Samgyeopsal
Korean BBQ pork belly.
Samgyeopsal (삼겹살), literally “three-layer flesh” for the bands of meat and fat in pork belly, is the most popular Korean BBQ cut. It is what you order first at any KBBQ restaurant, and what most Korean families make at home when they want to mark a small occasion.
Unlike beef galbi or bulgogi, samgyeopsal is unmarinated. The pork belly is simply grilled and eaten in ssam, lettuce wraps with rice, ssamjang dipping sauce, garlic, and a piece of kimchi. The combination is the dish: hot crisp pork, cold fresh lettuce, garlic snap, kimchi tang, the slight sweetness of ssamjang.
March 3rd is Samgyeopsal Day in Korea (3월 3일 = 삼삼). It is not an official holiday but feels like one.
Instructions
- Heat a heavy pan or grill (a tabletop Korean BBQ grill is ideal). No oil needed, the pork belly will render its own fat.
- Mix the ssamjang ingredients in a small bowl. Set on the table with the lettuce and other accompaniments.
- When the pan is medium-hot, lay the pork belly flat. Cook 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden and crisp on the edges but still tender in the middle.
- As the pork cooks, lightly grill garlic slices and green chilies alongside if you like.
- Cut the cooked pork belly into bite-size pieces with kitchen scissors.
- Each person builds their own ssam: lettuce in the palm, a piece of pork belly, a dab of ssamjang, a slice of garlic, a small ribbon of kimchi. Wrap into a parcel.
- Eat the whole parcel in one bite. (This is the rule.)
Tips that don’t fit on a recipe card.
Thick slices, not thin. Bulgogi cuts are thin. Samgyeopsal is thick, about a quarter inch. You want the chew.
Cook in batches. Don’t crowd the pan. Crowded pork belly steams; spaced pork belly crisps.
Wrap small. A ssam that doesn’t fit in one bite is too big. Tear the lettuce smaller or use less filling.
What goes alongside.
- Naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles) to finish the meal
- Doenjang jjigae, the small bubbling pot in the corner of every KBBQ table
- Soju, beer, or makgeolli
Setting up Korean BBQ at home
You don’t need a tabletop grill. A heavy cast-iron pan on the stove works. Run the exhaust fan. Have the table set before you start cooking, once the pork hits the pan, you should not be looking for the kimchi.
Get Korean recipes in your inbox.
A short letter, once a month: a recipe from Mrs. Lee, a story from the studio, anything we are excited about.