Cheongpyeong butcher: olive-oil lamb ribs and kids' beef, Ari Chuksan

A must-stop butcher shop for any Gapyeong or Cheongpyeong trip — Ari Chuksan

My kid loves water play so much that we took a family trip to Gapyeong last week for one last splash before the season ended. It was a last-minute plan, so we packed light and figured we'd shop for everything we needed once we got there. Since we were planning to barbecue for dinner at the pension, there was no question about where to get the meat — straight to Ari Chuksan! This is the Nth time I've come back to this butcher shop, so let me introduce it properly.

Where is Ari Chuksan and what are its hours?

Ari Chuksan is located at 23 Gangbyeon-ro, Cheongpyeong-myeon, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do, on the Cheongpyeong side. It's open daily from 09:00 to 20:50, and both parking and reservations are available. It's right next to Hanaro Mart, so it's easy to pick up everything else you need at the same time.

Ari Chuksan's storefront and parking

I first stumbled onto this place by chance while traveling, and once I tasted the meat, I was hooked — now whenever I'm in the area, this is the only butcher I go to. Ari Chuksan also does delivery orders, so I love it enough to order meat by mail too! (Free shipping on orders over ₩70,000.)

It's become known by word of mouth as a spot even celebrities and influencers visit — and once you try it yourself, you get why, haha.

Inside Ari Chuksan: picking your own cuts at the counter

Ari Chuksan cares about the meat from the raw cut itself — the owner is genuinely serious about quality and flavor!

There's such a wide variety of cuts on display that every time I come, I end up grabbing one of everything. Because, well, choosing is half the fun, haha.

Today I went with lamb ribs and beef skirt...☆

They throw in salt and sauce when you buy the meat, which really cuts down on what you have to pack. The vegetables are fresh and reasonably priced too, so I end up stocking up here rather than at Hanaro Mart.

What we bought at Ari Chuksan this time

• Pork belly
• Lamb ribs
• Beef skirt

Two packs of pork belly, one pack of lamb ribs and beef skirt steak, packed to go

Beef skirt for our little one to eat :)

Ari Chuksan's pork belly is genuinely amazing, so I got two packs this time haha.

The one I was most looking forward to grilling today — lamb ribs. Since tastes can be divided on it, I started with just one pack, haha.

Grilling the lamb ribs and pork belly at the pension

We grilled the meat from Ari Chuksan right after finishing water play at the valley just in front of the pension. We were starving, so meat came before side dishes!!

You can tell how fresh it is at a glance!!! Can you see that bright red color on the beef skirt, haha?

Since the beef skirt was for our 5-year-old, I grilled it thoroughly in a frying pan.

For the lamb ribs, I first coated them well with olive oil, the way the staff had taught me.

Put the lamb ribs and pork belly on the grill and started cooking for real!

So excited for these lamb ribs!! Getting nicely browned.

Last time we went to Gangwon-do I only bought one pack and regretted it, so this time I got two packs of pork belly, haha (the pork belly the family fell for).

While the adults' meat was still grilling, I fed our hungry kid beef skirt first for dinner — she finished a whole bowl in the blink of an eye, haha.

The pork belly is definitely thick, and the juices really flow out~~~

And dinner for the adults is complete!

The meat itself is already delicious, but pairing it with lettuce wraps takes it to another level!!

The lamb ribs were as good as expected!!! Lamb has that distinctive smell that can go either way with people, but our family loved it. Dipping it lightly in cumin salt made it taste so clean and light~ I'll definitely have it again next time I'm in Gapyeong. (I really regretted only buying one pack... should've gotten two.)

Is Ari Chuksan worth a stop for pension barbecue?

Once again, I didn't forget to stop by Ari Chuksan on this trip! I could pick from pork belly to beef skirt to lamb ribs to suit everyone's taste, and they always throw in things like sauce, which really lightened our travel packing :) If you're planning a trip to Gapyeong or Cheongpyeong, I recommend Ari Chuksan for the meat you'll grill at your accommodation.