Goyang Korean BBQ with terrace seats, soju and beer: Dokbul Janggun

When I think of eating meat in Ilsan, samgyeopsal (pork belly) or mokssal (pork neck) usually comes to mind first. But this time I was craving something a bit different, so I headed to Dokbul Janggun Ilsan Baekseok Branch, a local favorite. This is a place where you can try cuts with completely different textures — kkodeulsal, hangjeong, nakyeopsal — which had me curious for a while. And the fact that they age their pork for 72 hours was something I, as someone who loves aged meat, just couldn't pass up :3

Can you walk from Baekseok Station to Dokbul Janggun, and is there parking?

Dokbul Janggun Ilsan Baekseok Branch is within walking distance of Baekseok Station, so I left my car and walked there that day. There's no large parking lot — just enough space in front for about one car — so parking could be a bit tricky. If you can, walking from nearby or taking public transport, like I did, seems more convenient.

Walking in, the vibe was perfect for relaxed eating and drinking. Rather than an overly styled BBQ restaurant, it had a friendly atmosphere that let you focus on the meat itself. It seemed like a great spot to meet friends in the evening or grab a drink after work. We sat at a terrace table :)

What comes in the Dokbul72 Aged Jeju Platter 600g for 56,000 won?

Looking over the menu, we went with the Dokbul72 Aged Jeju Platter 600g, ₩56,000. I prefer tasting a little of several cuts rather than sticking to one, so this Jeju Platter setup was exactly my style. It comes with 200g of kkodeulsal (chewy pork), 200g of hangjeong (pork jowl), and some nakyeopsal (pork skirt), all at a discounted price compared to ordering each separately — a solid way to start if it's your first visit.

The side dishes and cheonggukjang at Dokbul Janggun

The side dishes laid out before the meat arrived were pretty substantial too. There was tangy, refreshing house-made mul kimchi (water kimchi), along with scallion shreds and pickled chili strips that were great to nibble on between bites of meat. On top of that, there was salted hairtail intestines, roasted glasswort salt, wasabi, garlic, and ssamjang, so even a single bite of meat could be mixed and matched in different ways.

And what stuck with me almost as much as the meat was the cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew). Usually the stew that comes standard at a BBQ place is just an afterthought, right? But one spoonful of this changed my mind. It had a properly deep, nutty flavor without being too salty or sharp, so my spoon kept going back for more. A spoonful while waiting for the meat to cook, another spoonful between bites of meat — before I knew it, the bowl was nearly empty. Honestly, I think the cheonggukjang was the hidden star of the table that day.

Kkodeulsal, hangjeong and nakyeopsal: how the textures differ

Finally, we put the Dokbul72 Aged Jeju Platter on the grill. We started with kkodeulsal, and one bite told me exactly why it's named that. Unlike soft, tender meat, it had a distinctly chewy, springy texture. It wasn't tough though — the more you chewed, the nuttier it got, so I kept reaching for more.

I especially liked dipping the kkodeulsal in just a bit of glasswort salt. Rather than loading it with sauce right away, eating it this way let the aged meat's flavor really come through. Hangjeong felt completely different. As the fat and lean meat blended together, a juicy, nutty flavor came through strongly, and once it was grilled to a golden brown with a touch of wasabi on top, it was clean and free of any greasiness. It also paired well with scallion shreds or a bit of pickled chili strips on top.

Soju and beer with 72-hour aged Jeju pork

After eating this much, I couldn't not order some drinks. We ordered both soju and beer and had a proper drink. Taking a bite of nicely grilled aged meat followed by a cold sip of beer was such a great combo, and the nutty hangjeong and kkodeulsal went really well with soju too. With the cheonggukjang there, we barely needed a separate side dish for the soju.

That day wasn't the kind of visit where you rush through a meal and leave — we grilled the meat slowly, had a drink of soju, and cooled off with beer in between, enjoying a good evening. Meat this good really does make the drinks go down smoothly, haha. It struck me as a solid spot for a relaxed drink with friends near Baekseok Station too.

Nakyeopsal was fun to compare against the other two cuts. It was relatively lean with a good bite and a distinct meaty aroma, so cycling through all three cuts meant the 600g never got boring.

So I actually think if it's your first time here, the Jeju Platter set is the better choice over ordering just one cut. You get to compare the different flavors and textures of kkodeulsal, hangjeong, and nakyeopsal all in one sitting.

Free gyeranjjim from the receipt review event

We also received a steamed egg (gyeranjjim) through the receipt review event that day. Fluffy, warm gyeranjjim is always a welcome addition when eating meat. Taking a bite of soft egg after the salty, savory meat felt like a palate reset, and it paired well with the Jeju Platter too. It was also great for spooning up in between drinks. Overall, Dokbul Janggun felt less like a simple large-portion BBQ place and more like a spot for enjoying a variety of specialty cuts.

Is Dokbul Janggun in Goyang worth a visit?

The 72-hour aged meat came in different textures like kkodeulsal, hangjeong, and nakyeopsal, and with various ways to pair each bite — glasswort salt, salted hairtail intestines — I never got tired of it, even down to the last piece. On top of that, the unexpectedly delicious cheonggukjang and a drink of soju and beer made for a properly enjoyable evening.

Parking isn't easy here, worth keeping in mind, but since I walked there it wasn't much of an inconvenience for me — if anything, it made drinking easier. If you're craving something a bit different from plain samgyeopsal, or want good meat and a soju near Baekseok Station, Dokbul Janggun Ilsan Baekseok Branch's Dokbul72 Aged Jeju Platter is worth trying.