Korean Salt-Grilled Pork (Pork Belly and Neck BBQ)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 20 min
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 6
About this dish
Doejigogi-gui is Korea's salt-grilled pork, made by seasoning thick-cut pork belly or pork neck with nothing but coarse salt and grilling over charcoal or on a cast iron pan.
Read more
Because no marinade masks the flavor, the quality of the pork itself determines the outcome, and thick-cut belly requires patient cooking over medium heat so the fat layers render fully before the exterior chars -- rushing over high flame leaves the fat chewy and greasy rather than crisp. Blotting excess rendered fat from the pan with paper towels during cooking keeps the meat grilling rather than deep-frying and preserves the smoky char that defines the dish. Garlic slices cooked on the same pan alongside the pork add a mellow roasted note. The classic accompaniments -- sesame oil and salt for dipping, fresh lettuce or perilla leaves for wrapping, a dab of doenjang, and a sliver of cheongyang chili -- create the complete Korean barbecue experience, where a bite of rich pork, crunchy greens, and pungent condiments come together in one mouthful.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Slice 400g pork belly or pork neck into even 1.5 to 2cm pieces so they cook at the same pace.
Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt over both sides and rest for 5 minutes to season the surface.
- 2Control
Heat a grill or heavy pan over high heat for about 2 minutes before adding the pork.
Lay the pieces in one layer and leave them untouched for the first minute so a brown sear forms.
- 3Step
Lower the heat to medium once the first side has color, then turn each piece only after the underside looks golden.
Avoid repeated flipping, because the pork loses juices before the fat has time to render cleanly.
- 4Heat
Cook pork belly for 7 to 8 minutes total, or pork neck for 5 to 6 minutes, adjusting by thickness.
When rendered fat pools in the pan, blot it with paper towels so the meat keeps grilling instead of frying.
- 5Finish
Place 6 garlic cloves around the edge of the pan, where the heat is slightly gentler.
Cook until the cut sides turn golden, then remove them early if needed because garlic can burn before the pork finishes.
- 6Finish
When the pork is cooked through and the outside is crisp, cut it into bite-size pieces with scissors.
Serve immediately with sesame oil and salt dipping sauce and lettuce leaves, since pork belly fat firms as it cools.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Coarse salt seasons thick cuts of pork belly and neck for this traditional Korean Salt-Grilled Pork.
- Finish cue
- When the pork is cooked through and the outside is crisp, cut it into bite-size pieces with scissors.
- Avoid this
- Avoid repeated flipping, because the pork loses juices before the fat has time to render cleanly.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
20min, 6 ingredients
Category median
32min, 8 ingredients
Based on 173 recipes
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