Ogyeopsal-gui (Skin-On Pork Belly)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Tabletop Korean grill, cast-iron griddle, or wide heavy skillet
• •Sharp knife for scoring the skin
• •Kitchen scissors
• •Long tongs
• •Splatter screen, if cooking indoors
• •Instant-read thermometer, optional but useful

Instructions

1. 1

   Score the skin

   Pat the pork very dry. With a sharp knife, score only the skin every 1 cm, cutting through the rind but not down into the fat; the cuts let the skin shrink without curling the whole strip. Rub the skin and meat with the 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper, then rest uncovered 20 minutes while you prepare the table. If the kitchen is hot, rest it in the refrigerator and bring it out for the last 10 minutes.

   Do not skip the drying. Wet skin turns rubbery before it browns, and then people blame the pork instead of the hand that rushed it.
2. 2

   Set the table

   Make the ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste dip): stir together the doenjang, gochujang, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, minced scallion, minced garlic, sesame seeds, rice syrup, and 1 tablespoon water until spoonable. Make the gireumjang (sesame oil salt dip): stir together 2 tablespoons sesame oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix the pajeori (scallion salad) dressing in a separate bowl, but do not toss the scallions yet, because salt pulls water from them and makes them tired before the meat is ready.

3. 3

   Heat the grill

   Heat a tabletop grill, cast-iron griddle, or wide heavy skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Brush with 1 teaspoon neutral oil only if the surface is dry. Keep the heat strong enough to render fat, but not so fierce that the skin burns before it blisters. Put the garlic and kimchi near the edge if you are grilling them.

4. 4

   Crisp the rind

   Stand each strip of pork skin-side down with tongs, or lean the strips against each other so the skin edge touches the grill. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, pressing lightly if the skin tries to curl, until the rind tightens and browns in small blistered patches. This is the part that makes ogyeopsal different from samgyeopsal. Give it the time it asks for.

5. 5

   Grill and cut

   Lay the strips flat and grill the first cut face 3 to 4 minutes, until the fat turns glossy and the meat browns at the edges. Turn and grill the second side another 3 minutes. Cut the pork into 4 cm bite-size pieces with kitchen scissors, then turn the pieces onto their cut sides for 1 minute each. The pork should be opaque through the center and at least 63 C, 145 F, with a short rest; belly tastes better when the fat has rendered further, around 71 C, 160 F.

   Pour excess fat into a heatproof bowl between batches if it pools heavily. Do not pour it down the sink.
6. 6

   Serve in ssam

   Toss the shredded scallions with the pajeori dressing at the last moment. Move the pork to a warm edge of the grill or onto a platter, keeping the crisp skin facing up where you can. Each person makes ssam (leaf wraps): lettuce or perilla, a spoon of rice, one piece of pork, a dab of ssamjang or gireumjang, garlic, chili, and a little scallion salad. Fold it into one bite. A wrap that needs two bites was built by someone showing off.

Chef Tips

• •Ask for skin-on pork belly with the rind still attached, cut into long slices about 1.5 cm thick. If the butcher removes the skin, you have good samgyeopsal, but you no longer have ogyeopsal. Names matter because technique follows the cut.
• •Store-bought ssamjang is an honest weeknight shortcut. The corner you cannot cut is the skin: dry it, score it, and put it against the grill first. 시대가 바뀌면 음식도 바뀌어야 해요. When times change, food must change too, but the knife work still has to be right.
• •Do not marinate this pork in a sweet sauce. Sugar burns before the rind crisps, and the belly already has enough fat and flavor to stand on its own. Season at the table with ssamjang or gireumjang.
• •If you cook indoors, open the window and keep a splatter screen close. Pork belly gives back a great deal of fat. That fat is useful for frying kimchi afterward, but it should be managed, not allowed to flood the pan.
• •Build the wrap small enough to eat in one bite. Rice softens the salt, perilla gives sharpness, scallion cuts the fat, and the pork stays the center instead of disappearing under sauces.

Advance Preparation

• •The ssamjang can be made up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated. Let it sit at room temperature 20 minutes before serving so it loosens enough to spoon into wraps.
• •The pork can be scored and salted up to 8 hours ahead. Keep it uncovered on a rack in the refrigerator so the skin dries, and keep it away from ready-to-eat foods.
• •The scallions can be shredded and soaked in cold water up to 4 hours ahead, then drained and dried. Toss them with the dressing only when the pork is nearly done.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 480g)