1 whole bone-in pork butt or picnic ham (8 to 10 pounds)
First Sugar-Salt Rub
1 cup white sugar
1 cup kosher salt
Second Sugar-Salt Rub
7 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
cider vinegar
Ginger-scallion Sauce
2½ cups thinly sliced scallions, both green and white parts
½ cup peeled, minced fresh ginger
¼ cup neutral oil (like grapeseed)
1½ teaspoons light soy sauce
1 scant teaspoon sherry vinegar
Ssam Sauce
2 tablespoons fermented bean-and-chili paste (ssamjang, available in Asian markets)
1 tablespoon chili paste (kochujang, available in Asian markets)
½ cup sherry vinegar
½ cup neutral oil (like grapeseed)
Accompaniments
2 cups plain white rice, cooked
3 heads bibb lettuce, leaves separated, washed and dried
Directions
Step 1
Place the pork in a large, shallow bowl. Mix the white sugar and 1 cup of the salt together in another bowl. Rub the mixture all over the meat. Cover it with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
Step 2
When you’re ready to cook, heat oven to 300. Remove pork from refrigerator, brush any excess sugar mixture off the fat cap and discard any juices. Place the pork in a roasting pan and set in the oven and cook for approximately 6 hours, or until it collapses, yielding easily to the tines of a fork. (After the first hour, baste hourly with pan juices.) At this point, you may remove the meat from the oven and allow it to rest for up to 30 minutes.
Step 3
Meanwhile, make the ginger-scallion sauce. In a large bowl, combine the scallions with the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.
Step 4
Make the ssam sauce. In a medium bowl, combine the chili pastes with the vinegar and oil, and mix well.
Step 5
When the sauces, as well as white rice and bibb lettuce, are prepared and you are ready to serve the food, turn the oven to 500. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and tablespoon of salt. Add enough cider vinegar to form a paste, then rub the mixture all over the cooked pork. Place in oven for approximately 10 to 15 minutes, or until a dark caramel crust has developed on the meat. Serve hot, with the accompaniments.