Roasted Pork (Pyongyang style)

평양식 돼지고기구이ko

Also: Pyongyang-sik dwaeji-gogi-gui, Pyongyang roast pork

Thick cuts of pork belly or shoulder charcoal-roasted Pyongyang style and served with raw garlic and fermented soybean paste.

Identity criteria

  1. 1Uses thick cuts of pork belly or shoulder, not thin barbecue slices
  2. 2Cooked over charcoal for smoky char on a fatty cut
  3. 3Served with raw garlic and ssamjang/doenjang-style paste
  4. 4Eaten as a feast main rather than an everyday dish
  5. 5Reflects the North Korean / Pyongyang regional preparation

Components

Protein

Pork belly or shoulder, thick-cutessential

Aromatics

Raw garlicessentialEaten alongside the pork

Garnish

Sliced raw onion, green chillioptional

Technique

Charcoal roasting
Live coals render the fat and add smoke and char, the defining flavour of the dish

Form & serving

Served
Sliced thick on a platter with garlic and paste on the side
Temperature
hot
Portion
shared platter
Pairs with
Raw garlic · Doenjang paste · Rice · Soju

Character

Flavour

smokysavoryumamigarlickyfatty

Texture

Charred crisp exterior over tender, fatty meat

Eaten

A celebratory main in Pyongyang-style cooking, shared from a platter with garlic and fermented paste.

When

all-year

Variations & related

Regional variations

  • Pyongyang feast roast · Pyongyang, North Korea

    Served at celebrations with paste and garlic

Related dishes

  • sibling Samgyeopsal

    The South Korean grilled pork belly counterpart

Substitutions

  • Pork shoulderPork bellyadmissible

    Either fatty cut works; belly is richer

  • Charcoal roastingOven bakinginadmissible

    An oven loses the smoke and char that define the Pyongyang-style preparation

Common mistakes

  • Using thin barbecue slices instead of thick cuts
  • Cooking without charcoal, losing the smoky character
  • Omitting the raw garlic and paste, which are part of the eating experience

Provenance

A regional North Korean roast pork preparation associated with Pyongyang, eaten as a celebratory dish with garlic and fermented paste.

References

  1. 1.Korean culinary tradition

Confidence: medium

Built on these foundations

4

The base preparations this dish is assembled from — open one for its master ratio & method.