Muan Namak BBQ: 250g beef vs 270g pork rib half plates, Ubokgeum

This time I went to Ubokgeum Saenggalbi Mokpo Namak Branch for fresh ribs in Namak. Ubokgeum Saenggalbi's signature dish is thick-cut fresh ribs, and I'd heard they slice them as thick as bricks, so I was curious.

Here's what we ordered this time.

• 🥩 Ubokgeum beef fresh ribs half plate
• 🥩 Pork fresh ribs half plate
• 🍜 Mul naengmyeon (cold noodle soup)
• 🍲 Cheonggukjang stew (fermented soybean stew)
• 🍳 Jjagyechi (received from a review event)

We wanted both beef and pork, so this time we just split everything into half plates and shared. Haha.

Where is Ubokgeum Saenggalbi Mokpo Namak Branch, and where to park

Ubokgeum Saenggalbi Mokpo Namak Branch is at 27 Daejukseo-ro, Samhyang-eup, Muan-gun (units 104, 105, 106). There's a public parking lot right across from the restaurant, so it's convenient to visit by car.

It's an easy place to find if you're looking for a meat restaurant in Namak. As posted at the time, hours were weekdays 12:00–24:00 and Sundays and public holidays (including Gaecheonjeol and substitute holidays) 11:00–24:00. Group seating, reservations, wifi, separate restrooms, and parking were all listed as available.

Does Ubokgeum Saenggalbi have group seating and private rooms?

Ubokgeum Saenggalbi Namak Branch has group seating and room-style spaces too. Walking in, the whole place had a clean, tidy BBQ restaurant vibe!

There were a lot of families out for dinner and groups gathering too.

We sat down and took our time looking through the menu.

Ubokgeum Saenggalbi menu and half-plate weights

Ubokgeum Saenggalbi has a variety of meat options including fresh ribs, seasoned ribs, and pork fresh ribs. On the half-plate size, beef fresh ribs come to 250g and pork fresh ribs to 270g.

What I ordered this time: Ubokgeum beef fresh ribs half plate and pork fresh ribs half plate! On days when it feels like a waste to only eat one kind of meat, ordering half plates like this to try both was a great move.

And you can't have meat without mul naengmyeon and cheonggukjang stew, so we ordered those too! On top of that, we got jjagyechi from a review event. 😆

The basic table setting!

How thick are Ubokgeum's brick-cut beef ribs?

Ubokgeum's beef fresh ribs come sliced so thick that they look completely different from your typical thin-cut ribs. The fresh ribs I'd been waiting for finally arrived!

Seeing the thick-cut meat, it really did look different from ordinary thin ribs right from the start.

I finally get why they call it 'brick ribs.' 👀

Do the staff at Ubokgeum Saenggalbi grill the meat for you?

Yes, the staff at Ubokgeum Saenggalbi grill the meat for you themselves!! 👍

They put the meat on the grill and cook it to a nice golden brown — so convenient and nice! As the smell of meat cooking started to drift up, I felt that familiar excitement that comes from waiting for BBQ. Haha.

I tried a bite — the thick meat had a satisfying chew and was packed with juice! It was tender with that distinctive savory beef flavor. Seriously, so, so good!!

If you love beef fresh ribs, this is the style where you really get to taste the meat itself!

Pork ribs vs beef ribs at Ubokgeum Saenggalbi: how do they differ?

Ubokgeum Saenggalbi's pork fresh ribs use Korean pork bone belly (hanton). While the beef fresh ribs are savory and clean-tasting, the pork fresh ribs had more of that distinctive rich, deep pork flavor.

Eating the pork fresh ribs right after the beef, I could really taste the difference.

The beef fresh ribs felt savory and clean, while the pork fresh ribs had more of that characteristic rich pork flavor.

Since we wanted to eat both, ordering half plates of each was the perfect choice for us. 🥰

Cheonggukjang stew, the must-have side with Korean BBQ

Ubokgeum Saenggalbi's cheonggukjang stew (fermented soybean stew) had that rich cheonggukjang flavor plus the savory depth of doenjang, the kind of taste that makes you crave rice. Meat alone felt like something was missing, so we ordered the cheonggukjang stew too.

Taking a spoonful from the bubbling stew, the rich cheonggukjang flavor combined with the savory doenjang made me want rice right away!

Putting a piece of meat on rice and then taking a bite of hot cheonggukjang stew — what more is there to say. 🤤 That combo is truly unbeatable. 🤣

Finishing with mul naengmyeon (cold noodle soup)

Ubokgeum Saenggalbi's mul naengmyeon was the perfect refreshing way to wrap up after the meat. And of course, after BBQ comes naengmyeon!

I'm team mul naengmyeon when it comes to BBQ, so I ordered it to finish things off. Haha. Wrapping the noodles around a piece of meat is delicious, and after eating your fill of meat, a cool sip of the naengmyeon broth is so refreshing!

Naengmyeon at a BBQ restaurant really is a must, not an option. 😂

Jjagyechi and green onion kimchi from the review event

At Ubokgeum Saenggalbi Namak Branch, we got jjagyechi (jjajang ramen + egg + cheese) from a review event, along with pa kimchi (green onion kimchi).

Jjajang ramen + egg + cheese — you can practically taste it just by looking. Haha. Along with the jjagyechi they also gave us pa kimchi, and that pa kimchi was a work of art!! The soft flavor of the cheese and egg paired really well with the salty jjajang ramen.

Beef ribs, pork ribs and naengmyeon in one meal

We really ate well this time, no joke. 🤣 The Ubokgeum beef fresh ribs especially were so good that I'm already craving them again, already wanting to go back!

And instead of just eating meat, having stew with rice and finishing with naengmyeon made it feel like a genuinely complete meal! Eating good meat while chatting and laughing, I completely lost track of time. Between that and thoroughly enjoying the jjagyechi from the review event, it was a day that left both my stomach and my heart full. 🥰

Looking for fresh galbi in Namak, Muan?

Ubokgeum Saenggalbi's signature dish is thick-cut fresh ribs, but they also have meal options like mul naengmyeon and cheonggukjang stew, so it's a great setup for enjoying both BBQ and a full meal in one visit. If you're like me and love small doses of comfort through good food, this place should make for a satisfying meal. 💛