What is typical Korean BBQ meat?
Pork Belly and mushrooms on a Korean BBQ tabletop grill.
If you go to a Korean restaurant specializing in Korean BBQ, you may be overwhelmed at the options. You will find the menu options to be different cuts of meat. I don’t know about you, but I don’t frequent the butcher shop on a regular basis and I’m completely at a loss of how to order.
So here, are the most typical, most popular cuts of meat for Korean BBQ. You’re welcome.
Cuts of beef and pork for Korean BBQ night.
top 3 pork cuts
1. 삼겹살 samgyupsal (pork belly)
This is the holy grail of Korean BBQ. Think extra-thick cuts of bacon without the curing and smoking process. The belly of the pig is, as you’d probably guess, a fatty cut of meat. However, Korean BBQ pans will most often have a draining function (a hole in the middle of the pan or the entire pan will be tilted to allow fats to drain away a la George Foreman style).
This leaves you with a juicy, succulent piece of meat to enjoy with rice, greens (like a lettuce wrap) and various banchan (that stimulate, excite and cleanse the palate).
Pork belly is often sold in the grocery store as a thick slab. You’d either get them to slice them, or if they don’t offer those services, you can grill the whole thing and start cutting with scissors as it cooks.
A new method (to me) that I really enjoy was shown to me by my sister-in-law. Just place the piece of pork belly in the air fryer! That’s my kind of cooking! Just keep the temperature moderate to cook most of it (so you don’t lose juiciness!) and zap it for a few minutes near the end if you like a bit of crispiness.
2. 목살 moksal (shoulder/butt)
We actually don’t eat pork belly on a regular basis as OPPA doesn’t like overly fatty cuts of meat. This is our personal go-to to buy at the grocery store. It’ll do the job for both Korean BBQ grilling and Kimchi Jjigae (Kimchi Stew/Soup).
I used to think any cut of meat sliced thinly will do (to a certain extent, I still do think so) but having tried a cut called “Picnic”, I know what meat cut preferences are. Because I bought some “Picnic” shoulder pork on sale once, and it was so lean and tough I didn’t enjoy it at all.
Moksal translates to the neck area, so try to get the upper portion of the shoulder. Shoulder blade meats are a good bet, and luckily they sell it that way at my local grocery.
3. 등심/안심 Deungshim/anshim (loin/tenderloin)
If you prefer lean meats, this is my recommendation. The loin meat runs under the spine (yikes, talking this way about meat makes me lean towards vegetarianism!) and ends downward at the ribs. Running all along from the shoulder to the back leg… part.
It’s a large cut of meat so I’m sure there are even more sub-sections and subtle differences in flavour and texture. OPPA and I enjoy an even-ish fat/lean balance so we don’t buy this cut often.
I would think people who shy away from dark meats and enjoy a cleaner, less greasy cut of meat would like this.
top 3 beef cuts
1. 등심/안심 deungshim/anshim (loin/tenderloin)
These are the cuts located near the back (or top near the spine) of the cow. There’s Chuck, Rib, and all the loins but Short Loin and Ribeye are personal faves. Ribeye is 꽃등심 on the menu which translates to Flower Loin referring to the blossoming of marbling throughout. Isn’t language magical?
2. 갈비 galbi (ribs)
I gotta say, I love ribs. Pork ribs, beef ribs, ribs are why I’ll probably never really become vegetarian. Sure, you’ve most likely had marinated ribs, but this cut is delicious grilled and slightly seasoned with salt and pepper as well. There are also cuts near the ribs that may appear as 토시살 and 안창살 on the menu.
3. 차돌박이 chadolbagi (brisket point)
This is the cut we got for this night’s Korean BBQ. Labelled as Brisket Point, it should be part of the Brisket (breast area) when I look at the map of beef cuts. But I gotta say, when I look at the Korean cow map, it looks more like it’s part of the Plate cut. But I can’t say for sure one way or other because I ain’t a butcher! Anyway, Chadolbagi, if you see it on the menu, it’s somewhere around the chest and belly of the beast.
For myself, as an ardent beef lover, I would most definitely put beef in the “slice it thin and it’ll taste great” category for Korean BBQ. But that’s just me heh.