Jokbal

Ingredients

Trotters

• 2 kgpig trotters, split
• cold water, for soaking
• 2 tbspcoarse salt

Braise

• 200 mlsoy sauce
• 150 mlrice wine
• 100 gbrown sugar
• 1onion
• 1whole head garlic
• 6 slicesginger
• 4spring onions
• 2dried red chillies
• 1cinnamon stick
• 4star anise
• 1 tbspwhole black peppercorns
• 2 tbspinstant coffee or 1 tbsp doenjang
• 3 litreswater

To serve

• saeujeot salted shrimp sauce
• ssamjang
• lettuce and perilla leaves
• raw garlic
• green chilli

Directions

1. Soak the split trotters in cold water for 2 hours, changing the water twice, until it runs clear. Blanch them in boiling water for 10 minutes, then drain and rinse them, and throw that water away.
2. Put the trotters in a deep pot with all the braising ingredients and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, skim thoroughly, then cover and simmer for 2 hours.
3. Turn the trotters every 30 minutes so they colour evenly, because the ones on top stay pale.
4. Take the lid off for the last 30 minutes and raise the heat, basting often as the liquid reduces. They are done when the skin is deep mahogany and sticky and a chopstick slides into the meat with no resistance.
5. Let them cool slightly, then pull the meat and skin off the bone and slice it thickly.
6. Slice it warm rather than hot. Straight out of the pot it falls apart, and fully cold it sets too firm to cut cleanly.
7. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature, with saeujeot for dipping and leaves for wrapping.

Technique

• The skin and the gelatine are the point of the dish, not the meat, and a lean trotter is a wasted one.
• It sets to a jelly when cold and is often eaten that way straight from the fridge.
• Bossam is the boiled pork belly cousin, eaten the same way in leaves.

Substitutions

• Pork hock or shoulder, which is easier to buy and far easier to eat.
• Fish sauce with salt in place of saeujeot.

Variations

• Bulnak jokbal, with spicy octopus.
• Naengchae jokbal, served cold with a mustard dressing and shredded vegetables.
• Maeun jokbal, the fiery gochujang version.

History

Refugee women from Pyongyang set up trotter shops in Seoul’s Jangchung-dong after the Korean War, creating the city’s famous jokbal street.

Frequently asked questions

What is Jokbal?

Jokbal is a main from South Korea: pig trotters braised glossy in soy, ginger and spices, sliced with shrimp sauce. Refugee women from Pyongyang set up trotter shops in Seoul’s Jangchung-dong after the Korean War, creating the city’s famous jokbal street.

How long does Jokbal take to make?

Jokbal takes 30 min plus 2 hr soaking of preparation and 2 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Jokbal?

Yes, within limits. Pork hock or shoulder, which is easier to buy and far easier to eat. Fish sauce with salt in place of saeujeot.

What is the most important thing to get right in Jokbal?

Slice it warm rather than hot. Straight out of the pot it falls apart, and fully cold it sets too firm to cut cleanly.