Which Korean dish is made by grilling pork belly slices at the table?

Which Korean dish is made by grilling pork belly slices at the table? Samgyeopsal is the answer.

The name samgyeopsal literally means “three-layer flesh,” referring to the visible layers of meat and fat in pork belly. In Korean barbecue restaurants, diners commonly cook thick slices themselves on a tabletop charcoal grill, gas burner, or slanted metal griddle.

The meat is often served unseasoned, allowing its rich fat to provide flavor. Diners wrap pieces in lettuce or perilla leaves with ssamjang, garlic, kimchi, pickled radish, or scallions. Samgyeopsal is frequently paired with soju.

A common mix-up is galbi, which usually refers to ribs, or bulgogi, which is thinly sliced marinated beef. Samgyeopsal is specifically associated with pork belly, even though the term can sometimes refer to the cut rather than the complete grilled dish.