How to Eat Samgyeopsal: A Beginner’s Guide to Korean BBQ with Pork Belly

How to Eat Samgyeopsal: A Beginner’s Guide to Korean BBQ with Pork Belly

Samgyeopsal is a Korean dish where thick slices of pork belly are grilled on a hot plate and wrapped in fresh vegetables before eating. Recently, it has become more accessible and popular in Japan as well.
This time, we visited a specialty restaurant in Shin-Okubo, Tokyo’s hub for Korean culture, to dive into the authentic Korean-style way of enjoying samgyeopsal!

share:

twitter
facebook
line
【Advised by】YOPU NO OUBUTA SIOYAKI

What Is Samgyeopsal?

Samgyeopsal BBQ

Samgyeopsal is a type of Korean-style barbecue. What makes it Korean-style is the use of pork belly, specifically three-layered pork. While Japanese BBQ often features various cuts of beef, in Korea, a specific pork cut is the star.

The Korean word for samgyeopsal is “삼겹살,” which directly translates to “three-layered meat.” It’s typically grilled on a special iron griddle that allows excess fat to drain through the grooves as it cooks.

Watching the Pork Belly Sizzle

Watching the pork belly cook

At samgyeopsal specialty restaurants, staff members usually grill the meat for you. Watch quietly as they expertly cook thick slices of pork belly in a rhythmic performance.

Cutting pork into bite-size piecesCarefully cooked to even coloring

Once the pork belly is well-cooked, the staff will use kitchen scissors to cut it into bite-sized pieces. The key is to grill slowly and evenly until the surface color is consistent.

Grilling kimchi with pork is the Korean way

Grilling kimchi alongside the pork belly is a classic Korean technique. The pork fat enhances the kimchi’s flavor. Garlic is another staple item with samgyeopsal—an essential ingredient in Korean cuisine. Be sure to grill it on the hot plate too.

Read Next
How to eat <em>negitan-shio</em> | Only cook these thin slices of spring onion – smothered tongue on one side!

How to eat negitan-shio | Only cook these thin slices of spring onion – smothered tongue on one side!

Negitan-shio is a yakiniku (Japanese barbecue) classic consisting of thin slices of tan (tongue meat) smothered in negi (spring onion), and simply seasoned in shio (salt-forward flavor) style. When your server brings your order, you might have difficulty spotting the slices of meat under all of the spring onion! A common pitfall is for the spring onion to fall off during cooking, leaving nothing but naked meat left on the grill. Not to worry – we’ve got some expert advice on how to enjoy this tricky dish the smart way!

Seasoning the Pork Belly

Classic seasoning: salt and Korean miso

Once the pork belly is cooked, it’s time to add seasoning. The classics are salt and Korean miso sauce. In this case, it was served with gochujang. Other common sauces include “ssamjang” (a special wrap sauce) and “gireumjang” (salt mixed with sesame oil).

Simple salt enhances the flavor of aged meat

Seasoning is up to your preference. At Yop’s King Pork Grill, they use aged pork belly, so simple salt is enough. If you like it spicy, feel free to load up on gochujang. Dipping in sesame oil is also popular.

Placing Ingredients on Lettuce

Placing ingredients on lettuce

Once the pork belly is seasoned, it’s time to use the lettuce. Spread a leaf of lettuce in your palm.

Ingredients for lettuce wraps

Common wrap ingredients include pickled radish, scallions, pickled daikon, onions, and kimchi. Some restaurants may even serve perilla leaves.

You can add sauce after placing on lettuce too

You can also add sauces after placing the pork on the lettuce. Apply gochujang or ssamjang at this stage. For a stable wrap, stack flat items in the center to prevent them from spilling.

Use any ingredients on the table!

You can use whatever you like. In Korea, it’s common to use any ingredients available on the table! This photo shows pork belly, kimchi, pickled radish, and gochujang in a wrap.

Read Next
How to eat Genghis Khan! | Do you start with the meat, or with the vegetables?

How to eat Genghis Khan! | Do you start with the meat, or with the vegetables?

“Genghis Khan” is one of Hokkaido’s local soul foods. This dish consists of lamb and vegetables barbecued together on a characteristic dome-shaped grill. We’ve asked a specialty restaurant for advice on how to best enjoy Genghis Khan!

Wrap It Up Gently

Wrap the lettuce around the fillingsFold the leaf for a neat wrap

Once you’ve added your favorite toppings, wrap the lettuce around them. Keep the size bite-friendly, and gently fold the leaf to encase the fillings. This helps prevent spillage. Then, open wide and take a big bite!

Try Wild Garlic

Try wild garlic

After enjoying samgyeopsal with lettuce, try wild garlic pickled in soy sauce. Known as “san-namul” in Korea, this mountain herb from the allium family is often served with samgyeopsal.

Wrap pork in wild garlic and enjoy

Dip your pork in a bit of salt, then wrap it with wild garlic and eat it as-is. The crisp texture and distinct aroma can be addictive! Staff often recommend starting with wild garlic instead of lettuce—it’s light and refreshing.

Enjoy Endless Variations

Endless flavor combinations

One of the best things about samgyeopsal is the variety of combinations. Order a bowl of rice and wrap it in your lettuce, too. If something looks good, go ahead and wrap it!

The possibilities with samgyeopsal are endless

You can also enjoy it with side dishes like Korean-style salad (choregi) or wrap spicy rice cakes (tteokbokki) and soup ingredients together in lettuce. The possibilities with samgyeopsal are endless. Learn the basics and dive into a Korean dining experience!

 

Read Next
How to eat Wagyu beef yakiniku | Pair the choicest cuts of domestic A5 black wagyu with sake!

How to eat Wagyu beef yakiniku | Pair the choicest cuts of domestic A5 black wagyu with sake!

As one of the most sought after culinary experiences in Japan, the yakiniku style of barbecue hardly needs any introduction! High-end yakiniku, which includes world-renowned brands of premium wagyu beef, is a true meat lover’s dream. In this article, we visit Ushigoro Kan to savor a course of yakiniku featuring grade A5 domestic black wagyu paired with nihonshu (sake) – the pinnacle of luxury.

【Advised by】YOPU NO OUBUTA SIOYAKI

A specialty restaurant serving samgyeopsal made with Iwachu Pork, a premium brand of pork from Iwate Prefecture aged for 14 days. The restaurant takes great care in maintaining the freshness of the vegetables and precisely managing the griddle temperature. It has five locations in Tokyo, and one each in Osaka and Fukuoka. Special thanks to YOPU NO OUBUTA SIOYAKI(Yop's King Pork Grill) – Shin-Okubo Main Branch, an aged meat specialty restaurant in Tokyo, for their cooperation with this shoot.

text: goodiefoodie編集部

photo: HATABARA Yuji

tags:

share:

twitter
facebook
line
Home How To Eat How to Eat Samgyeopsal: A Beginner’s Guide to Korean BBQ with Pork Belly