3 underrated dishes you should order at a Korean barbecue restaurant, according to a top Korean chef

Chef Samuel Kim of Baekjeong shared his favorite underrated Korean barbecue dishes with B-17.

There are classic Korean barbecue dishes that everyone knows and loves, from the ribeye and short rib meats to traditional banchan like japchae and kimchi.

But a KBBQ restaurant is also the perfect place to try something different. So we asked Chef Samuel Kim, the senior director of culinary operations for Baekjeong, to share some of his favorite dishes.

Kim, who is about to open his eighth Baekjeong location, wants to introduce more people to Korean barbecue. He told us his red flags to look out for in a KBBQ restaurant and the dishes he always orders (and skips).

Now, Kim is revealing three underrated dishes that he believes everyone should try.

Order pork jowl over pork belly

Kim said Baekjeong helped introduce pork jowl to the Korean barbecue market.

“I actually prefer pork jowl over pork belly, which is the more popular cut,” Kim told B-17. “It lends really well to the hot quick grill and it’s just a delicious cut of meat.”

The pork jowl at Baekjeong.

And Kim believes it’s crucial to add pork to your KBBQ order.

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

Never skip on outside skirt steak

Kim said outside skirt steak is one of his favorite cuts of beef at KBBQ.

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

There are two types of skirt steak, inside and outside, but they aren’t interchangeable.

The prime outside skirt steak at Baekjeong.

“You definitely don’t want the inside skirt steak, that’s like taco meat,” Kim said. “Outside skirt is a much more tender piece of meat. It lays above the diaphragm muscle of the cow, which gives it a really meaty and savory flavor. It’s a great cut of meat.”

If you can’t find outside skirt steak, Kim said you can’t go wrong ordering the brisket and short rib.

“I always order brisket, no matter where I go,” he added. “And short rib is the king of Korean barbecue, so I also always order short rib.”

Finish the meal with cold noodles

The radish kimchi cold noodle soup at Baekjeong.

A great Korean barbecue meal typically ends with a cold noodle soup, according to Kim.

“It’s kind of like a palate cleanser for us,” he said. “Korean food is all about balance. And when you eat a lot of protein, you want to finish with some carbs.”

Kim recommends finishing lunch or dinner with radish kimchi cold noodles if they’re on the menu.

“The noodle hits you with acidity and sweetness,” he said. “That’s intended to cut through all that richness you ate so you don’t feel so heavy after the meal.”