a regular pot.
• •Leftovers keep 3 days refrigerated. Chill the stew quickly in shallow containers, and reheat only the portion you will eat. The potatoes will soften more each time, so do not bully them with a hard boil.

Advance Preparation

• •The bones can be soaked, blanched, rinsed, and simmered with aromatics 1 day ahead. Refrigerate the bones in their broth, then lift off any hardened fat before continuing.
• •Dried siraegi should be prepared ahead if using fully dried greens: soak overnight, boil 40 to 60 minutes until bendable, cool in its cooking water, then squeeze and cut.
• •The seasoning paste can be mixed up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Stir it before using because the perilla and chili settle.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 720g)