Samgyeopsal and Beef Sirloin for Lunch, with a Mountain of Minari

Samgyeopsal and beef sirloin for lunch. Starting this early feels like getting away with something.

What is it? Samgyeopsal (삼겹살) is thick-cut pork belly, grilled at the table on a shared pan. It is probably the single most common thing Koreans eat together, and the whole setup is built around wrapping: a piece of pork, something green, a dab of sauce, all folded into one bite.

Half the pan here is minari (미나리), Korean water dropwort. It looks like a lot of greens for the amount of meat, and that is the point. You lay it flat where the pork fat has run down, let it wilt, and it turns fragrant and slightly peppery. One piece of pork, one bundle of minari — it cuts the richness completely.

There is beef sirloin on the pan too, in the darker cubes. It cooks through much faster than the pork belly, so it gets eaten first while the samgyeopsal takes its time. Two cuts on one pan is arguably greedy, and arguably the best part.

Whole onion rounds and thin potato slices go on too. The potato takes a while to brown, but it is worth the wait: crisp outside, soft inside.

There is a stew going alongside. Pork belly plus a bubbling pot is basically the finished form of a Korean home meal.

And no drinks today. Samgyeopsal usually arrives with soju — the pairing is close to automatic here — but it is the middle of the day.

Full. Starting this at lunch makes the rest of the afternoon questionable.