Samgyeopsal

Thick grilled pork belly cooked at the table over charcoal, wrapped in perilla leaves with garlic, kimchi and ssamjang.

Samgyeopsal — grilled pork belly — is the centrepiece of Korean BBQ culture, an institution that has shaped Korean social life for decades. The dish is relatively modern — pork belly became widely affordable in Korea in the 1970s and 80s as the country industrialised and disposable income rose. The tabletop grill, with its dome-shaped grill surface and charcoal or gas heat source, is the essential piece of equipment. The ritual of cooking at the table — the communal experience of everyone reaching across, turning meat, drinking soju — is as important as the food itself. Samgyeopsal restaurants (samgyeopsalchip) are the most common restaurant type in South Korea. The final act of frying rice in the rendered pork fat left on the grill after the meal is the moment most Koreans look forward to most.

Use thick-cut pork belly — at least 1cm. Cook over charcoal not gas for the authentic smoky flavour. Use scissors to cut the cooked pork at the table. The perilla leaf wrap is essential.