Samgyeopsal

Ingredients

Meat

• 1 kgskinless pork belly, in one slab, chilled and cut across into 1.5 cm thick slices

Ssamjang

• 3 tbspdoenjang
• 1 tbspgochujang
• 1 tbsptoasted sesame oil
• 3garlic cloves, minced
• 2spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 tspsugar or rice syrup
• 1 tbsptoasted sesame seeds, crushed

Gireumjang (oil dip)

• 4 tbsptoasted sesame oil
• 1 tspfine salt
• ½ tspcoarsely ground black pepper

On the grill and in the wrap

• 1 headgreen leaf lettuce, separated and washed
• 20perilla leaves
• 2whole garlic bulbs, cloves sliced lengthways
• 4green chillies, sliced
• 400 gkimchi, cut into short lengths
• 200 gking oyster mushrooms, sliced thickly
• 1onion, sliced into rings

To finish

• 300 gcooked short-grain rice
• 1 tbspgochujang
• 1 sheetgim, crumbled
• 2 tbspchopped spring onion

Directions

1. Slice the chilled pork belly across the grain into 1.5 cm slabs, thick enough to stay juicy and thin enough to crisp. Do not season it and do not marinate it: samgyeopsal is grilled plain.
2. Mix all the ssamjang ingredients into a thick paste, and stir the sesame oil dip with salt and pepper in small individual saucers.
3. Heat a sloped Korean grill plate, a heavy cast-iron pan or a tabletop griddle over medium-high heat until a drop of water skitters and evaporates instantly.
4. Lay the pork on with tongs, fat-edge down first for 30 seconds to render, then flat. Cook 3–4 minutes on the first side without moving it, until the underside is deep brown and the fat has visibly rendered.
5. Turn once and cook a further 2–3 minutes. Then snip each slice into bite-sized pieces with kitchen scissors directly on the grill, and let the cut edges crisp for a minute more.
6. Push the rendered fat down the slope of the plate and cook the kimchi, garlic slices, mushrooms and onion in it until the kimchi is caramelised and the garlic is soft and sweet.
7. To eat, lay a lettuce leaf flat in the palm, add a perilla leaf, a piece of pork dipped in sesame oil and salt, a dab of ssamjang, a grilled garlic slice and a piece of kimchi, then fold into a parcel and eat it in one mouthful.
8. Finish the meal in the Korean way: scrape the pan, add the cooked rice, gochujang, crumbled gim and spring onion, and press and fry it in the remaining pork fat for 5 minutes until crusted, then eat straight from the pan.

Technique

• Samgyeopsal means ‘three-layer flesh’, the alternating bands of meat and fat in the belly. Choose a slab with even layers, not one that is mostly fat.
• Grilling plain is the rule: any marinade with sugar in it burns onto the plate long before the fat has rendered. The seasoning happens in the wrap.
• Never eat the pork before the fat has rendered and gone translucent. Under-rendered belly is chewy and greasy, and this is the most common mistake at home.

Substitutions

• No perilla leaves: use a mix of lettuce and a few shiso or young mustard greens for the same peppery lift.
• A single-layer thick-cut pork belly from any butcher works; ask for it skinless and unsalted rather than buying cured belly.
• Doenjang for the ssamjang can be replaced with red miso, adding a little extra garlic to compensate for the softer flavour.

Variations

• Ogyeopsal, the same cut with the skin left on, giving a fifth layer and a chewier bite.
• Moksal, grilled pork neck, cooked identically for those who want less fat.
• Daepae samgyeopsal, sliced paper-thin and cooked in seconds.

History

Thick slices of pork belly, grilled directly at the table, typically wrapped in lettuce with garlic, ssamjang sauce and other accompaniments, documented across South Korea as one of the country’s most popular and socially significant dining traditions, particularly associated with informal gatherings among friends and coworkers. Its at-table grilling format, in which diners cook the meat themselves using a tabletop grill, reflects a broader Korean dining culture that values shared, interactive meals over food served pre-prepared, and the specific practice of wrapping grilled meat in lettuce leaves along with garlic and sauce reflects a longstanding Korean culinary tradition known as ssam. Samgyeopsal remains one of the most popular dining experiences across South Korea, closely tied to the country’s social and drinking culture.

Frequently asked questions

What is Samgyeopsal?

Samgyeopsal is a main from South Korea: thick pork belly grilled at the table, wrapped in lettuce with ssamjang. Thick slices of pork belly, grilled directly at the table, typically wrapped in lettuce with garlic, ssamjang sauce and other accompaniments, documented across South Korea as one of the country’s most popular and socially significant dining traditions, particularly associated with informal gatherings among friends and coworkers. Its at-table grilling format, in which diners cook the meat themselves using a tabletop grill, reflects a broader Korean dining culture that values shared, interactive meals over food served pre-prepared, and the specific practice of wrapping grilled meat in lettuce leaves along with garlic and sauce reflects a longstanding Korean culinary tradition known as ssam. Samgyeopsal remains one of the most popular dining experiences across South Korea, closely tied to the country’s social and drinking culture.

How long does Samgyeopsal take to make?

Samgyeopsal takes 20 min of preparation and 25 min at the table of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Samgyeopsal?

Yes, within limits. No perilla leaves: use a mix of lettuce and a few shiso or young mustard greens for the same peppery lift. A single-layer thick-cut pork belly from any butcher works; ask for it skinless and unsalted rather than buying cured belly. Doenjang for the ssamjang can be replaced with red miso, adding a little extra garlic to compensate for the softer flavour.

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

Slice the chilled pork belly across the grain into 1.5 cm slabs, thick enough to stay juicy and thin enough to crisp. Do not season it and do not marinate it: samgyeopsal is grilled plain.