Gapyeong butcher: auction hanwoo & High Pork deolmisal, Ari Chuksan

Where to buy meat for a Gapyeong or Cheongpyeong pension trip

For meat on a Gapyeong or Cheongpyeong pension (Korean guesthouse) trip, Ari Chuksan in Cheongpyeong was the writer's answer. At first I just planned to grab something at a nearby supermarket, but the pension owner recommended it and the reviews were good, so I ended up visiting Ari Chuksan. Let me leave an honest review of this Gapyeong butcher. Conclusion first: I'd stop here again on my next Gapyeong trip, no question.

Ari Chuksan location and parking in Cheongpyeong

Ari Chuksan is a one-minute walk from Nonghyup Hanaro Mart Cheongpyeong branch, and you can stop briefly right in front of the shop. It's a perfect spot if you do your other shopping at Hanaro Mart and only come here for the meat. The meat was better than Hanaro Mart's, by my standards!

What are Ari Chuksan's opening hours?

This Gapyeong butcher is open daily 09:00–20:50. No days off, and it opens early every day, so it's easy to drop by. Buy on your way into town and you're all set!

Weekly deals: Tuesday Pig Day, Thursday Cow Day and weekend sales

• Tuesday Pig Day: free pork offal
• Thursday Cow Day: yukhoe (beef tartare) and sashimi on sale, with liver and omasum (cow stomach) as freebies
• Friday and Saturday storm sale: discounts on pork belly and pork neck

Ari Chuksan has all kinds of events going on, so keep them in mind. For people coming to a pension on the weekend, the Friday and Saturday meat discounts are a real treat.

₩500 spring onion salad and sauce: one-stop pension grocery shopping

At Ari Chuksan you can get spring onion salad and sauce for ₩500, plus lettuce and other veggies, all in one go and cheaper than at a supermarket. If you've done a pension trip, you know: it's not just meat. You need lettuce, perilla leaves, chili peppers, ssamjang (dipping paste), spring onion salad, sauces and more, so it costs more than you'd think and shopping takes a while. Famous butchers are famous for a reason, I guess.

Extra freebies when you reserve Ari Chuksan on Naver

I heard that if you reserve through Naver before visiting, Ari Chuksan gives you lettuce, spring onion salad, salt, sauce and more, so go ahead and visit with ease. For pension travelers, that's a great service.

Does Ari Chuksan really buy hanwoo at auction and butcher it in-house?

Ari Chuksan buys hanwoo (Korean beef) at auction, butchers it itself and sells it, and the meat quality was excellent. They say they don't just go for the cheapest raw meat; they pick good meat even if it costs more. So the beef is something you can really trust. Steak cuts come in plenty of varieties too, like sirloin, tenderloin, T-bone and tomahawk, which is nice when you want to treat yourself.

High Pork pork, including deolmisal (upper neck) and baekkopsal (navel cut)

I heard Ari Chuksan uses High Pork for its pork. The pork belly and pork neck came in a real range of conditions and types, and there are special cuts too, like deolmisal (neck-end meat) and baekkopsal (navel meat). I grilled it at the pension and it was delicious.

The meat quality was really good and I was satisfied. However good the service is, it means nothing if the meat is mediocre, and Ari Chuksan is a place where I really liked the condition of the meat. I ate it on the trip and the texture is amazing.

What meat does Ari Chuksan sell besides hanwoo and Korean pork?

Ari Chuksan sells a wide lineup: hanwoo, pork, imported beef, lamb, thick-cut beef ribs, lamb chops, lamb skewers, chilled imported meat and more. That made it even better for a meat run.

Homemade marinated meats at Ari Chuksan

Ari Chuksan also makes its marinated meats by hand. These days a lot of shops get cheap marinated meat from factories, but Ari Chuksan says it makes its own. Gochujang pork stir-fry, soy-marinated pork bulgogi, beef bulgogi, LA galbi (cross-cut short ribs), pork cutlets, all made in-house, so of course they taste good!

Are Ari Chuksan's vegetables, sauces and charcoal cheaper than a supermarket's?

At Ari Chuksan, veggies like Cheongyang chilies, crunchy chilies, peeled garlic, perilla leaves, lettuce, spring onion salad and mushrooms are cheaper than at a supermarket! The plus is being able to buy them easily together with your meat. If you're only coming for meat, Ari Chuksan alone is fine.

They also sell a variety of sauces: herb salt, sesame-based dipping sauce, fresh wasabi, ssamjang, suyuk (boiled pork) sauce and more. The prices are genuinely good and on the cheap side, so I'd recommend buying at Ari Chuksan rather than a supermarket~

For pension and camping travelers, they sell firestarter briquettes, charcoal and grill grates too. The prices here are very reasonable as well, so just drop by and buy.

Does Ari Chuksan ship orders by delivery?

This Gapyeong butcher takes delivery orders too, and shipping is free on orders of ₩70,000 or more. I heard many people try the meat, like it, and then order for delivery~ I liked that they say they send plenty of salt and sauce with delivery orders too. If you're coming for a Gapyeong or Cheongpyeong pension trip and buying meat, I recommend it~