Korean BBQ: How to Order It and Cook It
Korean barbecue is not a dish. It is a format — raw meat brought to your table, a grill built into the table, and everyone cooking and eating as they go over an hour or two.
For a visitor it is the most intimidating meal to order and the easiest one to enjoy once the mechanics are clear.
Before you sit down: the two-portion rule
Most barbecue restaurants sell meat by weight, with a minimum of two portions (2인분 이상). This is not about company policy so much as portioning — the meat comes in set amounts and the grill is sized for sharing.
Solo barbecue restaurants do exist and are becoming more common. But a standard barbecue place will often decline a single diner, and it is better to check the menu for the minimum than to be turned away. How ordering works generally covers the wider set of restaurant conventions.
What to order
| Korean | What it is | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 삼겹살 (samgyeopsal) | Thick-cut pork belly, unmarinated | The default. Cheapest, most common, hardest to get wrong |
| 목살 (moksal) | Pork shoulder | Leaner than belly, still forgiving |
| 갈비 (galbi) | Short rib, usually marinated | Sweeter, pricier, burns faster |
| 소갈비 (so-galbi) | Beef short rib | The expensive end |
| 항정살 (hangjeongsal) | Pork jowl | Underrated, excellent texture |
| 차돌박이 (chadolbagi) | Thin-sliced beef brisket | Cooks in seconds |
If it is your first time: samgyeopsal. It is what most Koreans order most of the time, it is cheap, and thick unmarinated pork is very hard to ruin.
Marinated cuts need more attention. The sugar in the marinade burns, so galbi wants a closer eye and a cooler part of the grill.
How the meal runs
Banchan arrive first. Side dishes covering the table — kimchi, pickled radish, salad, dipping sauces, raw garlic and sliced chilli. All free, all refillable.
The meat comes raw, and you put it on the grill. Give it time; the most common beginner error is turning it constantly. Let one side develop colour, then turn.
Staff may take over. At many places someone will come and turn the meat, cut it into pieces with scissors, and move the cooked pieces to a cooler edge of the grill. This is service. Let them.
Scissors are used, not knives. Meat is cut on the grill with kitchen scissors. Normal.
Eat as it cooks. There is no plating stage. Pieces come off the grill and go straight into the wrap.
The wrap
This is the actual technique, and it is the whole point.
- Take a lettuce or perilla leaf in your palm
- Put a piece of grilled meat on it
- Add a small amount of ssamjang — the thick reddish-brown paste on the table
- Add whatever you like: raw or grilled garlic, sliced chilli, spring onion salad, a little rice
- Wrap it into one parcel and eat it in a single mouthful
That last part matters. The parcel is meant to be one bite, which is why the leaves are the size they are. Biting it in half is the sign of a first-timer, and nobody minds, but the whole-mouthful version is genuinely better — everything arrives at once.
The end of the meal
Most barbecue restaurants serve a starch course at the end, cooked in the remaining fat and juices on or beside the grill:
- 볶음밥 (bokkeumbap) — fried rice, pressed onto the grill with kimchi and sesame oil
- 된장찌개 (doenjang jjigae) — a soybean paste stew
- 냉면 (naengmyeon) — cold buckwheat noodles, the traditional counterpoint to grilled meat
Order one. It is inexpensive, it is the intended ending, and the fried rice in particular is often the best thing on the table.
Practical notes
You will smell of it. Ventilation hoods hang over every table and they help, but barbecue smoke gets into clothing and hair. Do not wear something you need clean afterwards. Some restaurants provide plastic bags for coats for exactly this reason.
Drinks. Soju and beer are the standard accompaniment. If you are drinking in a group, the pouring conventions in Korean etiquette apply — pour for others, not yourself.
Cost. Pork barbecue is genuinely affordable and beef is not. The gap between samgyeopsal and beef short rib at the same restaurant is large. See the Seoul cost-of-living breakdown for how eating out compares to cooking here — the answer surprises people.
Refills are free. Run out of lettuce, kimchi, or ssamjang, and you ask for more at no charge.
Go with people. Two-portion minimums aside, this is a communal meal built around a shared grill, and it does not work as well alone even where it is permitted.
Written August 2026. Menus, prices, and minimums vary by restaurant. Corrections welcome via contact.
Frequently asked questions
Can you eat Korean BBQ alone?
Sometimes, but many barbecue restaurants have a two-portion minimum because of how the meat is portioned and grilled. Solo barbecue restaurants exist and are increasingly common, but check before sitting down.
What is samgyeopsal?
Thick-cut pork belly, unmarinated, grilled at the table. It is the most common and usually the cheapest barbecue order, and the default starting point for anyone new to it.
Do you cook the meat yourself at Korean BBQ?
Usually, though staff often take over — turning and cutting the meat with scissors as it cooks. Letting them is normal and not a judgement on your technique.
What is the difference between galbi and samgyeopsal?
Galbi is short rib, typically marinated in a sweet soy-based sauce, and more expensive. Samgyeopsal is unmarinated pork belly. Marinated meat burns faster, so it needs closer attention on the grill.