Cheongpyeong butcher shop: 4 thin pork cuts for ₩30,000, Ari Chuksan

Where is Ari Chuksan, and what are its hours?

Ari Chuksan is a butcher shop at 23 Gangbyeon-ro 1F, Cheongpyeong-myeon, Gapyeong (Cheongpyeong-ri 620-1, 1F), open daily 09:00–20:50. Naver Reservation is available, and shipping is free on orders over ₩70,000.

• 📍 Location: 23 Gangbyeon-ro 1F, Cheongpyeong-myeon, Gapyeong / Cheongpyeong-ri 620-1 1F, Cheongpyeong-myeon, Gapyeong
• ⏰ Hours: Daily 09:00–20:50
• ✔️ Naver Reservation available
• ✔️ Free shipping on orders over ₩70,000

With weather like this being perfect for a one-night trip near Seoul, I went camping in Gapyeong. Before check-in, while looking for a mart near Cheongpyeong Station that sells barbecue meat, I found out about this butcher shop and stopped by Ari Chuksan in Cheongpyeong.

This Cheongpyeong spot turned out to be a great place for travelers like me — staying at a Gapyeong pension or camping — to buy barbecue meat. They also supply meat to other Gapyeong pensions and 'ppajis' (river pool huts). On the day I visited, there were plenty of customers buying barbecue meat too.

Buying small portions of each cut at the counter

Ari Chuksan lets you buy small portions of various pork and beef cuts already set up for grilling, which made it a great Cheongpyeong butcher shop for travelers wanting to try a few different cuts in just-right amounts for one meal.

Big marts are fine too, but the meat here looked especially fresh because it's a dedicated butcher shop, and I liked that there was such a wide variety of raw cuts.

Along with the whole pork belly and shoulder you'd expect for outdoor barbecue, they had reasonably priced pork tomahawk already trimmed for grilling, plus specialty pork cuts displayed separately from the belly — so you could mix and match a combo platter to your taste. Since I love the chewy kkodeul-sal cut, I grabbed some right away.

Why you can skip the mart near Cheongpyeong Station

Beyond grilling cuts of pork and beef, Ari Chuksan also carries meat for bulgogi and braised galbi, plus side dishes like myeong-i namul (wild garlic leaves) and ssammu (pickled radish wraps) that go well with meat — meaning you could handle the whole barbecue in one stop without needing to find a mart near Cheongpyeong Station.

There's even boiled sliced meat (pyeonyuk), great as a camping late-night snack.

Living up to its reputation as a go-to spot for Cheongpyeong pension barbecue and camping meat, they also had small-size ssamjang, wasabi and other sauces ready to go, along with charcoal, plus fresh garnish vegetables like mushrooms, carrots and zucchini. Even if you're not there for barbecue meat, it's a proper butcher shop with duck, chicken, eggs and other fresh groceries — which explains why so many locals shop here too.

Four pork cuts and what they cost

For my first Gapyeong camping barbecue, I put together a variety of pork cuts from Ari Chuksan — four packs from thin 5mm pork belly to kkodeul-mokssal.

• Thin 5mm pork belly, about 330g — ₩10,300
• Fresh pork shoulder, about 390g — ₩10,840
• Bakpo galbi (thin-cut short rib), about 230g — ₩8,680
• Korean pork kkodeul-mokssal (chewy neck meat), about 150g — ₩6,640

I was really satisfied being able to try so many cuts in just the right amount at such a reasonable price. They even threw in some enoki mushrooms as a freebie.

How thin cuts grill on a small brazier

I grilled the shoulder first, and even at a glance the meat looked really fresh. What I also liked was that even with a small brazier, the thickness was easy to work with and grilled up nicely without any trouble.

The shoulder wasn't dry at all — it had a chewy texture that made it delicious. The price relative to the weight was great too, so if you're heading to Ari Chuksan for barbecue meat, I'd recommend grabbing the shoulder as a default pick.

How many packs are enough for two people?

Ari Chuksan's portions of specialty pork cuts turned out more generous than expected — for two people, three packs is just right, and if you want to eat meat alone without sides, four packs would be plenty.

Which cuts to order, plus Tuesday and Thursday freebies

The bakpo galbi, which I tried for the first time, was delicious too, but the cut I'd personally recommend is this kkodeul-sal. If you're looking for a crowd-pleasing pork cut at Ari Chuksan, go for the shoulder; if you like specialty cuts, grab this neck kkodeul-sal too.

Worth noting: Tuesday is pig-butchering day, so there's a free service of skin and offal, and Thursday is beef-butchering day, with free liver, tripe and more. That wraps up my very satisfied review of Ari Chuksan — a great spot to buy barbecue meat for a Gapyeong pension or camping trip.