Korea. Samgyeopsal is a post-Korean War phenomenon — pork belly, previously given to foreign workers, became mainstream in Korean cuisine in the 1970s and is now one of the most consumed proteins in South Korea. The communal BBQ format is a specifically Korean social ritual.
Samgyeopsal (three-layered meat — pork belly) is Korean BBQ at its most primal — thick-cut pork belly grilled directly on a tabletop grill, cut into pieces with scissors at the table, then wrapped in perilla leaf or lettuce with garlic, ssamjang, and kimchi. The simplicity is the point: quality pork belly, live-fire cooking, communal eating. No marinade. The fat renders onto the grill and crisps the edges of each slice.
- Chinese hong shao rou (braised pork belly — the Chinese slow-braised equivalent); Japanese yakibuta (grilled pork belly for ramen — the Japanese grilled belly tradition); Vietnamese thit nuong (grilled lemongrass pork — the Vietnamese marinated pork belly equivalent).
Soju (Chamisul or Jinro) and Korean lager (somaek — soju mixed with beer) — the canonical samgyeopsal combination. The ritual of pouring for others before yourself is an important social dimension of the meal.