Gapyeong butcher shop for yukhoe and one-stop groceries: Ari Chuksan

Korean beef and barbecue ingredients in one stop on a Gapyeong trip

This is a specialist butcher shop stocked with fresh Korean beef and Korean pork, specialty cuts, and sets. You can pick up all the vegetables, seasonings, and meal kits needed for a pension trip or camping in one go, along with freshly trimmed raw meat and yukhoe (Korean-style seasoned raw beef); Ari Chuksan also offers various events and delivery services! I stopped by Ari Chuksan, a butcher shop well known in Gapyeong, to have some beef on the way to a Gapyeong trip.

It is at 23 Kangbyeon-ro, Cheongpyeong-myeon, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do, and is open daily from 09:00 to 20:50. You can briefly park on the roadside or in front of the shop.

Storefront information and a neat exterior

As I arrived at the front of the shop, its clean, tidy exterior caught my eye. Banners outside include signed photos from celebrities who have visited, KakaoTalk channel event information, and details on pension and local delivery services, making things easier for visitors.

A beef display that makes cuts easy to choose

Inside, fresh cuts are clearly separated by type in the butcher cases. The beef display is neatly stocked with beautifully marbled galbisal (boneless short rib), chimasal (skirt steak), kkotdeungsim (marbled ribeye), and more, making it easy for anyone looking for Gapyeong beef to choose what they like.

Can I shop for meat, vegetables, and seasonings together?

Beyond the meat, essential barbecue vegetables such as chili peppers, garlic, shredded green onion, lettuce, and mushrooms are freshly packaged. The display across from them also has sauces, ssamjang (seasoned soybean dipping paste), seasoned seaweed, and other extras, so you can do all your shopping at once without stopping at a separate big supermarket. I loved that it really is all-in-one!

Other displays offer an appealing range of easy-to-cook grilling meats, bulbaek meat, barbecue sausages, sundae (Korean blood sausage), offal, and meal-kit products.

There are also front leg cuts, soup meat, and pork loin that work well for stew or suyuk (boiled pork slices), plus myeongi namul (pickled wild garlic leaves) and ssammu (pickled radish wraps), which pair nicely with meat.

Choosing pork for a camping or pension barbecue

At the pork counter, the seasoned whole pork belly, scored along the grain for a golden, delicious grill, immediately catches the eye. With visually striking cuts such as don mahawk, the shop is full of meats geared toward camping and pension barbecues, giving people seeking pork belly to grill in Gapyeong plenty of choice.

Korean beef omakase and made-to-order yukhoe

The Korean beef section also sells a special menu called “Ari Chuksan Omakase,” featuring a varied selection of premium cuts including sirloin and boneless short rib. It is a reasonably composed set when you want to sample a little of several cuts.

Yukhoe and sashimi are neatly sliced and packed on site when you order. Being able to watch the cutting process firsthand gave me a strong sense of trust in the freshness.

Minchan’s picks: Korean beef chuck flap tail and yukhoe

• Korean beef chuck flap tail
• Yukhoe

How should you adjust the yukhoe sauce?

For reference, the yukhoe sauce is provided for 300 g. It is important to adjust it to the amount of yukhoe so it does not become too salty! The yukhoe stood out for its chewy texture and bright red color, and with the included dedicated sauce, it filled my mouth with a nutty, clean flavor without any off smell. You can enjoy high-quality yukhoe easily, without having to make a separate seasoning.

Korean beef chuck flap tail with impressive marbling

The Korean beef chuck flap tail I brought as the main dish had excellent marbling across its surface, like flowers in bloom. Sliced to a satisfying thickness, it showed off superb meat quality that locks in deep, savory juices when grilled in a pan or over charcoal.

What I thought after visiting

Meat quality and freshness: ★★★★★. The freshness of the beautifully marbled Gapyeong beef chuck flap tail and the chewy yukhoe was excellent.

Product variety and convenience: ★★★★★. From honeycomb-cut and seasoned pork belly and don mahawk to vegetables, seasonings, and meal kits, it is a great stop before visiting a Gapyeong pension.

Ari Chuksan is a Cheongpyeong favorite with fresh Korean beef, Korean pork, and everything needed for travel meals.