DISH OF THE WEEK: Korean Spicy Pork Bowl at Ssam Burger
Hi. My name’s Wyatt and I’m a gochujang addict.
Whew, glad we got that out of the way. My addiction is a rather recent one. In the past, I’ve dabbled with pleasure in the savory, spicy gochujang marinades used at Korean barbecue restaurants. But lately I’ve been buying up jars of the spicy fermented soybean paste wherever I can find it and putting it in nearly every dish that I make in the kitchen: substituting gochujang for tomato paste in a red sauce for pasta, throwing in a spoonful with a plate of scrambled eggs, smearing it on my grilled cheese sandwich, just like chef Ed Lee from Kentucky recommends.
But when I just can’t get enough, I swing by Ssam Burger near the corner of Defoors Ferry and Collier Road. It is a nondescript, little strip mall joint whose name references the fusion-style burgers they serve. But I pass up those beef patties every time for the Korean Spicy Pork Bowl. It is a rather traditional dish: a bowl of white rice topped with a light chopped salad and a heavy heaping of flattop-cooked pork, onion, and carrots. The big difference is the enormous bomb of gochujang and soy in which the pork is marinated and cooked.
This isn’t a subtle touch. Every surface of the tender pork is brimming with the deep umami of fermented soybeans, the slow burn of red gochugaru pepper. Every time I think I’ve had enough, I end up scraping the bowl clean for every last drop of flavor.
It helps if you throw in a side of the razor-thin fried lotus root chips. That addictive combo is the one that I keep returning to Ssam Burger for. Watch out, you might get hooked, too.
Ssam Burger, 2072 Defoors Ferry Road NW, Atlanta. 404-609-5533, ssamburgeratlanta.com.
More Dish of the Week picks:
Pollinated Vegetable Plate at Gunshow
Jalapeno corn fritters at The Brass Tap
Toasted CBJB from My Parents’ Basement
Fish filet from Wrecking Bar Brewpub
Kale pakoras from Chai Pani in Decatur
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