Herb Samgyupsal (Korean Grilled Pork Belly)

I accepted samgyupsal (grilled pork belly, aka thick bacon) into my late-night diet of soju and beer outings while living in Seoul. The best thing about samgyupsal is that there is little or no marinating involved. You just need to cut it into bite-size pieces and cook it on the stovetop. Enjoy with a variety of lettuce varieties (red leaf lettuce, Boston bibb, frisee) and rice.

• Preparation Time: 25 mins
• Cooking Time: 17 mins
• Total Time: 42 mins
• Calories: 349 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 bulb garlic, cloves separated and peeled
• 1 cup chopped kimchi
• 1 ½ teaspoons sesame seeds
• 2 pounds pork belly strips
• 3 scallions (pajori), chopped
• 2 tablespoons doenjang (Korean soybean paste)
• 2 tablespoons gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste), or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon rice wine

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Mix thyme, dill, rosemary, and garlic powder together in a small bowl. Rub over both sides of each pork belly strip. Let stand at room temperature, about 15 minutes.

Step 2

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook pork belly strips until well browned, about 7 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving some grease in the skillet. Cut strips into bite-sized pieces.

Step 3

Saute kimchi, garlic cloves, and scallions in the reserved grease over medium-high heat until starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

Step 4

Mix doenjang, gochujang, sesame oil, minced garlic, sesame seeds, rice wine, and brown sugar in a bowl to make ssamjang sauce.

Step 5

Serve pork belly strips with kimchi, garlic, scallions, and ssamjang sauce.