Herb Samgyupsal (Korean Grilled Pork Belly)
By: olivia kim
Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 - 4:19pm

Ingredients




•2 lb pork belly strips
•1 tsp thyme (fresh or dry)
•1 tsp dill weed (fresh or dry)
•1 tsp rosemary (fresh or dry)
•1 tsp garlic powder
•lettuce varieties (red leaf lettuce, Boston bibb, frisee)
•1 garlic bulb, peeled
•3 scallion, (pajori)
•1 cup chopped kimchi
•⅓ cup kochujang (red pepper paste)
•½ cup dwenjang (soybean paste)
•2 garlic cloves, minced (or garlic powder)
•1 tsp rice wine
•1 tsp brown sugar (or honey)
•1 tbsp sesame oil
•½ tbsp sesame seeds

Preparation

1 1. Rub on the herbs and garlic powder to each of the pork belly strips. Let sit for about 15 minutes. 2 2. Wash and prepare the lettuce leaf varieties under cold water. Set on serving plates. 3 3. Cook pork strips on non-stick pan or skillet on medium-high heat. Make sure the pan is hot before adding the pork. Cook about 7 minutes on each side or until well-browned. Remove to a paper-lined plate to remove excess oil. 4 4. Meanwhile, make the samjang sauce by mixing the last 7 ingredients in the list above. For a spicier sauce, add more gochujang (hot pepper paste). 5 5. With the remaining fatty oil, saute the garlic cloves and kimchi for about 3 minutes. Drain and set aside. 6 6. Cut the pork strips into bite size pieces and transfer to a serving plate. Enjoy with lettuce varieties, rice, and samjang sauce. 7 *If you are pressed for time, you can skip the herb rub and buy ready-made samjang sauce sold at the Korean market. This will cut prep and cooking time in half.

About

Although I accepted samgyupsal (grilled pork belly; aka thick bacon) into my late-night diet of soju and beer outings while living in Seoul, I really didn't have a strong yearning for it when I returned back to the States. One reasoning was that it too closely resembled something that I didn't really care for in the first place--American style bacon.  However, it is probably the most popular BBQ dish among Korean males (and foreigners too) who love to combine drink (soju, beer, etc.) and BBQ pork. The wife usually cooks the samgyupsal but I took the reigns today, trying a completely different (and risky) method using herbs and garlic powder for a pre-rub. With good fortune on my side, we found ourselves a new and improved samgyupsal recipe that will be a mainstay in our house. Also, we were lucky to find thick strips of pork belly sold at the local Whole Foods Market. Who knew Americans were into samgyupssal?!
http://www.oliviajasonkim.com