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Home-style Grilled Pork Belly

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samgyeop-sal

Pan-grilled pork belly with lettuce wraps, ssamjang and garlic.

Medium30 min3 servings★ 86
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History & culture

Home-grilled samgyeopsal is thick pork belly cooked on stovetop grills or portable burners, wrapped in lettuce with ssamjang and garlic. Its boom from the 1990s–2000s tracks rising meat consumption, apartment dining, and casual group outings that once centered on restaurants. Portable grill pans made belly barbecue a symbol of Korean weekend hospitality at home, though indoor smoke rules now shape how families cook it.

Servings
3

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Ingredients & steps

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Ingredients

  • Garlic
    6 cloves, sliced
  • Pork belly
    600 g, thick slices
  • Lettuce leaves (for wraps)
    10 leaves
  • Green onion

    Substitutescallion or spring onion

    2 stalks

Seasonings

  • SaltOptional
    1/2 tsp
  • Ssamjang (wrap sauce)

    Substitutegochujang + doenjang mix

    3 tbsp

Steps

  1. 12 min

    Cut pork belly into palm-size pieces. Pat dry.

    • Pork belly
  2. 2High heat1 min

    Heat a cast-iron or grill pan on medium-high. Lay pork in a single layer without oil.

    • Pork belly
  3. 3Medium heat8 min

    Cook 3–4 minutes per side until golden and crisp at edges. Drain excess fat as needed.

    • Pork belly
  4. 4

    Wrap grilled pork in lettuce with ssamjang, garlic and green onion.

    • Lettuce leaves (for wraps)
    • Ssamjang (wrap sauce)
    • Garlic
    • Green onion

Storage & reheating

Cooked pork keeps 2 days refrigerated. Reheat in a hot pan.

Troubleshooting

  • ⚠️ Pork steams instead of sears

    → Pat meat dry; cook in batches; do not move pieces too early.

  • ⚠️ Too much smoke

    → Trim thick fat; cook near an open window or use a splatter screen.