Butcher shop in Gapyeong for pension barbecue: Ari Chuksan

Where did I prepare meat for a Gapyeong pension barbecue?

I stopped by Ari Chuksan in Cheongpyeong to prepare dinner meat for a stay at a Gapyeong pension with my children. This time, I was there to pack pork belly and pork neck to grill over charcoal.

While deciding on dinner before the trip, I looked for a butcher shop around Cheongpyeong. Ari Chuksan is on the first floor at 23 Gangbyeon-ro, Cheongpyeong-myeon, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do.

How can you choose meat cuts and pork belly thickness?

Along with pork belly and pork neck, the display case held specialty cuts such as kkodeulsal, baekkopsal, and dokkaebisal, as well as tomahawk steaks and lamb ribs. I looked at the unfamiliar cuts with my children.

The pork belly had already been sliced by thickness. There were thick cuts for camping and thinner cuts suited to frying at home, so it was easy to choose for the intended use. We mainly chose pork belly and pork neck.

Can you buy vegetables to eat with the meat?

They also sold eggs, vegetables, and camping supplies. There were shredded scallions, onions, king oyster mushrooms, button mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, peppers, lettuce, and perilla leaves, and I felt the vegetable prices were not burdensome.

I had originally planned to visit a supermarket and a butcher shop separately, but I could do all my shopping here at once. It was convenient not to have to go to several places with the children.

What guidance did I receive when choosing meat?

The staff asked how I planned to eat the meat and recommended cuts accordingly. They also smiled and chatted with my children as we looked around the shop.

At the time of my visit, I was told that if I placed an advance order, they would include items such as lettuce or salt. I also heard that they personally butcher and trim pork on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and Korean beef and other beef on Thursdays.

How were the pork belly and pork neck grilled over pension charcoal?

After arriving at the pension, I put the meat on the charcoal grill. The thick-cut pork belly cooked crisp on the outside and moist inside. It had a good amount of fat and a savory flavor without any off smell.

The pork neck also grilled up tender. My older child wrapped it in lettuce, while my younger child picked up the meat without any side dishes. When the children asked for more, I felt I had prepared dinner well.

The dinner we shared with the children while grilling meat over charcoal became a memory from this trip.

Why would I stop by again on another pension trip?

The most convenient part for me was being able to choose the thickness of the meat for its use and prepare vegetables to eat with it in one place. If I travel to Gapyeong or Cheongpyeong again, I would like to stop by. I also became curious about the tomahawk steaks and lamb ribs I did not try this time.

On a trip with children, simply shortening the shopping route made preparations much easier. I was satisfied because the whole family enjoyed the packed pork belly and pork neck.