- Chef Samuel Kim of Baekjeong shared the three types of meat you should order at Korean barbecue.
- Kim said brisket is the first meat you should eat at KBBQ.
- And don't skip pork — especially if pork jowl is on the menu.
There's no shortage of options at a Korean barbecue restaurant. Should you go for the short rib or the brisket? What about ribeye and bulgogi? And don't forget the pork belly!
That's why we asked Chef Samuel Kim, the senior director of culinary operations for Korean barbecue chain Baekjeong, to share his expertise.
Kim, who is set to open his eighth Baekjeong location in November, told us the KBBQ dishes he always orders and his favorite underrated menu items. Now, he's revealing the types of meat you should try — and how to cook them perfectly.
Never skip brisket
If you're visiting a Korean barbecue restaurant for the first time, Kim recommends trying a combo on the menu to familiarize yourself with the offerings.
"If you've chosen a good restaurant, they're going to put their combos together to showcase the meats," he told BI.
But if there's no combo available, don't stress. Just make sure you order the brisket.
"You definitely have to order the brisket; it's always the first meat that we start off eating at Korean barbecue," Kim said. "They slice it very thin, and it cooks very quickly, within a minute or two, so you're able to eat that right away."
"I always order brisket, no matter where I go," he added.
Order the outside skirt steak if it's available
Outside skirt steak is among Kim's favorite cuts of beef at Korean barbecue, although it's rarely available.
"You don't see it often on menus, but you should order it if you do," he said.
But don't confuse it with inside skirt steak, which Kim said is similar to "taco meat."
"Outside skirt is a much more tender piece of meat," he added. "It lays above the diaphragm muscle of the cow, which gives it a really meaty and savory flavor."
If outside skirt steak is not on the menu, Kim recommends getting boneless short rib, which is always part of his KBBQ order.
Don't forget the pork
A good Korean barbecue restaurant sequences the order of your meats based on their increasing levels of fat, according to Kim. The meal always begins with beef and finishes with pork.
"Some people will just go for beef, but pork is such an important animal to grill for us at Korean barbecue," he said.
Pork belly is always a good choice, but Kim recommends trying pork jowl if it's on the menu.
"It lends really well to the hot quick grill," he said. "And it's just a delicious cut of meat."
And don't be afraid of some heat
Kim said the key to perfectly cooking your KBBQ meat is to remember the golden rule of any kitchen. You want the food to be "GBD" (golden brown and delicious), so make sure the grill is nice and hot to get a good sear on the meat.
"Some people see char and think they burned the meat," Kim said. "But if the heat on the grill is too low, they end up steaming their meat."
You'll know the meat is being steamed if it looks "cafeteria gray" instead of golden brown and delicious.