Samgyeopsal-gui (Grilled Pork Belly)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Tabletop Korean grill, cast-iron grill pan, or wide heavy skillet
• •Kitchen scissors
• •Long tongs
• •Heatproof bowl for rendered fat
• •Splatter screen, optional for stovetop cooking

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the table

   Wash the lettuce and perilla leaves, then dry them well so the ssam wraps do not turn watery. Slice the garlic and chilies, set out the ssamjang, and mix 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small dish. Have rice and banchan ready before you grill. Samgyeopsal waits for no one once it leaves the heat.

2. 2

   Dress the scallions

   Put the shredded scallions in cold water for 10 minutes to calm their bite, then drain and spin or pat them dry. Toss with soy sauce, rice vinegar, gochugaru, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and sugar just before eating. Dress them too early and they collapse; dress them at the table and they stay sharp against the pork fat.

   Cut the scallions as thinly as you can. This is not decoration. A thick scallion strip fights the wrap, while a thin one folds neatly into the bite.
3. 3

   Season the pork

   Pat the pork belly dry and sprinkle both sides with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the black pepper if using. Do this 5 minutes before grilling, not an hour ahead, because salt sitting too long pulls moisture to the surface. There is no marinade here. The seasoning is a nudge, not a mask.

4. 4

   Heat the grill

   Heat a tabletop grill, cast-iron grill pan, or wide heavy skillet over medium-high heat. If using stainless steel, wipe the surface with 1 tablespoon neutral oil; cast iron or a nonstick grill plate usually needs none because the pork will release its own fat. The pan is ready when a piece of pork gives a clear sizzle the moment it touches.

5. 5

   Grill without crowding

   Lay the pork belly in a single layer with a little space between pieces. Grill 3 to 4 minutes on the first side, until the underside is browned and the fat has begun to turn clear at the edges. Turn once and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. If the pan fills with too much rendered fat, spoon some off into a heatproof bowl so the pork grills instead of frying heavily.

6. 6

   Cut and finish

   Use kitchen scissors and tongs to cut the strips into bite-size pieces, about 4 cm long. Stand fatty pieces briefly on their edge with the tongs so the thick fat cap browns. The best piece has a crisp edge, a juicy center, and enough fat left to carry the wrap. Cook the pork to at least 63 C, then rest briefly on the grill surface while the next pieces finish.

7. 7

   Grill the sides

   If using kimchi or mushrooms, grill them in the pork fat at the side of the pan after the first batch of meat has rendered. Kimchi should darken at the edges and turn glossy, not burn black. Mushrooms need 2 to 3 minutes per side, just until browned and juicy.

8. 8

   Wrap and eat

   Make each ssam with one lettuce leaf, one perilla leaf if you like its herbal bite, one piece of pork, a dab of ssamjang, one slice of garlic, a little chili, and a pinch of dressed scallion. Fold it into one bite. Do not build a tower you cannot eat neatly. The first wrap belongs to the cook, while it is still at its best.

Chef Tips

• •Buy fresh pork belly with even layers. If the butcher offers frozen, choose pieces that were frozen flat and thaw them slowly in the refrigerator; meat thawed carelessly loses water in the pan and will not brown properly.
• •Thickness changes the cooking. For a home skillet, 6 to 8 mm is easiest. For a tabletop grill with strong heat, 10 mm gives a better chew. Very thin slices belong to another mood and cook too fast for the fat to render well.
• •Ssamjang is strong, so use about 1 teaspoon per wrap, not a tablespoon. The pork should still taste like pork. Let the garlic, perilla, and scallion do some of the talking.
• •A corner you may cut: buy washed lettuce and prepared ssamjang. A corner you should not cut: drying the pork and controlling the heat. Wet pork and a weak pan give you gray meat sitting in fat.
• •Keep a heatproof bowl for rendered fat and never pour it down the sink. Let it cool, then discard it, or save a spoonful to fry kimchi rice the next day.

Advance Preparation

• •The lettuce, perilla, garlic, chilies, ssamjang, and sesame oil salt dip can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerated. Dry the leaves well and cover them with a barely damp towel.
• •The scallions can be shredded and held in cold water up to 1 hour ahead, then drained and dressed only at serving.
• •Do not salt the pork far ahead. Pat it dry and season it 5 minutes before grilling so the surface browns cleanly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 345g)