Korean Grilled Pork Belly (Samgyeopsal)
Cut used: Pork Belly pork →
Prep
10 min
Cook
20 min
Total
30 min
Samgyeopsal, meaning 'three-layer meat,' celebrates pork belly's alternating layers of fat and meat cooked simply over direct heat with minimal seasoning, letting the meat's own richness shine. Traditionally grilled tableside on a Korean BBQ grill, this recipe adapts easily to a stovetop grill pan or outdoor grill and is wrapped fresh in lettuce leaves at the table. It's an interactive, sociable way to serve pork belly that rewards good-quality meat over complicated technique.
What Ingredients Do You Need?
- 2 lbs Pork belly, skinless, sliced into 1/3-inch thick strips
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 6 Garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 head Butter lettuce or perilla leaves
- 1/2 cup Ssamjang (Korean dipping sauce)
- 3 tbsp Sesame oil with salt, for dipping
- 2 cups Kimchi, for serving
- 3 Scallions, sliced
- 4 cups Cooked white rice, for serving
How Do You Make Korean Grilled Pork Belly (Samgyeopsal)?
- 1
Prep the pork
Slice pork belly into strips if not already sliced, and let it come to room temperature for 15 minutes for even grilling.
- 2
Heat the grill
Preheat a grill pan, cast-iron skillet, or outdoor grill over medium-high heat.
- 3
Grill the belly
Lay pork belly strips in a single layer without seasoning and cook for 3-4 minutes per side until deeply browned and rendered, until internal temperature reaches at least 145°F.
- 4
Add garlic
In the last 2 minutes of grilling, add the sliced garlic to the pan alongside the pork to lightly char.
- 5
Rest and slice
Let the pork rest for 2 minutes, then use kitchen scissors (a traditional Korean BBQ tool) to snip the strips into bite-sized pieces.
- 6
Season
Sprinkle the cut pieces with a pinch of kosher salt.
- 7
Assemble wraps
Place a piece of pork on a lettuce leaf, top with a dab of ssamjang, a slice of grilled garlic, and a bit of kimchi, then wrap and eat immediately.
- 8
Serve
Continue grilling in batches and serve with sesame salt for dipping, scallions, kimchi, and rice on the side.
What Are the Pro Tips for This Recipe?
- 💡 Don't season the raw pork heavily — the flavor comes together at the table through the dipping sauces and wraps.
- 💡 Kitchen scissors make quick work of cutting the grilled belly into bite-sized pieces without dirtying a cutting board.
- 💡 Cook in batches so the pan stays hot and the pork sears rather than steams.
- 💡 Perilla leaves add a distinctive minty, slightly bitter note if you can find them alongside lettuce.
