Oak-fired Korean BBQ near Yeoju Premium Outlets: Hwassi2192

Before shopping at Yeoju Premium Outlets, you know you have to eat properly first, haha. This time I visited Hwassi2192 Nam-Yeoju Branch 2, near the outlets, where staff grill meat that's been pre-seared over oak firewood.

What is Hwassi2192 Nam-Yeoju Branch 2's 1200°C oak-fired pre-searing?

What stands out most at Hwassi2192 is that it's not your usual charcoal grilling but oak wood-fired pre-searing. They raise the temperature of the oak wood-fired kiln up to a whopping 1200°C to pre-sear the meat first.

When you order, the kitchen pre-sears the meat and brings it to the table, where staff grill it once more for you — so you can eat comfortably even with kids! The best!!

What we ordered - Oak-fired BBQ large plate, 3-4 person set

The oak-fired pre-seared BBQ 3-4 person set, the large plate. It comes with pork belly 320g, pork neck 320g, and pork jowl 120g.

Since the meat comes out pre-seared, it looks appetizing right away. Starting with the pork belly

Pork neck

And the pork jowl too

They said the meat is low-temperature aged for 10 days and cut to a 17mm thickness suited for pre-searing. So scientific...

How did the pre-seared meat taste?

There's a reason for pre-searing at high heat. The fat renders right out while the outside cooks golden and crispy, and the inside stays juicy and moist.

Since it's already seasoned, they told us to try the first piece plain, without dipping it in anything, to taste the meat itself.

Eaten plain, it really did have a subtle oak aroma running through it — so delicious.

The pork neck was thick too, with a good balance of lean richness and juiciness.

The combo of perilla leaves, radish wrap, and shredded green onion was great too!

The pork jowl, grilled over the wood fire, had a golden-browned surface and the fat's nutty flavor really came through — perfect as a drinking snack too, haha.

Since the meat is pre-seared over oak firewood, every cut had such good flavor on its own that it was delicious even with just a light dip of salt.

At first I wondered if the four of us could finish it all, but the kids said the meat was so good that we ended up cleaning the whole plate, haha.

What's the space and atmosphere like — is there a private room?

Hwassi2192 Nam-Yeoju Branch 2 looked fairly sizable even from outside, but stepping in, the space was even larger and more substantial than I expected.

They said it can seat around 150 people, but it doesn't feel like a BBQ place with tables crammed tightly together — it's spacious overall, so it was comfortable for a family meal too.

There's also a private room space, making it a good fit for anything from family dinners to gatherings with a larger group.

Good for takeout before a camping trip too

You can also get the meat to go, and they said takeout comes at a 30% discount.

I ate here before shopping at Yeoju Premium Outlets this time, but seeing this made me think it'd also be great to pack meat ahead of a camping trip or travel to Wonju or Gangwon-do.

A good stop before or after shopping at Yeoju Premium Outlets

If you're looking for a place to recharge before or after shopping near Yeoju Premium Outlets, order the oak-fired BBQ set with pork belly, pork neck, and pork jowl together and enjoy a hearty meal! You can eat comfortably without the hassle of grilling it yourself!

• Hours: 11:00 ~ 21:30
• Last order: 20:30
• Closed: Every Monday
• Parking: Spacious