Moksal-gui — Pork Neck Grilling (목살구이)

Ingredients

• 800 g moksal (pork neck), sliced 1.5–2 cm thick against the grain, cut closest to the shoulder blade preferred
• For the gireum-jang pre-rub
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp coarse salt
• To serve
• 1 head raw garlic, cloves separated, unpeeled at table
• 4 fresh chilli, sliced thin
• 1 head butter lettuce or perilla leaves, leaves separated, washed, dried
• 4 tbsp ssamjang

Method

1. 1
   Slice the moksal to 1.5–2 cm thickness, cutting perpendicular to the dominant muscle grain to maximise tenderness across the multi-directional fibres. Confirm the cross-section shows irregular pockets of intramuscular fat distributed through the muscle — this marbling is the sign of a correct cut.
2. 2
   Immediately before cooking, apply the gireum-jang pre-rub: combine sesame oil and coarse salt and coat both faces of each slice lightly. Do not pre-salt in advance — early salting draws moisture to the surface and inhibits browning. The surface should glisten faintly but carry no pooled liquid.
3. 3
   Bring a charcoal or gas table grill to high direct heat. The grate must be hot enough to hiss audibly on contact — this is the condition the dish requires. Lay the slices over direct flame. This is where the dish lives or dies: moksal demands direct, high-heat flame contact so that the fat pockets blister and char while the muscle fibres remain juicy; indirect or moderate heat renders nothing and dries the meat before any crust develops.
4. 4
   Flip frequently, exposing both faces evenly to the flame. The fat channels will contract and express liquid fat visibly as heat rises; allow this rendered fat to blister and colour at the edges. The correct colour is deep golden-brown at the fat seams with caramelised char marks across the muscle face — not pale, not uniformly black.
5. 5
   Using kitchen scissors, cut the grilling slices into bite-sized pieces directly on the grate as they cook. This is table service, not post-cook carving — the cut pieces continue to develop colour on their new exposed faces. Pieces are done when they yield slight resistance to the scissor blade and the interior is no longer translucent at the centre.
6. 6
   Remove pieces briefly from direct heat and allow residual heat to continue rendering the fat for a moment before eating. Fat at the cut edges should appear glossy and fully relaxed, not opaque and tight. Serve directly with raw garlic, sliced fresh chilli, perilla or lettuce leaves, and ssamjang for wrapping.