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Pressed Pork (Pyeonyuk)

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pyeon-yuk

Pork belly boiled and pressed into neat slices for cold platters.

Hard1 hr 30 min6 servings★ 35Contains soy
Pressed Pork (Pyeonyuk)

History & culture

Pyeonyuk presses boiled pork shoulder or belly into firm blocks for thin, clean slices served at jesa and feast tables. Pressing and slicing helped preservation before refrigeration and signaled respect on ritual platters. The technique appears in traditional housekeeping texts, though regional names and cuts vary; it remains a holiday and ancestral rite staple alongside kimchi and jeon.

Servings
6

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Ingredients & steps

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Ingredients

  • Garlic
    6 cloves
  • Onion
    1 medium
  • Pork belly
    800 g, skin-on slab
  • Water
    6 cups
  • Green onion

    Substitutescallion or spring onion

    2 stalks

Seasonings

  • Soy sauce

    SubstituteTsuyu (diluted) (2 tsp per 1 tbsp) or Tamari Same volume (gluten-free)

    1/4 cup
  • Salt
    1 tbsp
  • Black pepper
    1/2 tsp

Steps

  1. 1Medium heat10 min

    Blanch pork belly 10 minutes from a cold-water start. Discard the water and rinse the meat clean.

    • Pork belly
    • Water
  2. 2Low heat55 min

    Cover with fresh water, garlic, onion, and green onion. Simmer covered 50–60 minutes, skimming scum.

    • Pork belly
    • Water
    • Garlic
    • Onion
    • Green onion
  3. 3Low heat5 min

    Season the cooking liquid with soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Cool the pork slightly.

    • Soy sauce
    • Salt
    • Black pepper
  4. 4120 min

    Press pork between plates with weight 2 hours in the fridge. Slice thinly for cold platters.

    • Pork belly

Storage & reheating

Refrigerate up to 5 days. Slice just before serving for neat layers.

Troubleshooting

  • ⚠️ Slices fall apart

    → Chill pressed pork thoroughly; use a sharp knife in one motion.

  • ⚠️ Bland

    → Season cooking liquid generously; serve with soy-vinegar dipping sauce.