Korean BBQ guide: cuts, grilling etiquette, ssam and how to order

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Korean barbecue, grilled at your own table, is one of the most fun ways to eat in Korea and one of the most confusing for first-timers. Here is how it works, which cuts to order and the unspoken etiquette that goes with it.

How it works

At a Korean barbecue restaurant, each table has its own grill, charcoal or gas. You order raw meat by the portion (inbun, a set weight per person printed on the menu), and it is grilled in front of you. Many places require a minimum of two portions, and some do not serve solo diners at dinner. Staff often do the grilling and cutting, especially at busier or more upmarket restaurants. If they do, let them. Meat shops are usually either pork places or beef places, and the menu is on the wall. Pork restaurants are cheaper and more common.

Pork cuts

Samgyeopsal (삼겹살): pork belly, the most popular. Layered fat and meat, crisp when grilled. Often sliced thick.
Moksal (목살): pork neck or shoulder. Leaner and chewier than belly, with a rich flavour.
Hangjeongsal (항정살): pork jowl. Fatty, crunchy and prized.
Dwaeji galbi (돼지갈비): marinated pork ribs, sweet and garlicky.

Beef cuts

Galbi (갈비): beef short ribs, either marinated (yangnyeom galbi) or plain (saeng galbi). The classic special-occasion meal.
Chadolbagi (차돌박이): thinly sliced brisket. It cooks in seconds; flip once and eat.
Deungsim (등심): sirloin.
Bulgogi (불고기): thin marinated beef, often cooked on a domed or flat pan rather than the grill.
Hanu (한우) means Korean native beef, much more expensive than imported.

Banchan and extras

Tables fill up with free banchan, the small side dishes: kimchi, pickled onions, salad, bean sprouts and more. Refills are usually free, often from a self-service bar. You will also get:

Lettuce and perilla leaves for wrapping.
Ssamjang, a thick dipping paste of fermented soybean and chilli.
Salt and sesame oil for dipping beef.
Raw garlic and green chillies, which you can grill alongside the meat.
Often a small gyeranjjim (steamed egg) or doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew), sometimes included, sometimes ordered.

Making a ssam (wrap)

Take a lettuce leaf in your palm, and a perilla leaf on top if you like.
Add a piece of meat, a dab of ssamjang, garlic and maybe some kimchi or grilled onion.
Fold it into a parcel and eat it in one bite. Biting a ssam in half is messy and considered a little awkward.

Grilling etiquette

At a group meal, the youngest or most junior person at the table often takes charge of the grilling, cutting the meat with scissors and serving others. Offering to grill for older people is polite.
Do not flip the meat constantly; turn pork belly once or twice.
Let staff change the grill plate if it gets burnt; just ask.
Share from the grill; do not hoard the best pieces.

Drinks

Soju and beer are the classic drinks; mixing them (somaek) is common.
Pour for others, not yourself. Hold the bottle with two hands, or one hand supported by the other, when pouring for someone older, and hold your glass with two hands when receiving.
Turn your head slightly away from older people when you drink.
Non-drinkers are fine; soft drinks and water are always available.

Ordering and finishing

Order by pointing at the menu and saying the number of portions: "samgyeopsal i-inbun juseyo" (pork belly for two, please). 1 = il-inbun, 2 = i-inbun, 3 = sam-inbun.
After the meat, order something to finish: bokkeumbap, fried rice made on the grill with kimchi and seaweed, or naengmyeon, cold buckwheat noodles that cut through the grease. Doenjang jjigae with rice is the other common choice.
Pay at the counter on the way out, and no tip is expected.

What is your favourite Korean BBQ cut, and do you have a restaurant you would recommend? Share it in the comments.