Chewy and Clean Naeng Jeyuk (Chilled Boiled Pork Slices)

Ingredients

• You can use front shoulder or hind leg, but be sure to choose a cut with the skin on so that it turns out chewy and rich when served chilled.

Steps

1. Prepare the ingredients

   

   

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   I prepared 1 kg of whole pork belly.

   You can also use front shoulder or hind leg, but choosing a piece with the skin on ensures it turns out chewy and rich as naeng jeyuk.

   I cut it in half so it fits in the pot.

2. Boil the pork

   

   

   

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   Pour in enough water to submerge the meat (8 cups), add 1 tbsp of coarse sea salt, bring it to a rolling boil, and then add the meat.

   Have a large pot ready because the water needs to boil vigorously.

   

   

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   From the moment it starts boiling, keep it at a rolling boil over high heat for about 10 minutes, skimming off any impurities.

   After 10 minutes, turn off the heat, cover with the lid, and leave it alone for about 1 hour—that is all there is to boiling the pork. It is truly simple!

   You might wonder if 10 minutes of boiling cooks it through, but it is a method where the meat finishes cooking slowly in the residual heat over 1 hour. It is similar to sous vide, a low-temperature cooking method.

3. Chill and slice the pork

   

   

   

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   After 1 hour, take it out, wipe off any surface moisture, and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap to shape it.

   Doing this firms up the meat, making it easy to slice paper-thin.

   Let it chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours, then slice it as thinly as possible.

   

   

   

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   When I first tried making naeng jeyuk, I used pork front shoulder and cooked it the exact same way as pork belly, only extending the boiling time.

   Front shoulder has a firmer, denser texture than pork belly, so I boiled it for 20 minutes.

   I cooled this down, wiped off the moisture, wrapped it tightly, chilled it in the refrigerator for 4 hours, and sliced it as thinly as possible.

   The grain of the meat is gorgeous. The pale pink color looks lovely too.

   If I had boiled it for 10 minutes, the inside would have been a deeper pink.

4. Make the naeng jeyuk sauce

   

   

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   Finely mince the white part of the large green onion, 1 red chili pepper, and 1 Cheongyang chili pepper.

   Red chili pepper was not in the original recipe, but I decided to add it.

   Add all the chopped vegetables, then mix with 3 tbsp soup soy sauce, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 1 tbsp gochugaru, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp vinegar, 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil, and 1/2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds to finish the sauce. This makes a generous amount of sauce; if you have leftovers, use it for fresh geotjeori or as a seasoning sauce for janchi guksu (warm banquet noodles).

5. Make seasoned saeujeot

   

   

   

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   Salted fermented shrimp goes wonderfully with boiled pork, so I prepared some.

   The shrimp were large, so I cut them with kitchen scissors. Since we do not add water, eating a whole shrimp would be too salty.

   Finely mince the Cheongyang chili pepper and green onion.

   Just combine 2 tbsp salted fermented shrimp, minced green onion, minced Cheongyang chili pepper, 1 tsp minced garlic, a pinch of toasted sesame seeds, and 1/2 tbsp gochugaru, then stir well.

6. Make garlic chive geotjeori

   

   

   

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   Cut 100 g of garlic chives into bite-sized lengths and thinly slice 1/4 onion.

   Add 1 1/2 tbsp regular soy sauce, 1 tbsp gochugaru, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1 tbsp vinegar, 1/2 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil, and 1/2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, then toss gently.

   

   Freshly tossed garlic chive geotjeori is tender and truly delicious.

   Garlic chives wilt quickly, so prepare your other sauces first and toss them right at the end.

Ppunwife's tips

• Take the meat out, wipe off the surface moisture, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap to shape it, and let it rest in the refrigerator; it will firm up nicely and make thin slicing easy.
• Garlic chives wilt quickly, so make the other sauces first and toss the chives right at the end.
• To keep the pork completely free of off-flavors even after a simple boil and chilling, make sure to use fresh pork.

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