Ilsan BBQ with a surprisingly good yukhoe sampler: Baekseok Kkogijip

"Would you like it marinated?" Okay, I'm here to tell you about the insanely good BBQ place I found near Baekseok Station in Ilsan. It's Baekseok Kkogijip! I had the Hanjeon (Korean pork) grilled set that day and it was so delicious and so generous that I already want to go back. Truly a legit favorite +..+

Is Baekseok Kkogijip also good for lunch?

Baekseok Kkogijip also sells Korean dishes like yukhoe bibimbap (rice bowl with seasoned raw beef) and kimchi stew as single servings, so it seems fine as a lunch spot near Baekseok Station. It looks like a good place for a hearty, filling meal.

A Baekseok Station group-dinner BBQ where the staff grill for you

The best thing about Baekseok Kkogijip is that the staff grill the meat for you. When you go to a BBQ place with a group, tending the grill can be a distraction, but here they do it for you, so there's no worry about your clothes smelling and you can chat and eat comfortably. I really liked that.

Inside Baekseok Kkogijip

The inside is spacious and comfortable, perfect for dinner or a group gathering, and it looked like some tables were already in the middle of a company dinner.

And the quotes (?) on the wall, with some sneakily funny lines, haha.

Baekseok Kkogijip menu and the set for two

The menu runs from sets to single dishes. A set seemed like the way to try a bit of everything, so I ordered the set for two!!!

• 500g marinated pork (yangnyeom hanjeon gui)
• Sample yukhoe (seasoned raw beef)
• Kimchi stew

If you order extra meat in advance, you apparently don't have to wait for it, so that's worth knowing!

The side dishes and steamed egg come first

Myeongi namul (pickled wild garlic greens), seasoning sauce, pickled perilla leaves and lettuce, lettuce and chili peppers come as standard.

Sides like steamed egg (gyeran-jjim), corn and doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) arrive first. The main dishes hadn't even come out yet and it already felt so generous, I loved it.

The steamed egg was soft and fluffy and just slid right down. No eggy smell either. A great thing to eat before the real meal starts.

Baekseok Kkogijip's sample yukhoe: how good is a set-menu extra?

Honestly I had no big expectations for the sample yukhoe in the set for two, but the quality surprised me. The meat tasted fresh and the texture was tender, so good. Pick up a slice of pear from under the yukhoe together with some pickled radish wrap (ssambu), dip it in the egg yolk, and it's absolutely amazing.

No gamey smell, and the seasoning wasn't too sweet or too strong, just lightly salty, which lets the flavor of the yukhoe itself come through. Chewy yet tender, with real depth of flavor.

How was the 500g marinated pork?

The mains at Baekseok Kkogijip are the 500g marinated pork and kimchi stew. They told us to wait until the stew has come to a bubbling boil before eating it, and that the meat can be eaten right away.

Sweet yet salty marinated pork. No meaty smell, chewy and tender. The meat wasn't dry at all, so it's the best with rice!!

It wasn't just meat: onions, peppers and mushrooms were grilled alongside, so you can eat them with the meat. Loved that!!!

The faint smoky grill flavor was great too, and with that marinade I think a bowl of rice would vanish in seconds ㅠ..ㅠ The meat itself is so good that it's delicious on its own, and just as good with lettuce or pickled scallion salad.

Does the set's kimchi stew go well with the marinated pork?

I had no big expectations for the kimchi stew that came with the set either, but it was so good. Honestly everything was delicious... There was a lot of meat in it, so it felt generous, and if you want ramyeon noodles added, it seems they'll bring them if you ask.

The broth was tangy and spicy, just right with the meat. If the marinated pork is the sweet side, the kimchi stew is the clean, spicy side, and together they're a crazy good match ㅠㅠ

If you're looking for a BBQ place or somewhere for a group dinner near Baekseok Station, I'd absolutely recommend Baekseok Kkogijip!!!!