Yangyang barbecue first meal with pork jowl: Yeoyejeong

Starting a Yangyang trip with a meal at Yeoyejeong

To kick off my 2-night, 3-day Yangyang trip last weekend, I visited Yeoyejeong, a meat restaurant in Yangyang.

Yeoyejeong is a Yangyang meat spot that uses raw, salt-aged beef and pork. The aging concentrates the flavor, so you can enjoy meat with plenty of savory depth.

Yeoyejeong, a Yangyang meat restaurant with a generous 200g serving at a kind price

A recommended meat restaurant for a Yangyang trip: Yeoyejeong

It is located up in the mountains, but even though I visited at weekday lunchtime, there were already lots of diners. There were group gatherings, travelers, and families—and even a family who said they had come here on purpose because it is good value and delicious. That is how much of a Yangyang favorite it is.

Yeoyejeong’s recommended menu and in-store event

Recommended menu at Yeoyejeong, a Yangyang meat favorite

• Marinated galbi (Korean grilled ribs)
• Pork jowl
• Pork belly

I recommend the sweet marinated galbi, seasoned and marinated in-house, along with the chewy pork jowl with its fat nicely rendered out.

There is also an in-store event. There were event prizes and even a lucky-draw game in the middle of the dining room. The cute little event displays seemed like they would make a lovely memory for kids visiting with family, and they were fun to browse, too.

Visitors’ messages decorating the walls here and there were another cute, cozy touch. It had a vibe you would not expect from a meat restaurant. The staff were kind, and the side dishes were fresh, nicely seasoned, and tasty.

A full table of pork belly and pork jowl

Everything was set out so neatly—we were all ready for meat. Can you see how fresh and clean the lettuce is?

The bright, fresh lettuce, without a single blemish, looked as though it had been grown right there. It looked so healthy and was seriously delicious.

Pork belly ₩15,000 × 2 · pork jowl ₩18,000 · Yeoyejeong naengmyeon ₩5,000

What is the texture of salt-aged meat like?

At Yeoyejeong, the proteins in the salt-aged beef and pork are tenderized by salt, making the meat soft in the mouth when you chew. Both the pork belly and pork jowl were tender cuts that turned wonderfully chewy and bouncy on the grill.

Even without any grilling skills, it was great to get that crisp-outside, juicy-inside result you expect at a proper meat restaurant.

They say coffee-tree binchotan charcoal is used, so you can safely enjoy charcoal grilling without fat splatter.

A whole 200g portion of pork jowl—Yeoyejeong is a Yangyang meat spot that does not skimp on the meat

The chewy appeal of a 200g whole pork jowl

On Yeoyejeong’s charcoal brazier, this 200g pork jowl rendered its fat beautifully, gaining nutty flavor along with the distinctive savory depth of salt aging.

Grilling the charcoal pork belly and pork jowl ourselves

The meat was so good that, even grilling it ourselves, it tasted exactly like what you get at a famous pork belly restaurant. The outside turned crisp while the inside stayed moist; over the strong charcoal heat, the exterior cooked quickly and the juices remained intact. It really delivered that great pork belly restaurant experience.

Fresh lettuce and chewy pork jowl. No, but the pork jowl was so thick—I absolutely loved cutting it up and eating it! And what do we do about that chewy, bouncy texture? The meat was such good quality that even simply grilled with a little salt, it never became tiring; it was the kind of special bite I kept reaching for.

Still, for the final serving, pork belly—it is you!!!

The golden pork belly had a nutty meaty aroma and a gentle charcoal fragrance, and when I took a bite, the juices spread through it so moistly~~ Crispy outside, soft and chewy inside—this pork belly was so delicious that I was completely satisfied.

Finishing with Yeoyejeong naengmyeon topped with icy slush

I finished with cool naengmyeon (Korean cold noodles), chewy and topped with a thin layer of icy slush, and it really made me feel like I had eaten a great meal.

I started my 2-night, 3-day Yangyang itinerary with a hearty meal at Yeoyejeong, a Yangyang meat favorite, and had a great time on the trip. Although it is tucked away in the mountains, many people came looking for it—even locals holding group dinners—and the meat at Yeoyejeong was delicious.