Gapyeong butcher: charcoal and free ₩70,000 delivery, Ari Chuksan

Ari Chuksan

When you're traveling out to Gapyeong or Cheongpyeong, chances are you're going to grill meat at your pension — especially if you've booked one with family or friends, a lot of people bring pork belly or beef with them ahead of time. This time, we decided to pick the meat ourselves near our destination instead!

What kind of butcher shop is Ari Chuksan on Gangbyeon-ro in Cheongpyeong?

That's how we ended up at Ari Chuksan, a well-known local butcher shop in Cheongpyeong and Gapyeong. The biggest thing that struck me on this visit was that it's not just a place that sells meat! From hanwoo (Korean beef) to Australian beef, pork, lamb, all kinds of marinated meats and offal — the variety was pretty impressive, and you could actually see the meat and choose the exact cut you wanted~~

Tuesday pork day, Thursday beef day at Ari Chuksan

The sign out front read 'Ari Chuksan Wholesale & Retail,' and I thought it seemed especially well suited to people prepping meat for a pension stay or camping trip~ Ari Chuksan also runs events by day of the week~ Tuesday is pig-butchering day, when they hand out free skin and offal, and Thursday is cattle-butchering day, when they sell yukhoe (raw beef) and sashimi and also offer free liver and tripe.

Free delivery on orders over ₩70,000

They also do delivery orders~ Orders over ₩70,000 ship free, and they said customers who first buy in-store often end up ordering again by delivery once they're home!! It's such a cheap Gapyeong butcher shop that even I wanted to become a delivery customer

Cuts and price tags in the showcase

Everything from hanwoo to Australian beef was laid out, with a wide range of choices from thick steak-worthy cuts to thinner ones perfect for grilling~~

Some of the cuts in the photos had such clear marbling that my mouth was watering~haha The LA-style short rib flap (LA kkotgalbisal) looked amazing too haha Every cut had its own price tag, which made it really easy to shop within budget!

On top of that, they said they carry specialty cuts you don't usually find all in one place at a regular supermarket — tomahawk, pork tomahawk, kkodeulsal (also called deolmisal), baekkopsal (belly button cut), woodae galbi, lamb ribs, lamb skewers, and more.

Charcoal and sauces too: one-stop shopping for a pension barbecue

When you're doing barbecue, you're going to need charcoal, and instead of buying it overpriced at the pension, you can pick some up at Ari Chuksan too~ On top of that, you could grab all kinds of sauces, onions, gim (seaweed), and even frozen food all in one place, which was so convenient. Next time I'm in Gapyeong, I'm 100% coming back to Ari Chuksan to shop!!

After the meat, people often go for sausages as a follow-up snack, but I think grabbing some smoked duck or smoked pork neck would make a great treat too~~

Free salt, sauce and hanwoo beef tendon

At Ari Chuksan, when you buy meat, they generously throw in salt and sauces — that's just Gapyeong hospitality for you~ Even just changing the salt or sauce can completely change how the meat tastes, so I really appreciated that they didn't skimp on these extras haha

The owner threw in hanwoo suji (Korean beef tendon) for free too ㅠㅠ He told us it gets chewy and delicious in soup, but we're planning to put it in curry and tteokbokki instead

Today's picks: wagyu ribeye and marbled wagyu skirt steak

The meat for the campsite tonight was wagyu chuck flap tail (kkotdeungsim) and wagyu gomarbeul skirt steak~~~ Beef really is the way to go on a trip!! Ari Chuksan, the absolute best!!!

Let's check out the skirt steak first! That deep red, chewy-looking flesh is truly the best!! Skirt steak is one of my absolute favorite specialty cuts~~

The thinly sliced skirt steak started cooking fast the moment it hit the pan, and watching the red meat turn brown as it took on the heat looked absolutely delicious.

The wagyu ribeye had more thickness to it, so it grilled up beautifully~ Even the sizzling sound was different — this is Ari Chuksan's ribeye.

Once it got nicely golden-brown and crisp, we cut it into bite-sized pieces and dipped it in herb salt. So tender, with juices overflowing — this is Ari Chuksan beef enjoyed as a Gapyeong pension barbecue~

What to check when choosing a butcher shop in Gapyeong

If you're looking for a butcher shop in Gapyeong, it's important not to just go by price — you should also consider the quality of the raw meat, whether you can get the exact cut you want, and whether you can pick up vegetables and sauces to go with it all in one place, and Ari Chuksan was convenient on all those fronts~~ Personally, after grilling and eating the meat myself, I completely understood why people keep coming back or ordering by delivery haha

Browsing the refrigerated showcase and picking out cuts we wanted to eat on this trip together with family was genuinely fun, which made this Gapyeong pension trip extra special. If you're heading to Cheongpyeong or Gapyeong, I'd recommend stopping by this Gapyeong butcher shop to stock up on meat for your stay!!!