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Samgyeopsal (Korean BBQ Pork Belly)

Samgyeopsal is the star of Korean BBQ, and for good reason. Thick slices of pork belly hit a hot grill, sizzle away until the fat renders golden and crisp, then get snipped into bite-sized pieces and wrapped in crisp lettuce with punchy ssamjang sauce.

It's as much an experience as a meal. Everyone builds their own wraps at the table, piling in grilled garlic, green chilli and a bit of rice, and the mix of smoky pork, cool lettuce and salty-sweet sauce is completely addictive.

You don't need a fancy tabletop grill either. A good cast iron pan or BBQ plate does the job brilliantly, and because the pork needs no marinade, it's one of the easiest Korean dishes to pull off at home.

Servings
4
Prep Time
15
mins
Cook Time
20
mins
Ingredients
12
Total Time
35
mins

Pantry bits

  • Cast iron pan, grill pan or BBQ plate
  • Kitchen scissors
  • Tongs
  • Serving platter and small dipping bowls

Ingredients

  • 800g pork belly, skin removed, cut into 1cm thick slices
  • 1 butter lettuce or cos lettuce, leaves separated and washed
  • 10 perilla leaves (optional, from Korean grocers)
  • 8 garlic cloves, thickly sliced
  • 2 long green chillies, sliced
  • 2 spring onions, finely shredded
  • 3 tbsp ssamjang (Korean BBQ dipping paste)
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp sea salt flakes
  • 1 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 2 cups cooked short-grain rice, to serve
  • 200g kimchi, to serve

Instructions

  1. Take the pork belly out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking so it grills evenly. Pat the slices dry with paper towel.
  2. Mix the sesame oil with the salt and pepper in a small dipping bowl and set aside. Arrange the lettuce, perilla leaves, ssamjang, chilli, spring onion and kimchi on a platter.
  3. Heat a cast iron pan, grill pan or BBQ plate over medium-high heat until properly hot. No oil needed, the pork renders plenty of its own.
  4. Lay the pork belly slices in a single layer and cook for 3-4 minutes on the first side until deeply golden. Don't crowd the pan; work in batches.
  5. Flip and cook for another 3 minutes, then add the sliced garlic to the rendered fat around the pork and let it turn golden.
  6. Using kitchen scissors, snip the pork into bite-sized pieces in the pan and give them a final minute to crisp up on the cut edges.
  7. To eat, place a piece of pork on a lettuce leaf, add a dab of ssamjang, some grilled garlic, chilli, spring onion and a little rice, then wrap it into a parcel and eat in one bite.

Other recipes

Nasi Kuning (Indonesian Yellow Rice)
Opor Ayam (Chicken in Coconut Curry)
Martabak Telur (Savoury Stuffed Pancake)

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