Hoengseong hanwoo butcher shop: 1++ rib flap meat for a pension grill

Hi everyone, it's Keeny.

Today I'm sharing a butcher shop I stopped at while doing a budget trip around Hoengseong — I was looking for meat to grill at a dog-friendly private pension, and this place totally satisfied me! The meat quality was great (1++, marbling 9) and the price was solid too, so I've decided this is a must-stop whenever I need meat in Gangwon,!!

Hoengseong Hanu Jeongyukjeom: location, hours and parking

Hoengseong Hanu Jeongyukjeom is located at 10 Munhwacheyuk-ro, Hoengseong-eup, Hoengseong-gun, Gangwon. Hours are 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM, and parking is available right in front of the shop.

• Location | 10 Munhwacheyuk-ro, Hoengseong-eup, Hoengseong-gun, Gangwon, South Korea
• Hours | 7:00 AM - 8:00 PM
• Parking | Available in front of the shop

It's a butcher shop tucked in an apartment complex's shopping strip, but even from a distance the entrance looked clean and pretty like a restaurant. You could really tell the owner put a lot of care into the shop, so I was in a great mood just walking in!

Hoengseong's oldest butcher shop: 40 years, second generation

With such a nice exterior, I thought it might be a newly opened shop, but it turns out it's the oldest butcher shop in Hoengseong, run by the second generation for over 40 years. I heard that two generations of butchery and aging know-how let them offer affordable, fresh hanwoo (Korean beef), so I was really looking forward to tasting the meat!! And in the end, it exceeded expectations!!!

Inside the shop and the open meat-prep counter

Walking inside, the interior was 'clean' in the purest sense... the meats were neatly displayed by type, easy to browse. What caught my eye most was the open meat-prep area! Two or three staff members were constantly cutting meat, and seeing them work in such a clean environment gave me 200% trust in the hygiene. The owner was also super friendly!

1++ rib flap meat with marbling 9 at 20,500 won per 100g

They had everything from fresh to frozen to vacuum-packed meat, such a great variety! For our meat-loving Joey, who loves beef that melts in your mouth, we picked Hoengseong hanwoo rib flap meat (1++ grade, marbling score 9).

At ₩20,500 per 100g for grade 1++ (marbling 9), I thought the value was truly amazing. Inside the pack was a mix of rib, rib flap meat, and rib meat, so buying one pack felt like getting a mini assorted set! This is a butcher shop, so you buy the meat and grill it yourself — we took ours back to the pension and grilled it along with eel we'd brought.

Why rib flap meat suited even a child's palate

Joey usually won't eat meat unless it's cut into small pieces...ㅡㅡ But surprise, this time she grilled meat with us and used her chopsticks to eat fairly large pieces herself, so happily! I think she ate almost the whole portion of rib flap meat by herself haha

This beef is the tastiest

After finishing, she said, "This beef is the tastiest" 👍 It was tender and delicious, so I guess it was just right for a kid's taste!

Free gomguk for a Naver review, plus soup meat for miyeokguk

Oh, and if you write a Naver review, they give you gomguk (bone broth), so definitely grab yours if you visit! Joey loves gomguk so much, and she ate the meat so happily, that on the way home the next day we stopped by again and bought more gomguk plus 3 packs of soup meat haha. We used the soup meat to make a whole pot of miyeokguk (seaweed soup), and both Joey and mom and dad ate until we were full. The broth was rich, so it turned out really delicious!

Second visit: yukhoe tasting and the gomguk broth

On our second visit, the owner gave us yukhoe (Korean beef tartare) to try... wow, the yukhoe was genuinely amazing ㅠㅠ We didn't have time to eat right away so we couldn't buy any that time, but we've decided to definitely get yukhoe on our next visit! As for the gomguk, once we boiled it at home, the broth was truly milky white and deep in flavor.

When we put the leftovers in the fridge, they set like jelly, wobbly and firm — did you know that? I looked it up, and apparently when you simmer beef bones for a long time with no additives, the collagen from the meat and bones turns into gelatin, which sets like jelly at fridge temperature! Proof of a truly rich broth?!! 👏

Is Hoengseong Hanu Jeongyukjeom worth a stop? Final verdict

The meat quality was great and the shop was so hygienic that I'd give it a 1000% return visit. If you're traveling and want to buy delicious hanwoo, stop by and stock up on both great meat and gomguk! Highly recommend this hanwoo spot in Hoengseong!