One of the most common types of restaurants you’ll find when visiting Korea is a Gogigib — a restaurant that specializes in serving pork or beef — and many of them serve Samgyeopsal.
With so many Gogigibs around, it’s clear how popular and easy to find Samgyeopsal is.
Let’s learn more about Samgyeopsal, a cut of pork that Koreans love.
What is Samgyeopsal?
Samgyeopsal refers to the cut of pork belly located around the ribs.
It’s called Samgyeopsal because the meat appears to have three overlapping layers of fat and lean meat, alternating in the order of fat, lean meat, fat, and lean meat.
- Sam : Number 3
- Gyeop : layers
- Sal : Meat
Samgyeopsal can be easily purchased at a local butcher’s or mart, and prices generally range from about 3,000 to 4,000 won per 100 grams, though this varies by grade, region, and season — and has been trending upward with inflation.
Because Samgyeopsal is by far Koreans’ most preferred pork cut, it tends to cost more than other parts of the pig.
The reason why Samgyeopsal is delicious.
Samgyeopsal owes its delicious taste to its rich fat.
As it grills, it releases plenty of pork fat, and cooking in all that rendered fat essentially fries the meat as it grills.
That’s what gives Samgyeopsal its deep, savory flavor.
How to cook Samgyeopsal
Samgyeopsal isn’t seasoned before cooking.
All you have to do is grill it over high heat.
As it cooks, it will essentially fry in its own rendered fat.
Garlic, mushrooms, bean sprouts, kimchi, and other side ingredients are often grilled alongside it in the rendered fat.
How to eat Samgyeopsal
The way you eat Samgyeopsal differs depending on your individual taste.
The reason is that there are many kinds of vegetables to eat with Samgyeopsal.
Lettuce and perilla leaves are the basic vegetables to wrap.
On top of that, you can make many combinations such as seasoned green onions, raw pepper, raw garlic, kimchi, and onions soaked in soy sauce.
Start by placing a lettuce leaf in your hand, then add rice and a piece of Samgyeopsal on top.
From there, add any other vegetables you like and wrap it all up.
Recommended food Samgyeopsal
The most recommended food for foreigners traveling to Korea is Samgyeopsal.
There are recommended foods such as bulgogi, samgyetang, and tteokbokki, but if there is no problem eating pork, it is definitely the most recommended food by Samgyeopsal.
When you eat Samgyeopsal, it is recommended to wrap it with lettuce.
As you eat, you’ll often end up eating so many vegetables that it’s hard to tell whether you’re eating vegetables or Samgyeopsal.
Aside from the Samgyeopsal and rice inside the lettuce wrap, everything else is up to your personal preference.
