The Art of Samgyeopsal Barbeque: A Gastronomic Experience Like No Other

As we sit down to enjoy this delicious samgyeopsal barbeque, I couldn't help but think about the texture. "Like meat," my friend J said, as he took a bite of the crispy, caramelized pork. And indeed, it is like meat - bitesize, juicy, and full of flavor. The chef's attention to detail in preparing each piece of meat is evident in its succulence.

The grill plate, which has been carefully positioned to allow for even cooking, sits at the heart of our culinary experience. The holes in the plate create a mini "rain gutter" effect, allowing the pork fat to flow out and into a tray below. "Any pan you can use," the chef explains, "but you'll need to pour out the pork fat." We laugh as he pours the rendered fat into a waiting container, reminding us that while it may be delicious, pork fat is not exactly what we want to eat.

As we wait for our meal to finish cooking, we're treated to an assortment of ingredients, each one more tantalizing than the last. "Perilla leaves," the chef explains, with a flourish, "are used to add flavor and texture." We take a tentative bite, and are immediately struck by the subtle yet distinct taste of these delicate leaves. "Sesame oil" adds a rich, nutty note to the dish, while "lettuce" provides a crisp contrast to the softness of the meat.

The chef expertly flips each piece of food onto the plate, allowing us to admire their presentation before taking our first bites. The "mushroom," which had been cooked separately and added to the plate just moments before, is revealed to be perfectly done - tender yet still retaining a hint of firmness. And then there's the "onion," which has been cooked until it's soft and caramelized, its sweetness balancing out the savory flavors of the meat.

As we take our first bites, the chef invites us to comment on their culinary creations. "Is it fan?" he asks, chuckling as we laugh at his joke. We take a moment to appreciate the subtle nuances of each dish, savoring the flavors and textures that have been carefully crafted by our chef.

Finally, the moment arrives when we're ready to eat. The chef presents us with small pieces of meat, each one perfectly cooked and presented on a bed of "green onion salad." We take a bite, and are immediately struck by the explosion of flavors on our tongues. And then comes the dipping sauce - a rich, savory condiment that enhances every aspect of our meal.

As we enjoy our meal, we're treated to a variety of drinks - soju, barley tea, and corn tea all make an appearance. "You want some soju," the chef offers, as we ponder which drink to choose. We opt for the soju, and are rewarded with a rich, slightly sweet flavor that complements our meal perfectly.

As we finish our meal and prepare to leave, the chef invites us to join in a toast - "Keonbae!" he exclaims, as we all raise our glasses in celebration. It's a moment of joy and camaraderie, one that underscores the importance of sharing delicious food with others.

And yet, even as we're enjoying ourselves, we can't help but think about the logistics of cooking such a meal. "After samgyeopsal barbeque," the chef notes, "we always finish with rice and stew, and a few more side dishes like this." This is indeed the perfect kind of party food - hearty, flavorful, and guaranteed to leave us feeling satisfied.

As we bid farewell to our chef and begin our journey home, I turn to my friend and say, "Bye, thank you!" And he replies with a smile, knowing that we'll always treasure this culinary experience.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en(chopping sounds)(intro music)Hi everybody!Today, let's cook pork belly!Grilled pork belly, in Korean: 'samgyeopsal-gui'.Samgyeopsal-gui is a very popular dish in Korea.The best thing about this dish isthat you can cook at the tableand eating with your friends.Everybody can share their story,and the fun and the drinking.A lot of laughing.Grilling alone and eating alone is kind of sad,you need friends, humanM : being-J : Hey.M: Uh oh,J : A human being!M : Oh my God! (laughs)J : I'm back!J : I heard that cooking alone was sad.M: Yeah.M : You know last time, you and I,we made the ramyeon video?J : Yeah.M : Oh, many people, my viewers, looove you.J : I'm so glad I read all the commentsand I was very happy to read all of them.M : Did you read some comments?J : Mhm, I read all of them.M : What is it, by the way?J : I brought some soju.M : That's cool, so today we are going to grill some pork.J : Yeah, I've heard andJ : and I also got us some tea, corn-soaked tea.J : I don't know what this actually.M : This is corn beardJ : Corn bea-- Oohh.M : Yes, corn tea and then you know, corn has beards and this is really nutty tea.M : Good good.J : A nutty tea?M : How did you know that?J : I guessed.M : Ooohh, that's... great. So, oksusu suyeom-cha.J : (laughs)J : Oksusu suyeon-cha.M : Suyeom-cha.J : Suyeom-cha.M : Okay.J : Alright~M : I'm going to put it back in the refrigerator,and then let's start making some green onion salad.J : AwesomeM : Okay.J : Alright.M : Yeah.J : Hey! Here are our green onions!M : Yeah.J : Did you know these areone of my favorite vegetables?M : Oh yeah?J : Mhm.M : Three inches, first, cut this way.M : And then...J : Down the middle?M : Mhm.Kind of a little difficult, eh? But...So we are going to...Shred like this.M : Like that.J : Okay.M : Yeah.And then I'm going to add this in the water.This water, because to remove the spiciness.J : Yes, absolutely.M : So today, I'm making for four servings.J : Four servings?M : Mhm.J : Alright.M : Jimmy, are you ready to eat for three servings?J : I'm ready to eat as many servings as you need me to.M : (laughs)M : How is it going withyour 'Feast of Fiction', your channel?J : 'Feast of Fiction is going great so far,M : Oh my God.J : we just started again, new kitchen.M : Oh yeah?J : Lots of new recipes, yeah.M : So fun.J : Yeah, I love to cook.M : I'm- I'm your big fan.J : Aww, I'm your big fan.M : Oh, thanks.J : My mom's also your big fan.M : I want to see your mom.J : Yeah.M : Your mom makes kimchi also, eh?J : Yeah, she loves kimchi and she makes great kimchi and she watches your videos for more inspiration.M : That's cool.J : Yeah.M : We soaked this around five minutes,J : Okay.M : and then I'm going to rinse this outand drain.J : Gotcha.M : See you soon.J : See you soon.M : Soy sauce.Sugar.Sesame seeds.Lots of sesame seeds.This is hot pepper flakes.J : Hot pepper flakes.M : Mhm, and sesame oil.Meanwhile, I'm going to prepare thisfor the ssamjang dipping sauce.J : Ooo, nice, I love dipping sauces.M : Yeah.J : That's the secret to Korean barbeque,it's making sure you have dipping sauces.M : Okay, green onion and garlic.Fermented sobean paste, eh?J : Nice.M : This is hot pepper paste.And then,sugar.Sesame seeds.Lots of sesame oil.J : Mixin'!M : (laughs)J : Put it in here.M : So you guys are vegetarian, so use mushrooms.M : This mushroom is so good.J : This is a mushroom?M : Yeah yeah.J : This is so crazy!M : The texture is like meat.Like samgyeopsal, bitesize, eh?J : Uh huh.M : Yeah.J : Here you go.M : Salad sauce,J : Oohhh.M : let's put it here.J : Oooohhhh.M : Mhm, yeah.This grill plate is a little curved,so you see the holes here,so when you grill the pork fat.J : Right, so food come out.M : Pork fat is going through this holeand then into this tray.J : Gotcha, so it's like a rain gutter,M : Yeah.J : but for pork fat.M : Actually... (laughs)Any pan you can use, but you'll need to pour out pork fat.M : Pork fat not good to eat.J : No, don't eat pork fat.M : Let'scook.J : Wooo! Fire!M : (laughs)J : Maangchi, what are these? They're so pretty.M : This is perilla leaves, you can taste it.J : Oh, thank you.M : (laughs)Mmm.J : Oooh, okay.M : You like it?J : Yeah, mhm.M : Yeah, you just remembered tasting this?J : Yeah yeah.M : Sesame oil, to give a little flavor.J : Oh nice.M : Yeah, like this.Okay, here you go,J : Alright!M : This isJ & M : lettuce.J : Should I flip one, this guy, over, maybe?M : No, I think we gotta waituntil bottom part is a little like crispy.J : Crispy, okay.M : Yeah.M : Just like bacon.Mushroom, also.J : Oh nice.M : Mhm.M : Not yet.J : This one, maybe. Yeah. Yeah?M : Mhm, good good.So, onion too.J : This garlic looks-M : Is it done?J : Yeah, it looks about done.M : Ooo, garlic good.(laughs)Yeah, we can eat actually, so, yeah, if this is too large...Cut.J : Cut it in half?M : Mhm mhm.Scissors are perfect.So, okay, this.Make a small bite,andin one bite you'll have to eat. (laughs)J : In one bite?M : Is it fan? (laughs)J : Yeah, I'm gonna fan myself off, it's gettin' hot in here.M : OooooJ : Hey, come on smoke,M : And then, let's eat.J : quit it.J : Okay.M : So...Small piece.J : Small piece like this?M : Mhm, yeah.And then ssamjang.dipping sauce.J : Dipping sauce.M: And then you want onion,I like to eat onion cooked.J : A little bit of onion.M : And, this we made, green onion salad.J : Green onion salad.M : Mhm.J : And that's it?M : Yeah, and then wrap this, make the nice pouch.J : All in one?M : Yeah. Jimmy.J & M : Cheers.M : Mmmm.Mmm!J : Mmm!Mmm!So good!M : Delicious!Mm!J : Mm!J : Every part of that was delicious.M : Oh my God, so delicious, mmm.J : I don't wanna cook anymore, just wanna eat these!J : Oh, so good,M : Mmm.J : I need something to drink.M : You want some soju,or just barley tea, either corn tea?J : We have to drink soju.M : Okay.J & M : Cheers!J : Keonbae?M : Geonbae.J : Geonbae.M : Everybody, cheers!J : Cheers!M : Ah.J : Ahh.M : This way you can have a party, isn't really fun?J : Wow, that's a good way to start a Saturday off.M : Wow!I never know that you drank soju so quickly like that,J : (laughs)M : huh?Now you know, gotta party~M : Oh my.J : Yea-- nonono.M : I'll give you some riceJ : (gasps) My favorite part! Rice!M : (laughs)After samgyeopsal barbeque,J : Mhm.M : we always finish with rice and stew,and some, a few more side dish like this.This is perfect kind of party food.J : Yeah.M : Have some more.J : Mm, thank you thank you.J & M : Enjoy the recipe!J & M : See you next time!J : Bye.M : Bye~~\n"