Korean Salt-Grilled Pork (Pork Belly and Neck BBQ)
Quick answer
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.
What makes this special
- Coarse salt seasons thick cuts of pork belly and neck for this traditional Korean Salt-Grilled Pork.
- Medium heat held until fat fully renders; crispy outside, moist inside
- Wiping out rendered fat mid-cook preserves char flavor over frying
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Slice 400g pork belly or pork neck into even 1.5 to 2cm pieces so they cook at the same pace.
- 2 Heat a grill or heavy pan over high heat for about 2 minutes before adding the pork.
- 3 Lower the heat to medium once the first side has color, then turn each piece...
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. 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.
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.
After the steps
Pick a recipe that fits this dish.
Continue with shared ingredients, meal pairings, or a similar method.
Recipes That Go Well With This
More Grilled →Based on shared ingredients and meal pairing
Korean Spicy Stir-Fried Anchovies
Spicy stir-fried anchovies (maeun myeolchi-bokkeum) toss medium-sized dried anchovies in a gochujang-gochugaru glaze, occupying the opposite end of the flavor spectrum from the sweet jiri-myeolchi version and targeting adult palates. Medium anchovies are larger and thicker than the tiny variety, requiring individual head-and-gut removal to eliminate bitterness - a tedious prep step that nonetheless determines the dish's clean finish. After dry-toasting to drive off moisture, the anchovies simmer in a sauce of gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, oligosaccharide, and minced garlic until each piece is coated in a rust-colored glaze. The gochujang's fermented heat combines with gochugaru's vivid red to create both flavor depth and visual appeal. The larger anchovy size delivers a satisfying crunch that lingers alongside a lasting savory umami. Heat intensity is adjustable via gochugaru quantity - adding chopped cheongyang chili ratchets it up another notch. This banchan doubles as a soju drinking snack, appearing as frequently on bar tables as on dinner tables.
Korean Dakgalbi Fried Rice
Dakgalbi bokkeumbap is a fried rice made by stir-frying gochujang-marinated boneless chicken thigh with cabbage and onion over high heat, then adding day-old rice to the pan and frying until every grain absorbs the sweet-spicy marinade. The dish originated from the Chuncheon tradition of finishing a dakgalbi meal by stir-frying the leftover sauce and scraps with rice, effectively turning what remains in the pan into a second course. Day-old rice is essential: fresh rice holds too much moisture and clumps together, while refrigerated rice separates cleanly on the hot surface and makes sufficient contact with the pan to develop slightly charred bits at the bottom. These caramelized patches add a smoky crunch that contrasts with the sauced grains above and elevate the dish beyond a simple fried rice. Cabbage and perilla leaves added at the very end of cooking retain a faint crunch that cuts through the richness of the gochujang marinade. Plating the rice with a few perilla leaves laid on top and a scatter of sesame seeds over the surface finishes the dish without requiring anything further.
Chicken Mu (Korean Fried Chicken Radish Pickle)
The crunchy, sweet-sour radish pickle served with every order of Korean fried chicken - now easy to make at home in under 15 minutes. Cubed radish is submerged in a cooled brine of vinegar, sugar, salt, and whole black peppercorns. Using fully cooled brine rather than hot is critical for maintaining the radish's firm, snapping crunch. Ready to eat after one day of refrigeration, its bright acidity cleanses the palate between bites of crispy chicken. Stored in a glass jar, this pickle keeps for over a week.
Korean Grilled Pork Belly
Samgyeopsal-gui is Korean grilled pork belly, the country's most iconic barbecue dish, where 400 grams of pork belly is cut into ten-centimeter lengths and grilled on a preheated pan or griddle over high heat without added oil-the alternating layers of fat and lean render enough grease to cook the meat in. Flipping only once, after four to five minutes per side, is critical because frequent turning lets juices escape before the fat has properly rendered and crisped. Once golden and cooked through, the meat is cut into bite-sized pieces with scissors, and thinly sliced garlic is toasted on the same surface until lightly browned. Each piece is eaten wrapped in lettuce with ssamjang, grilled garlic, and green onion, and an optional side of green onion oil dip-sesame oil mixed with salt and chopped scallion-adds nutty depth and a sharp allium kick on top of the pork fat's richness.
Similar recipes
Salt-Grilled Pork Dwitgogi
This dish features pork dwitgogi, a selection of assorted pork cuts valued for a springy and chewy texture compared to standard pork belly. The meat is prepared by applying soju to eliminate gamey odors and patting it dry to ensure a clean sear. The cooking process starts by searing the pork in a preheated heavy pan on high heat to seal in the juices. Once the meat is partially cooked, sea salt and crushed black pepper are added to distribute the seasoning evenly. Garlic cloves and green onions are then cooked directly in the rendered pork fat, infusing the meat with their aromas. Grilling continues until the pork is golden brown and springy. The completed dish is traditionally served hot alongside boiled meljeot, a salted anchovy sauce that provides a deep, savory element to the roasted pork.
Korean Grilled Cabbage Leaf Wraps
Baechu kimchi gui ssam takes napa cabbage to the grill, charring the leaves before using them as wraps for grilled pork belly and doenjang-based ssam sauce. A whole cabbage is halved lengthwise, brushed with sesame oil and sprinkled with salt, then grilled over high heat for two to three minutes per side until the outer edges char while the inner layers keep some crispness. Pork belly is grilled separately until golden and cut into bite-sized pieces. The ssam sauce - doenjang, gochujang, minced garlic, and sesame oil mixed together - is spread on a grilled leaf, topped with pork, and rolled into a wrap. Each bite combines the smoky sweetness of the charred cabbage, the fatty richness of the pork, and the salty, fermented punch of the sauce. Grilled cheongyang chili on the side adds extra heat. The cabbage must not stay on the grill beyond the recommended time or it loses all structure and collapses into mush, making it impossible to use as a wrap. Unlike lettuce or perilla leaf, napa cabbage shrinks under heat and concentrates moisture inside the leaf, which allows it to absorb pork fat naturally as it wraps around the meat.
Korean Grilled Pork Neck (Salt-Seasoned Fatty Neck Cut BBQ)
Dwaeji-moksal-gui is Korean salt-grilled pork neck sliced one centimeter thick and seasoned with nothing more than coarse salt and black pepper before being laid on a blazing grill. The neck cut is laced with fine intramuscular fat that renders quickly over high heat, basting the meat from within and producing a rich, clean pork flavor that needs no marinade to taste complete. Cuts with roughly a seven-to-three fat-to-lean ratio give the best results, where fat and juice remain in balance through the cooking. Each side must sear for under two minutes over maximum heat to build a dark, caramelized crust while the center stays moist. Flipping repeatedly drops the surface temperature and produces a gray, steamed result rather than the charred exterior that defines the dish. The standard way to eat moksal-gui is in a ssam: a leaf of lettuce loaded with a roasted garlic clove, a smear of ssamjang, and a slice of the grilled meat, folded and eaten in a single bite.
Korean Samgyeopsal Ganjang Jorim (Soy-Braised Pork Belly)
Samgyeopsal ganjang jorim is a Korean soy-braised pork belly dish where blanched pork belly is simmered with radish and onion in a soy sauce base for over forty-five minutes. Blanching first removes impurities and excess fat, leaving a clean-tasting braise. The long simmer allows soy sauce to penetrate the layered pork, building a deep flavor that is savory without being greasy. Radish chunks absorb the pork-enriched liquid and develop a richness of their own, while oligosaccharide syrup lends a natural sheen. Cooling and reheating concentrates the seasoning further, making this a strong choice for gatherings or holiday meals.
Korean Jeju Style Pork Suyuk
Dombae-suyuk is a Jeju-style boiled pork dish made by simmering skin-on pork belly low and slow with doenjang, green onion, garlic, and ginger. The doenjang in the cooking water draws out the gamey odor specific to pork, leaving the meat clean and mild. A long, gentle boil renders the skin translucent and gives it a gelatinous, bouncy bite, while the interior fat layers become soft enough to melt against the tongue. Sliced thick and laid out at room temperature, each piece offers a layered contrast between the springy rind, the fatty middle, and the lean inner meat. Salted anchovy sauce or fermented shrimp paste served alongside is the traditional accompaniment -- the briny, fermented condiments cut through the richness and define the eating rhythm. The name comes from dombae, the Jeju word for cutting board, referring to the old practice of serving the meat directly sliced on the board.