Since I’m a food editor, my dinner guests tend to have high expectations. By far one of the most impressive dishes I’ve made was David Chang’s (of New York’s Momofuko) bo ssam. My Momofuko cookbook has sat untouched for years. Last weekend I finally took the plunge because I knew my guests were adventurous eaters. The beauty of this Korean dish is that once you get your big-ass pork butt (mine was a seven-pounder for $15 from Cash & Carry), you rub it with salt and sugar overnight, then cook it on low heat for six hours the next day, doing next to nothing to it except basting it in its own juices every hour or so. In the final 15 minutes, you rub it in salt and brown sugar and cook at 500 degrees until it gets a gorgeous caramel glaze (and maybe sets off your fire alarm). The meat, which literally just falls apart at the touch, gets eaten in bibb lettuce leaves filled also with rice and topped with three delicious condiments: kim chee, a ginger-scallion sauce that’s easy to make; and a “ssam sauce,” which is a fermented bean and chili paste. The best part about it (besides how good it is) is that it encourges passing, sharing, and making some mess— and that, to my mind, makes for a great dinner-party atmosphere. There’s so much going on that you don’t need to serve a salad or any other side dish. The recipe is on The New York Times website if you don’t want to splurge on the cookbook.

nsprinkle@seattleweekly.com