Samgyeopsal 삼겹살

Raw samgyeopsal pork belly on a table grill, surrounded by side dishes, lettuce and sauces

Samgyeopsal (삼겹살) is pork belly, and the name means "three-layer meat": stripes of fat and lean meat run through each slice. It is the best-known Korean barbecue. You grill it yourself, or staff grill it for you, on a round plate or grate set into the table.

It is eaten in wraps. You take a lettuce or perilla leaf (kkaennip, 깻잎), add a piece of meat, a dab of ssamjang (쌈장, a salty bean-and-chili paste), garlic and perhaps kimchi, and eat it in one bite. The table also fills with banchan (반찬), the small side dishes that come with the meal.

Samgyeopsal restaurants offer more than one cut and style of pork belly. The differences below affect the price, the texture and how fast the meat cooks.

Kinds of samgyeopsal

Fresh samgyeopsal 생삼겹살

Two thick slices of raw pork belly on a round grill plate with sliced garlic

Saeng (생) means fresh: pork belly that is chilled, not frozen or aged, and sliced thick. It is the default samgyeopsal on most menus. The pork flavor is clean and mild, the fat renders out on the grill, and the edges turn crisp. If a menu just says samgyeopsal, this is usually what you get.

Aged samgyeopsal 숙성삼겹살

Sukseong (숙성) means aged: the pork is held for a period after butchering to get more tender and deeper in flavor. There are two methods. Dry aging keeps the meat uncovered in a cold, controlled room, where moisture evaporates and the flavor concentrates. Wet aging keeps it vacuum-packed in its own juices, which makes it soft and gives a milder change. Restaurants that age their pork usually say so on the menu, and it generally costs more than fresh.

Thin-sliced samgyeopsal 대패삼겹살

Paper-thin rolled slices of pork belly on a plate with tongs

Daepae (대패) is a carpenter's plane, and the paper-thin slices look like wood shavings. The pork belly is frozen and shaved thin, then served rolled up. It cooks in moments and turns crisp and light, so do not leave it on the grill. It is usually dipped in a sesame oil sauce or wrapped like the thicker cuts.

Scored samgyeopsal 칼집·벌집삼겹살

Thick cuts of pork with shallow knife scores resting on a charcoal grill

Kaljip (칼집) are shallow knife cuts made on the surface of the meat, and beoljip (벌집) means honeycomb, a crosshatch pattern of cuts. The scores help thick pork cook evenly, let the fat render and let salt or marinade soak in, and the meat is easier to cut with scissors. You will see scored belly most often when the cut is thick or when it is grilled over charcoal.

Ogyeopsal and black pork 오겹살·흑돼지

Ogyeopsal (오겹살) is "five-layer meat": samgyeopsal with the skin left on, so you get a chewy layer on top of the fat and lean. Heukdwaeji (흑돼지) is black pork from a black pig breed, best known from Jeju Island. Its meat is firmer and chewier with a richer taste. Black pork is often sold as ogyeopsal, and Seoul restaurants that serve it usually advertise it. Both usually cost more than plain fresh samgyeopsal.

How to eat and order

Order by the portion (1인분, il-inbun). Most places want two or more diners per order. Staff usually grill and cut the meat for you; if they do not, turn it when the underside is golden and cut it with the scissors on the table.

Eat in leaf wraps: leaf, meat, a little ssamjang, a slice of grilled garlic or kimchi. You can also dip the meat in salt and sesame oil (gireumjang, 기름장). Grilled kimchi and bean sprouts are good with the fat.

Many diners finish with a bowl of doenjang-jjigae (된장찌개), naengmyeon (냉면) or fried rice cooked on the grill.

Average price in Seoul

₩21,321 Pork belly (200g), Aug 2026

Seoul average, Korea Consumer Agency, Aug 2026, for a standard serving.

Photo credits