Hoengseong butcher shop: chuck flap and bulgogi beef packed for Seoul

When you think of Hoengseong, hanwoo (Korean beef) is the first thing that comes to mind. On a recent trip there I visited Hoengseong Hanu Jeongyukjeom (횡성한우정육점), a butcher shop where you can taste really good hanwoo. I made it the last stop of my trip so I could bring the meat home and cook it properly :)

Hoengseong hanwoo favorite Hoengseong Hanu Jeongyukjeom — "A quality hanwoo butcher shop, now in its second generation!" Mon–Sun 07:00–20:00

Where is Hoengseong Hanu Jeongyukjeom, and where do you park?

You can park briefly right in front of the shop. I visited around noon on a weekday :) My first impression when I arrived was that it felt bigger than a small neighborhood butcher shop.

There was a large plaque certifying the quality, signed by the Hoengseong county governor. Somehow seeing that kind of certification made me trust the place a bit more.

Inside Hoengseong Hanu Jeongyukjeom: small packs with prices marked

Inside, Hoengseong Hanu Jeongyukjeom was clean and pleasant, with the meat displayed so it's easy to see. I really liked that everything was pre-packed into individual portions so you could check the cut and the price at a glance. Not having to ask the owner the price of every single thing was such a relief haha (moms out there know exactly what I mean ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ)

From sirloin and tenderloin to chuck flap, rib flap, soup meat, and bulgogi cuts, there was a wide range of parts on display.

Yukhoe (raw beef tartare) seemed to be popular, since the price for one pack was posted in big letters. ₩16,000 for 200g is really affordable, right?

Being a hanwoo butcher shop didn't mean it only sold hanwoo, either. They also carried pork neck and pork belly, so it seemed like a good spot to pick up other meats at the same time.

As I browsed around, I noticed there was a much wider variety of cuts than a typical butcher shop, and they were pre-packed at reasonable price points, which made it easy to pick according to my budget :) It turns out this shop is now run by the second generation. Knowing it's been running in the same spot for a long time made me trust it even more.

On one side of the shop there were sauces and seasonings you'd need when eating the meat. If there's a seasoning you need, it seems easy to pick it up at the same time.

There was also a frozen section, with things like gomtang (bone broth soup), boiled meat, ox bone, and ox feet. Simmered ox bone soup is so good, but as a working mom I can't even imagine finding the time for that ㅠㅠㅠㅠ I'd be so grateful if someone else made it for me 🤣🤣

Chuck flap and bulgogi cuts packed in a cooler bag for the drive to Seoul

After some deliberation I chose chuck flap (salchisal) and bulgogi cuts. The owner packed them so neatly. With an ice pack tucked into the cooler bag, carrying it all the way up to Seoul was no problem at all 🥰 So if you're traveling like I was, this could make a great souvenir to bring home!

Once I got the meat home safely, I pulled it out of the cooler bag. The packaging was so neat that everything was exactly as it had been when I bought it. Being sealed in packs like this also made it easy to store in the fridge.

As a complimentary extra, they'd also included sauces to eat with the meat — fresh wasabi, Himalayan pink salt, and sesame oil dipping sauce. Seeing that lineup of sauces, I thought the owners had really good taste :)

A note was included as well, explaining that you can keep the meat refrigerated as-is in its packaging, along with information about browning.

How did the chuck flap taste grilled at home?

Let me show you the chuck flap I bought first :) When I opened the pack and looked at the meat, the color looked fresh and the marbling was still lively. No matter how good the cut, meat is disappointing if it has any off smell — but I couldn't detect any at all.

I grilled the chuck flap first in a frying pan. Since it's a cut with plenty of fat, I cooked it directly in the pan with no added oil. My family prefers well-done, so I made sure it was cooked all the way through this time too haha. Cook it to your own taste ㅋㅋㅋ

Even cooked well-done, it was less tough than I expected. Maybe because of the right amount of fat marbled through the chuck flap, I could taste a nutty, savory fat flavor, and the juices still felt alive when I chewed. In a word: nutty and savory!

I also tried dipping it in the salt, wasabi, and sesame sauce they'd included. Personally, since the meat itself was so good, even just the salt alone was really delicious. My husband enjoyed it too, and our 6-year-old ate more of it than I expected, which was satisfying to see.

Bulgogi cuts marinated in homemade sauce and stir-fried

Next up is the bulgogi cut. Again, the meat itself was flawless.

I marinated it briefly in a sauce I made myself, then stir-fried it. I made a simple marinade with soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and garlic — nothing fancy, just the way we usually make it at home.

I stir-fried the bulgogi in a pan and ate it with rice, and the meat itself had a nutty, savory flavor. The texture was what you'd expect from a good bulgogi cut — not tough, and not overly dry either, easy to eat. Piled over hot rice, it made for a perfectly nutritious meal. All three of us in the family enjoyed it a lot :)

Is Hoengseong Hanu Jeongyukjeom worth a stop? Final thoughts

That wraps up my visit to Hoengseong Hanu Jeongyukjeom from this trip. If you're in Hoengseong looking for a place to buy hanwoo, this shop is worth a stop — you can see the neatly pre-packed meat and pick exactly what you want. This time I grilled it comfortably at home, but next time I think it'd be great to stop by before a camping trip too :)

• Neatly packed into individual portions, which is really convenient
• Prices are clearly labeled, which makes it even better
• Quality meat certified by the county governor!