Grilled pork belly (Samgyeopsal-gui) is an extremely popular Korean BBQ dish. Because the cooking and eating is done at the table, it’s really social and a great party food. It’s also pretty simple to make, and because everyone pretty much helps themselves it’s easy to serve, too.

Nobody can resist the taste of samgyeopsal gui! When your guest eats the pork belly with garlic, green onion salad and ssamjang in a fresh lettuce leaf, they’ll be instantly hooked! And if you, or one of your guests, is a vegetarian, you can grill king oyster mushrooms instead of meat. Samgyeopsal-gui is usually served with a lot of vegetables, so in general it’s a well-rounded meal.

I filmed this video in LA with my friend Jimmy Wong. I hope you enjoy it a lot and plan a grilled pork belly party with your family and friends.



Ingredients

(for 4 servings)

3 pounds of pork belly (fresh or pre-sliced frozen)

Green onion salad (pajeori):

Doenjang-gochujang dipping sauce (my special kind of ssamjang I make for samgyeopsal-gui):

¼ cup doenjang

1 green onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoon gochujang

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Vegetables:

1 bunch of lettuce, washed and drained

2 dozens of perilla leaves (optional), washed and drained

2 carrots, cut into bite size sticks

1 English cucumber, cut into bite size sticks

7-8 green chili peppers, chopped

a dozen of raw garlic, sliced

1 large onion, cut across into ¼ size pieces

Directions

Slice pork belly into bite sized pieces. Put it on a large plate and keep it in the refrigerator.

Make green onion salad

Soak shredded green onion in cold water for 5 minutes. Rinse and drain. Combine soy sauce, sugar, sesame seeds, toasted sesame oil, and hot pepper flakes in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside. Portion the green onion into small serving bowls, and put some sauce on top of each. Set aside.

Make ssamjang (dipping sauce)

Combine soybean paste, hot pepper paste, sugar, green onion, garlic, sesame seeds, and toasted sesame oil in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.

Prepare vegetables:

From the left: onion, garlic, green chili peppers, cucumber, carrot, and perilla leaves

How to cook:

Heat up your grill plate or pan. Put a little toasted sesame oil on the hot plate for flavor. Cover the grill plate with pork belly. Grill them and turn them over when the bottoms get a little crispy. Keep cooking and turning them over until both sides are crispy. As the pieces get ready to eat, take them off the grill and put them on a small side plate. People can take the pieces from this plate, or if they’re too hungry they can take them right off the grill! Eat, but keep cooking!

Doenjangjjigae (Korean fermented bean paste stew: 된장찌개)

Kongnamulmuchim (Soybean sprout side dish: 콩나물무침)

How to eat: