How to Eat Samgyupsal

Samgyupsal is a typical Korean BBQ dish that is normally eaten for lunch or dinner. It’s a fun dish to eat because of the process of grilling the meat right at the dining table, and preparing the personalized wraps using all of the different vegetables and toppings that normally accompany it. This dish is best enjoyed with company so you can all take part in the grilling process!

Ingredients

Ssamjang Sauce

1 US tbsp (15 ml) of red chili pepper paste
2 US tbsp (30 ml) of soybean paste
1 tsp (4 g) of minced garlic
2 tsp (9.9 ml) of sesame oil
1 tsp (4 g) of sesame seeds

Makes 3-4 servings

Samgyupsal Wraps

1 lb (450 g) of thick-sliced pork belly
1 head of fresh garlic, peeled and pulled apart into cloves
1 fresh white onion, sliced
1 head of green lettuce, pulled apart into leaves
¹⁄₂ lb (230 g) jar of kimchi

Makes 3-4 servings

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Making Ssamjang Sauce

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1
Mince 1 tsp (4 g) of garlic and place it in a small bowl. This should be about 3 cloves of garlic, depending on their size. The smaller you can mince them, the better, so that they mix in well will the other liquid ingredients.^{[1]XResearch source}
- Crush the garlic cloves first with the flat edge of a knife to make mincing easier.
2
Mix soybean paste, red chili pepper paste, and sesame oil with garlic. Add 2 US tbsp (30 ml) of soybean paste, 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of red chili pepper paste, and 2 tsp (9.9 ml) of sesame oil to the bowl of minced garlic. Stir the ingredients together until they reach an even consistency.^{[2]XResearch source}
- You can add 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of water if you want to thin it out a bit.
- You should be able to find all of these ingredients in the Asian section of a supermarket, or in a Korean store.
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3
Stir in 1 tsp (4 g) of sesame seeds with the sauce. Mix them in until they are evenly distributed with the other ingredients. The ssamjang sauce is now ready to enjoy with your samgyupsal!^{[3]XResearch source}
- Set the sauce aside for now until the meat is cooked.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Grilling the Pork Belly

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1
Set the grill pan or frying pan to medium-high heat on the burner. If you are eating samgyupsal at a Korean restaurant they will provide you with a burner and a special grill pan at your table. If you are making samgyupsal at home you can use a nonstick frying pan or grill pan on the stove.
- You can add 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of pork fat or sesame oil to the pan while it is heating up to help prevent the meat from sticking while cooking.
2
Cut 1 lb (450 g) pork belly into thin strips before cooking. If you’re at a restaurant the pork belly will come to your table like this. If you are cooking at home you can have a butcher cut the strips for you to save you preparation time.
- The pork belly should not be marinated in anything.
3
Use tongs to place some pork belly in the pan and cook halfway. Put as many pieces of pork belly as you can fit in the pan or the amount that you want to eat. Cook it for 3 minutes per side or until it starts to turn brown and the fat begins to render.^{[4]XResearch source}
- Use tongs to check how cooked the pork belly is and flip it over when you see that the side on the grill is starting to look brown. The amount of time it takes to cook the pork will vary on the temperature of your grill.
- You should try to only flip the pork once in order to retain all of the juices and not dry it out.^{[5]XResearch source}
Pick up the pieces of pork belly one by one with tongs and snip the slices into small bite-sized square pieces with scissors. The pieces should be about 1 inch (2.54 cm) long.^{[6]XResearch source}
5
Place the pieces of pork back into the pan to continue cooking them. You can simply allow them to drop back into the pan as you snip them with the scissors. Cook the pork belly for 3 more minutes per side, or until golden-brown and not burned.^{[7]XResearch source}
- Keep an eye on the pork belly and turn down the burner heat if it starts to burn.
6
Add some garlic and white onions to the pan and cook them with the pork. Put in 3-4 cloves of raw garlic and 3-4 slices of white onion to cook with the pork in the pan for 3-6 minutes, until the pork is done. It is up to you if you want to add more depending on your personal tastes. Cooking is all about having fun!^{[8]XResearch source}
- Use tongs to mix the vegetables in with the pieces of pork belly to combine all the flavors of garlic, onion, and tasty pork fat.
7
Remove the pork, garlic, and onions when the pork is golden-brown. Once the pork turns a golden-brown color and the fat has rendered it is ready to eat. Remove everything from the pan and place it in a bowl or on a plate for serving.^{[9]XResearch source}
- Remember that the time to cook the pork can vary depending on the temperature of your burner.
- Turn off the burner at this point, or start the process over again to cook more pork belly.
- It can be fun to take turns grilling the pork with your dining companions!^{[10]XResearch source}

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Preparing the Samgyupsal Wraps

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1
Take a leaf of green lettuce in one hand and put a piece of meat in it. Put the piece of lettuce in your left hand and pick up a slice of the grilled meat with tongs or chopsticks. Place the meat in the center of the lettuce leaf and make sure that there will be room for toppings!^{[11]XResearch source}
- You can also use other leafy green vegetables such as spinach or perilla to make the samgyupsal wraps, however lettuce is the most common.
2
Add 1 clove of roasted garlic, 1 slice of grilled onion, and kimchi to the wrap. Some people like to include a small scoop of steamed rice in the wrap as well. Whatever else you add at this point is completely up to you!^{[12]XResearch source}
- Kimchi can range from mild to very spicy, so depending on your personal tolerance the amount you add to the wrap can vary. Taste a small piece on its own before adding it to your wrap.
3
Wrap the lettuce around the meat and dip the wrap in ssamjang sauce. You can fold up the lettuce into a neat little pocket or roll it up. Ideally you want a bite-sized wrap that you can pop into your mouth to enjoy the mix of flavors all at once.^{[13]XResearch source}
- It is also perfectly acceptable to eat some of the grilled pork belly on its own. Dip it in a little bit of ssamjang sauce or eat it with some kimchi or any other toppings of your choosing.

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Question
Is there a Korean BBQ etiquette that I should follow?
Hans Cho
Korean BBQ Expert
Hans Cho is a Korean BBQ Expert and the President of Mama Cho's BBQ based in Castro Valley, California. He has over 18 years of experience and his family business, C&H Meat, has been a leading distributor of Korean BBQ meats in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 40 years. In 2015, they launched Mama Cho's BBQ with the goal of spreading the joy of Korean BBQ one meal at a time and making it accessible to everyone.
Hans Cho
Korean BBQ Expert
Expert Answer
Participating in Korean BBQ is a highly communal affair. All individuals at the table share the food collectively, excluding beverages. It is usual to serve elders first, and when pouring a beverage or offering food to an elder, it is customary to use both hands.
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