Meats You Should Always Order at Korean BBQ, and How to Cook Them

There’s no shortage of protein choices at a Korean barbecue restaurant.

Should you go for the brisket or the short rib? And what about pork?

To help narrow down the selection, we asked chef Samuel Kim, who helped expand the Korean barbecue chain Baekjeong, to share his expertise.

Kim already told us his favorite Korean barbecue dishes, including some underrated menu items. Now, he’s revealing the meats you should always order — and how to cook them perfectly.

Never skip brisket

If you’re visiting a Korean barbecue restaurant for the first time, Kim recommends trying a combo on the menu to familiarize yourself with the offerings.

“If you’ve chosen a good restaurant, they’re going to put their combos together to showcase the meats,” he told Business Insider.

If there’s no combo available, don’t stress. Just make sure you order the brisket.

“You definitely have to order the brisket; it’s always the first meat that we start off eating at Korean barbecue,” Kim said. “They slice it very thin, and it cooks very quickly, within a minute or two, so you’re able to eat that right away. I always order brisket, no matter where I go.”

If it’s available, get the outside skirt steak

Outside skirt steak is among Kim’s favorite cuts of beef at Korean barbecue restaurants, though it’s rarely available.

“You don’t see it often on menus, but you should order it if you do,” he said.

But don’t confuse it with inside skirt steak, which Kim said is similar to “taco meat.”

“Outside skirt is a much more tender piece of meat,” he added. “It lies above the diaphragm muscle of the cow, which gives it a really meaty and savory flavor.”

If outside skirt steak is not on the menu, Kim recommends getting boneless short rib, which is always part of his KBBQ order.

Don’t forget the pork

A good Korean barbecue restaurant sequences the order of your meats based on their increasing levels of fat, according to Kim. The meal always begins with beef and finishes with pork.

“Some people will just go for beef, but pork is such an important animal to grill for us at Korean barbecue,” he said.

Pork belly is always a good choice, but Kim recommends trying pork jowl if it’s on the menu.

“It lends really well to the hot quick grill,” he said. “And it’s just a delicious cut of meat.”

And don’t be afraid of the grill

Kim said the key to perfectly cooking your KBBQ meat is to remember the golden rule of any kitchen. You want the food to be “GBD” (golden brown and delicious), so make sure the grill is nice and hot to get a good sear on the meat.

“Some people see char and think they burned the meat,” Kim said. “But if the heat on the grill is too low, they end up steaming their meat.”

You’ll know the meat is being steamed if it looks “cafeteria gray” instead of golden brown and delicious.