Korean recipe

Grilled pork belly wraps

Name: Grilled pork belly wraps
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Korean cuisine
Ingredients: 800 g skinless pork belly, sliced 8 mm thick; 240 g green-leaf lettuce, washed and dried; 60 g ssamjang; 30 g garlic, thinly sliced; 30 g green chiles, thinly sliced; 20 ml toasted sesame oil; 8 g toasted sesame seeds; 4 g fine salt; 2 g black pepper

Unmarinated pork belly is grilled until browned and safely cooked, then wrapped in lettuce with garlic, chile, and measured ssamjang.

South Korea

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 20 min
Total: 40 min
Servings: 4

Fully cooked browned pork-belly slices for Korean lettuce wraps — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by jinsoo jangSource page · Original file · CC0 1.0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

800 g
skinless pork belly, sliced 8 mm thick
240 g
green-leaf lettuce, washed and dried
60 g
ssamjang
30 g
garlic, thinly sliced
30 g
green chiles, thinly sliced
20 ml
toasted sesame oil
8 g
toasted sesame seeds
4 g
fine salt
2 g
black pepper

Method

01
Portion the pork
Cut the 8 mm pork-belly slices into 7 cm lengths and blot every surface dry. Keep refrigerated while preparing the wraps; do not season the meat yet.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Make the dipping oil
Mix sesame oil, salt, pepper, and 4 g sesame seeds in a shallow dish. Put the ssamjang in a separate bowl so diners can control both seasonings.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Prepare dry lettuce wraps
Separate the lettuce into hand-sized leaves and dry thoroughly so the wraps do not drip. Arrange with sliced garlic and chile on a clean platter kept away from raw pork.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Heat the grill pan
Heat a ridged grill pan or heavy skillet over medium-high for 4 minutes. Add one pork strip; it should sizzle immediately and release visible fat within 30 seconds.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
Grill until browned and safe
Grill in one uncrowded layer for 3–4 minutes per side, turning once. Move browned pieces to a cooler edge until the thickest reaches at least 71°C; drain excess rendered fat between batches into a heatproof container.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
06
Cut and build each wrap
Rest cooked pork 3 minutes on a clean board, cut into 3 cm pieces, and scatter the remaining 4 g sesame seeds. Place one piece in lettuce with a small dab of ssamjang, garlic, or chile; keep raw and cooked utensils separate.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Cut pieces to an even thickness and preheat the pan before the first batch so the food browns instead of steaming.
Keep the stated doneness target beside the stove; heat strength and pan size change the clock more than the recipe does.

Common mistakes

Crowding the pan drops its temperature and leaves meat pale and watery; cook in batches when the pieces overlap.
Do not keep cooking after the listed texture or safe centre temperature is reached; carryover heat continues the cooking.

Substitutions

Use thinly sliced pork shoulder instead of belly and add 10 ml neutral oil to the pan because it renders less fat.
Perilla leaves can replace half the lettuce by weight; keep them raw, washed, and thoroughly dried.

Storage

Cool within 2 hours, refrigerate airtight for up to 3 days, and reheat only once until steaming and the centre reaches 74°C.

Cultural context

Samgyeopsal-gui is usually cooked at the table and shared. Diners build one-bite ssam so pork, leaf, sauce, and aromatic garnish are tasted together.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

Samgyeopsal-gui — Photograph by jinsoo jang; CC0 1.0.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to Korean recipes

Grilled pork belly wraps

Ingredients

Method

Portion the pork

Make the dipping oil

Prepare dry lettuce wraps

Heat the grill pan

Grill until browned and safe

Cut and build each wrap

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

More Korean recipes

Vegetable bibimbap

Beef bulgogi

Korean grilled short ribs