Order naengsam and the pork is not the only thing on the iron. Kimchi goes on one side of the plate, bean sprouts on the other, and both cook in the fat coming off the belly.
At Cheongdamchae on Telok Ayer Street we cut Duroc belly to 4.5mm and grill it on bare cast iron. There is no foil under it, so the fat runs off the meat and across the plate to the edges, where the kimchi and the sprouts take it up.
Why grill the kimchi with the meat
The edge of the plate runs cooler than the middle, so the kimchi takes its time. The sourness settles and something sweeter comes up behind it. It is nothing like kimchi fried in the kitchen and carried out on a dish. Lay it over a piece of pork, or just eat it on its own. This is usually the point where someone orders another bowl of rice, and for what it is worth, that is how I like to eat it too.
How to eat the bean sprouts
Sitting in the fat, the sprouts go soft without losing their snap and pick up a nutty, salty edge. Put them in a wrap or take them straight off the plate. Most people do the second.
How to build the wrap
Lay the sprouts into the lettuce first, then the pork on top. I add rice, a slice of garlic and a little ssamjang, and eat the whole thing in one go. Go easy on the ssamjang. A month of naengdong samgyeopsal like this and I still would not be tired of it.
Ask us any time for more ssamjang, lettuce, salt or sesame oil.
Price
Naengsam (frozen pork belly) 1kg $68.80++/ 600g $48.80++