Hangjeongsal-gui (항정살구이, Grilled Pork Jowl)

Hangjeongsal is not samgyeopsal wearing a prettier name. Belly gives you wide bands of fat and meat; pork jowl gives small, tight layers, almost like a stack of fine cloth. That is why butchers nickname it cheon-gyeopsal (thousand-layer meat). Slice it thick enough that the center stays tender while the cut edges brown. Thin shavings turn greasy before they have any bite left.

In Master Seong-nyeo's kitchen, she would stop the sauce bowl before the first batch. Taste the pork first, she said, then decide what it needs. This cut has its own sweetness and a firm, springy chew, so don't bury it in a sweet marinade. Salt lightly, grill plainly, and let the table season each bite with gireumjang (sesame oil salt dip), ssamjang (soybean-chili wrap paste), garlic, and pa-muchim (scallion salad).

The work tonight is not heavy, but it is exact. Dry the meat. Heat the grill properly. Give every piece room. Pull it while the fat is rendered at the edges but still held in the layers. 손맛 is real, the hand-taste your grandmother trusted, and I still measure it so it can be handed on.