So what is a SamGyupSal (sam-gyup-sal / 삼겹살) party you ask?
SamGyupSal is the korean word for bacon. In a Western kitchen, bacon is commonly used for hamburgers, pizza, appetizers, and in wide variety of dish to bring a bold taste or to simply satisfy your appetize. A different way to eat bacon is the Korean style.

Samgyupsal is one of the preferred choice of meat in Korea due to the lower price per unit compared to other types of meat and fish, and best of all, it tastes really great.

More the merrier especially in a dinner table.
Saymgyupsal party is a gathering of families and/or friends usually for dinner at home or at a restaurant. If there are more than enough samgyupsar to feed all the hungry people, you can officially call the dinner a "samgyupsal party."
The main dish, samgyupsal (how'd you read my mind). Within each tables, there is a roasting pan, usually round-shaped electronic pan that heats the fresh meat and vegetables.

The side dishes include a bowl of rice (the main source of every Korean meal plus kimchi), hot red bean paste, and lots of vegetables. You'll find a wide selections of vegetables which are essential for the party. In one plate, you'll find sliced jalepenos and garlics. In another plate, stacks of fresh cilantros, lettuces, and ggatnip (can't remember the english term). In a small bowl, a combination of sesame oil, salt, and pepper to dip your samgyupsal.


How do you prepare the samgyupsal feast?
Visit a local Korean supermarket and run to the meat section and not walk. You'll want an early exercise before you consume delicious yet high-calorie meat. Once you get to the meat department, you'll see at least two to three different samgyupsals you can choose from. One is the regular kind you see at all supermarkets (even in American). In a Korean supermarket, you may find something called "HeukDaeGee" samgyupsal. HeukDaeGee means a mountain boar. You can see the difference when compared to each other. The packaged HeukDaeGee samgyupsar costs more, contains less fat (the white parts) within each slices, and sliced larger in size compared to the traditional samgyupsar.
I recommend getting both if this will be your first samgyupsal party but if you're a regular and have not tried the HeukDaeGee samgyupsal, you're missing out! Get it now! HeukDaeGee samgyupsal tastes much better and contains less fat.

When selecting your packaged samgyupsal, you should carefully peruse the freezer container (the samgyupsar needs to be frozen at all time and thawed 30 minutes prior to the cook) to select the best quality. To select the best tasting package, you need to observe the color of the samgyupsal. The more red in color, the better and fresher the quality. Squeezing the meat will do not good because they are all frozen. However, there are exceptions. I've visited a Korean supermarket myself to refill the samgyupsals and there are unfrozen packages. These samgyupsar packages are not frozen but chilled at a very cool temperature to keep the meat very tender and fresh red in color. You can feel the firmness of the meat. I recommend selecting the unfrozen packages. The price might be a tad higher but you get what you pay for.

You would then head over to the vegetable aisle and grab the freshest lettuces, ggatnip, cilantros, jalepenos, and garlics. Grab just enough to feed yourself and your guests. Then finally walk over to sauce aisle in the supermarket. You will need to search for hot red bean paste, known as "GoChooJang." [A Photo will be posted at a later date] GgoChooJang is not cheap. Depending on the size you're getting, some goes over $10 dollars for the package. There are many to choose from and I'll list my recommendations at a later date too. Choose something small for now so it will not go over your budget.


Originally posted on 14th December 2005 - 10:49 AM in the Resource forum.
http://www.kwak.org/info/index.php?showtopic=146
SamGyupSal (Korean Bacon) Party