Charcoal-grilled black pork in Seohae, Incheon: Heukdwaeji Hyeongjedeul

After work, an evening of beautifully grilled meat and a cold glass of soju with my husband is my little healing time, so we visited Heukdwaeji Hyeongjedeul Gajeong Ruwon City Main Branch (흑돼지형제들 가정루원시티본점), close to home 👋

It was easy to find, right near Exit 3 of Gajeong Station on Incheon Subway Line 2, in the heart of Ruwon City’s restaurant district.

Ruwon City Korean barbecue restaurant atmosphere and private room

My husband and I arrived at around 6 p.m., and the place was already buzzing with guests enjoying drinks with their meals 👀 The modern interior was kept so neat that, even as a Korean barbecue restaurant, it felt especially comfortable and clean. It’s a great Gajeong-dong spot in Incheon for work dinners, dates, or family gatherings.

There was a private room in a separate space, and it was easy to see why this place is already known as a private-room restaurant for Ruwon City work dinners in Incheon. It looked ideal for all kinds of gatherings. 📍For private-room reservations, please contact the restaurant 👋

Heukdwaeji Hyeongjedeul menu and our order

The signature dishes are Jirisan black pork neck, Jirisan black pork five-layer belly, Jirisan black pork jowl, Jirisan black pork skin, charcoal-grilled boneless chicken feet, and black pork gochujang-jjigae (Korean chili paste stew).

• Jirisan black pork neck, 2 servings (400 g), ₩42,000
• Jirisan black pork skin, ₩9,000
• Mul-naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles), soju, and soft drinks

7-day low-temperature-aged Jirisan black pork neck

The reason Heukdwaeji Hyeongjedeul is known as a Ruwon City meat restaurant is that you can taste Jirisan black pork that has been low-temperature aged for 7 days 🐽

Using steak-level grilling techniques, they grill the meat themselves over charcoal at one side of the dining room. Not having to struggle over the grill at the table was so convenient 👍

The owner grilled it for us personally, and the key was sealing in the juices while creating distinct grill marks on the outside 👀 Just watching the scissors go through it, I could tell how tender the aged meat was!

Before long, the beautifully cooked pork neck arrived. Can you see how different the color alone looks~?

For the first bite, I dipped it in salt. This sun-dried salt had been drained of bittern for over 5 years, so it had a subtle sweetness without bitterness and really brought out the pork’s naturally nutty flavor.

Because it was grilled over high charcoal heat to lock in the juices, it was on another level from pork neck I’d had elsewhere 🥩 It was tender and full of juice when I bit into it—really like eating a steak! It was so delicious 👍👍👍

Accompaniments with meljeot and handmade sauces

The steamed egg and muksabal (chilled acorn jelly soup) served as basic sides were perfect to enjoy between bites. From the dressings and sauces to the broth, the owner makes everything carefully by hand.

The meljeot (fermented anchovy sauce) served alongside is seasoned in-house with large anchovies from Yeonggwang, Jeolla-do, so it has less of a fishy taste. It had a pleasant savory richness, about like braised fish, and even I—someone who usually can’t eat much meljeot—enjoyed it so much.

The handmade ssamjang (savory soybean dipping paste), made with aged-house doenjang, and the cabbage wraps, steamed rather than boiled so they stayed crisp, went wonderfully with the meat.

It was my first time trying shiitake mushroom wasabi. The mushroom texture was fun, and the wasabi cut through the richness of the pork, so I could enjoy it deliciously right to the end.

Pork skin and mul-naengmyeon, too

And soju, which you simply can’t leave out with meat 🍶 As we ate, we wanted a little more, so we also ordered pork skin and mul-naengmyeon.

The pork skin was crisp outside and chewy inside, and dipping it in soybean powder doubled the nutty flavor 🥢 The handmade naengmyeon broth, simmered with Korean beef marrow bones and assorted bones, was clean yet deeply savory. ✨️

Overall visit review

• A private-room restaurant that is great for work dinners and family gatherings
• A Ruwon City Korean barbecue restaurant that is great for dates thanks to its grilling service
• A satisfying Seohae-gu meat restaurant, with high-quality pork and carefully made sauces

I recommend Heukdwaeji Hyeongjedeul Gajeong Ruwon City Main Branch, a Ruwon City meat restaurant in Incheon where the meat stays juicy because it is grilled for you, and the handmade side dishes and sauces are excellent 👋