Gajeong Station, Incheon Korean BBQ: sea salt first bite, Heukdwaeji

This time I'm introducing a spot for anyone hunting for good food near Gajeong Station or in Ruwon City!! It's Heukdwaeji Hyeongjedeul Gajeong Ruwon City Main Branch!! haha

Where is Heukdwaeji Hyeongjedeul Gajeong Ruwon City, and when is it open?

Heukdwaeji Hyeongjedeul Gajeong Ruwon City Main Branch is located at 15 Yeomgok-ro 464beon-gil, Seohae-gu, Incheon, South Korea, 1F units 101, 102, 103. Weekday hours are 16:30-24:00, weekend hours are 12:00-24:00, with last order at 23:00.

• Address: 15 Yeomgok-ro 464beon-gil, Seohae-gu, Incheon, South Korea, 1F units 101, 102, 103
• Hours: Weekdays 16:30-24:00 (last order 23:00) / Weekends 12:00-24:00 (last order 23:00)
• Amenities: Group seating, reservations, WiFi, separate restrooms, parking

It's close enough to Gajeong Station to walk, and the restaurant building has plenty of parking, so parking is also easy~! haha

The place was really clean, and since it specializes in charcoal grilling, the whole charcoal-fire vibe combined with genuinely delicious black pork neck and belly makes it perfect for drinks with friends or colleagues haha

Menu and what we ordered: the 62,000-won yukbaegi set

Looking at the menu, the mains are sets like yukbaegi and sabaegi (black pork neck + belly combos), plus you can order à la carte pork neck, ogyeopsal (belly), jowl, raw pork skin and more depending on what you're in the mood for!! haha

And they also had mooksabal, mul-naengmyeon, bibim-naengmyeon, which was nice!

We ordered the 62,000-won yukbaegi~!! The set comes with thick-cut pork neck, so think of it as good for 2-3 people!!

Steamed egg is also included in the set so you can eat plenty, and we also ordered their signature gochujang jjigae loaded with raw black pork, which was really delicious!! haha

4-year homemade doenjang ssamjang, house-made broth and the self-serve side dish bar

Heukdwaeji Hyeongjedeul Gajeong Ruwon City Main Branch serves generous side dishes too — wild garlic (myeongi namul), kimchi, salad, and various sauces! You can also grab extra sides at the self-serve bar, so it felt really abundant haha

The ssamjang (dipping sauce) at this Ruwon City BBQ restaurant is also made from 4-year-old homemade doenjang, so the deep flavor was outstanding!

The salad dressing is also handmade, and the broth for the mooksabal is separately made in-house, so it definitely tasted noticeably cleaner and more refreshing!! haha

The yacon noodles use handmade broth and handmade dadegi (chili paste), so if you love naengmyeon, you have to try it!

Charcoal-grilled 80% before serving: why your clothes don't smell

The owner first brought out the thick raw pork and showed it to us at the table! The color of the meat itself was really something special!! haha

The meat has great value for money, and since it's aged for a long time, the color was a pretty pink, just like beef haha

A distinctive feature of Heukdwaeji Hyeongjedeul Gajeong Ruwon City Main Branch is that the meat is nearly 80% cooked on the owner's own private charcoal grill before it's brought to your table!

That means there's basically no worry about your clothes smelling like meat, and you can focus purely on eating!

The first bite of thick pork neck dipped in brine-free sea salt

The salt used for grilling is brine-free sea salt (gansu-ppaen cheonilyeom), so instead of bitterness, it has a distinctly sweet salt flavor!! haha

Grilled over charcoal, it's full of smoky aroma, so the moment it arrives at the table, it's just so lovely to look at haha

The belly in particular has that full smoky flavor you'd get camping, which I think makes it even more beloved!

Because it's grilled over such strong charcoal heat, the inside stayed moist with the juices alive!!

And above all, the pork neck came cut extra thick, with great chew and outstanding juiciness!

For the first bite I dipped it only in that salt I mentioned, and the juices burst out while the charcoal aroma came through — the flavor was just incredible!! haha

And the meljeot (fermented anchovy sauce) came out simmering hot with zero fishy smell, so eating it with the garlic inside was really delicious too!

The raw black pork quality is so good that it was amazing even just dipped in plain ssamjang or shiitake wasabi sauce!!

If you look at the cross-section in the photo, you can see it's grilled medium-rare just like a steak, with the juices practically dripping — the meaty aroma was so good too!! haha

The belly in particular had a great balance of fat to lean meat, so you could taste the juiciness and the savory fat at the same time — I think I'll have to come back here whenever I'm craving belly!! haha

The signature black pork gochujang jjigae

Everything was really delicious, and above all, the quality of the thick black pork neck and belly was fantastic, so I felt very satisfied with the meal!!

The signature gochujang jjigae is also loaded with plenty of black pork, and it's really stew-style with a thick broth that goes perfectly with plain white rice haha

With such a rich, deep broth and so much filling, it would be great to order just this on its own as a drinking snack!! haha

I'm planning to come back soon with a friend who lives in Ruwon City for more meat and a soju-beer combo!! haha