Gapyeong butcher shop for electric-grill barbecue: Ari Chuksan

On a trip to a pension in Gapyeong with my children, I stopped by Ari Chuksan to buy meat for a barbecue. I explained that we would be using an electric grill at our accommodation, chose the thickness of the samgyeopsal, and also bought Korean beef upjinsal and Australian Wagyu skirt steak.

Where is Ari Chuksan, and when can you visit?

The address is 23 Gangbyeon-ro, Cheongpyeong-myeon, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea (경기 가평군 청평면 강변로 23 1층). It is on the road toward the Jojongcheon Stream, and I found it by searching for Ari Chuksan in my navigation app.

At the time of my visit, the posted hours were 9:00 AM to 8:50 PM daily. I was told to pull up briefly in front of the store while making my purchase.

What meats are available at the shop?

The shop was fairly spacious and had a wide selection of meat. Meat was being prepared on one side, and I liked that the work area was visible and the interior was clean.

The refrigerated display case held Korean beef grade 1++ upjinsal, striploin, sirloin, boneless short rib, and more. The shop explained that it purchases Korean beef directly at auction and butchers it in-house.

Another display case had imported boneless short rib and skirt steak, Wagyu ribeye, and lamb chops. Along with beef, I could choose domestic samgyeopsal, pork neck, thin-sliced galbi, and back ribs.

Samgyeopsal was divided by thickness, from thin 5 mm cuts to thick cuts over 2 cm. I liked being able to choose according to the cooking equipment at the accommodation. Thick Korean pork tomahawk cuts and specialty cuts were also packaged and available.

There were also whole pork belly cuts for suyuk (boiled pork) or stew, as well as rear cuts. Everything was organized by cut, which made it easy to browse and choose.

Frozen products included portioned pork skin, Korean beef brisket, imported flat iron steak, thinly sliced beef belly, and thinly sliced samgyeopsal.

Can you also buy vegetables and barbecue supplies?

They also sold vegetables to eat with meat, including lettuce, perilla leaves, peppers, and mushrooms. Shredded scallions were ₩500 including sauce. Being able to pick up both meat and side ingredients in one place made shopping convenient.

There was fresh wasabi, cham sauce, ssamjang, herb salt, suyuk sauce, and salted seafood. Packaged pork wang-gui, beef bulgogi, smoked duck, and Korean pork gochujang stir-fry were also available, and I was told the marinated meats were made in-house. Barbecue grills and charcoal could be purchased as well.

Ready-to-eat foods for an easy meal at the pension, along with frozen processed chicken products such as drumsticks, wings, and chicken feet, were also displayed.

What reservation benefits and purchase services were offered at the time?

The shop stated that customers who reserved through Naver and visited would receive lettuce, shredded scallions, salt, and sauce. When we bought our meat, we received two cham sauces and two salts, which was enough for the two adults who used the sauce.

Mail-order purchase was also available, with free shipping for purchases over ₩70,000. I was told that mail orders also included salt and sauce as a service.

I was told that joining as a member and collecting points brought benefits based on the number of points earned.

The shop also stated that Nonghwal gift certificates, Gapyeong gift certificates, and ZeroPay could be used.

According to the shop, Tuesday and Wednesday were pig-processing days, and Thursday was a cattle-processing day. On those days, it said it gave complimentary offal such as pork skin or liver and cheonyeop (beef omasum); on cattle-processing days, yukhoe (Korean beef tartare) and yuk sashimi were sold. I also heard that samgyeopsal, pork neck, and other items were discounted on Fridays and Saturdays.

Which meats did I choose for an electric grill?

We chose samgyeopsal cut over 1 cm thick, Korean beef upjinsal, and Australian Wagyu highly marbled skirt steak. It was more than enough for two adults and two children, who were four and two years old at the time. The price felt low for the amount, but I did not record the purchase weight or total cost.

When I said we would use an electric grill at the accommodation, the owner recommended either 5 mm or medium-thickness, 1 cm samgyeopsal. I chose samgyeopsal slightly thicker than 1 cm. I also liked the ratio of fat to lean meat.

How did the barbecue taste at the pension?

We grilled the beef first. The Korean beef upjinsal was tender, and the Australian Wagyu skirt steak also had a tender texture and good juices. The children especially enjoyed the Korean beef upjinsal.

The samgyeopsal we grilled next was juicy when chewed, savory and pleasantly chewy without any off smell. It was still delicious even after the beef. Everyone in the family ate generously, so I was satisfied with this pension barbecue shopping trip.

Where can you check discounts and delivery updates?

Ari Chuksan stated that its KakaoTalk channel shares shop news, including discount events and cattle-processing days.