Gapyeong butcher shop for thick pork belly barbecue: Ari Chuksan

During my summer vacation, I stopped by Ari Chuksan (아리축산), a butcher shop in Cheongpyeong, to buy meat to grill at the pension. There were many cuts and thicknesses to choose from, along with vegetables and seasonings, so I thought it would be convenient for preparing barbecue ingredients.

Is it conveniently located on the way to a pension?

Ari Chuksan is on the first floor at 23 Gangbyeon-ro, Cheongpyeong-myeon, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do. It is close to Cheongpyeong Station and Cheongpyeong Terminal, and parking is available. The hours listed in the original post were daily from 9 a.m. to 8:50 p.m.

What barbecue cuts and thicknesses are available?

There was a wide range of meat, including pork, beef, and lamb ribs. It is said to be a butcher shop that breaks down meat itself every week before selling it.

There was also 1++-grade hanwoo (Korean beef). The meat looked good, and the prices felt reasonable to me.

There were specialty cuts such as Korean pork tomahawk, kkodeul moksal (firm pork neck), flower skirt steak, and pork jowl. There were even cuts that are hard to find at an ordinary neighborhood butcher shop, giving me plenty of choice.

They also had house-seasoned, scored pork neck, back ribs, fresh pork neck, bakpo galbi (thinly sliced marinated ribs), and beoljip samgyeopsal (honeycomb-cut pork belly). Pork belly came in several thicknesses, including 2 cm, 1 cm, and 5 mm, so I could choose based on my preference and purpose.

Beyond grilling cuts, they sold chicken gizzards, chicken feet, LA galbi, hanwoo beef tripe, beef brisket for soup, sirloin, and tenderloin. There were also pyeonyuk (pressed boiled meat), sausages, dakgalbi, webfoot octopus, cow-head meat, brisket slices, and thinly sliced pork belly, so I could look over ingredients for several meals at once.

Can you buy vegetables and barbecue seasonings too?

There were many portions of vegetables, which I thought would be good to pick up while heading straight to the pension. The vegetables looked fresh, and the prices felt reasonable.

There was also wasabi, cham sauce, ssamjang, herb salt, seasonings, and eggs. It was convenient to be able to look over ingredients to serve with the meat in one place.

How was the thick o-gyeopsal once grilled?

I bought 2 cm-thick o-gyeopsal (five-layer pork belly) for barbecue. Once grilled, it had no off smell, and I enjoyed its springy texture and juiciness.

Barbecue can be difficult to control, sometimes leaving the outside burnt while the inside is undercooked, but this time I cooked it well. Because it was scored, it seemed to cook through more easily.

What were the reservation-purchase and weekday benefits?

At the time the original post was written, the shop stated that visitors who applied for a reservation purchase through Naver Place would receive lettuce, shredded green onion, salt, sauce, and more as a service. Sale information is said to be posted on the Ari Channel on KakaoTalk.

Tuesday is pig-butchering day, when items such as pork skin are offered as a service. Thursday is cattle-butchering day, when yukhoe and sashimi are sold and items such as liver and cheonyeop (omasum) are also offered as a service. Delivery orders are available, and the post stated that delivery is free on orders of ₩70,000 or more. Next time, I would like to stop by on cattle-butchering day.