Goyang Korean BBQ with hairtail fish sauce: Dokbul Janggun

I visited Dokbul Janggun Baekseok Branch, a nice place to try when you feel like having meat near Baekseok Station.

Dokbul Janggun Ilsan Baekseok Branch: location and parking

It is at 65-6 Baekseok-ro 72beon-gil, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, and its hours are 15:30–23:30. You can park on the street in front of the restaurant.

I liked it even more because the restaurant had the feel of an outdoor tent bar and a pojangmacha (Korean street-food tent).

Dokbul Special Platter and side dishes

Menu

• Dokbul Special Platter ₩56,000
• Five-layer pork belly ₩18,000
• Kkodeulsal ₩18,000

Side dishes

After we ordered the meat, the table was set with a wide variety of sides that went nicely with it.

There were scallion salad and ssam vegetables for wrapping, of course, plus pickled chili peppers, wasabi, salt, and fermented hairtail fish sauce—lots of accompaniments for enjoying the meat in different ways.

The included cheonggukjang (rich fermented soybean stew) was really nutty and deeply flavored, and it was even better when I mixed it with rice. If you enjoy fermented hairtail fish sauce with meat in particular, definitely try them together. Its salty, savory flavor went so well with the clean taste of pork.

Chewy kkodeulsal and pork jowl

Dokbul Special Platter

Finally, the meat arrived 🥩 I ordered the Dokbul Special Platter. I put the meat on the grill and cooked it until beautifully golden. That nutty aroma rising as it cooked seriously got my appetite going.

The kkodeulsal especially had such an appealing texture, true to its name. As the outside turns golden, it stays springy and pleasantly chewy with every bite.

Dipped simply in salt, you can really taste the pork's nutty flavor itself; add wasabi or fermented hairtail fish sauce, and it becomes a whole different bite.

Kkodeulsal is all about that chewy texture! Personally, it was the most memorable cut. Rather than being soft like ordinary samgyeopsal (pork belly), it has a definite bite, so I think it would really suit people who love specialty cuts.

It was nutty without being greasy, with juices and flavor coming through more and more as I chewed, so it would be wonderful with drinks too. The pork jowl was a little softer than the kkodeulsal, with that distinctive nutty richness of hangjeongsal.

Cheonggukjang with grilled meat

Cheonggukjang is such a perfect match for grilled meat. The cheonggukjang that comes with the meal was a standout too. It was nutty and savory, so taking a spoonful of rice with it between bites of meat was just perfect!

If you love specialty cuts

Overall, Dokbul Janggun Baekseok Branch felt like a Korean barbecue restaurant better suited to people who enjoy specialty cuts than a typical pork-belly place.

In particular, if you like meat with a springy, chewy bite like kkodeulsal, I think you will be very satisfied.

If you are looking for dinner near Baekseok Station, or somewhere nice to have meat and a drink with friends, I recommend Dokbul Janggun Baekseok Branch too :)