[Food]

[Food] Bbyeo Jjim (Braised Back Ribs, 뼈찜)

Last Tuesday was my day-off, so I took the intercity bus to Sokcho to visit my friend who also had a day-off. About 4 years ago, when I lived in Sokcho, there were many of my favorite restaurants there, but today, there is only one favorite place left, which leaves me saddened :(

There is an old Bbyeo Jjim (Braised Back Ribs, 뼈찜) house that uses spicy seasoning and sauce on pork back ribs. It's very joyful to see one's favorite eatery still in business with swarming customers :) When I visited the Bbyeo jjim eatery, there were many people eating bbyeo jjim, even though it was a late lunch.

The owner of the restaurant naturally served us banchan (side dish), soon followed by bbyeo-jjim. Bbyeo-jjim was covered in a mountain of beansprouts with spicy seasoning and sauce.

Bbyeo-jjim is a variation of 'Gamjatang' which is Korean-style pork backbone soup. Both are braised pork back bone but bbyeo-jjim doesn't have as much soup as gamjatang, it has a thicker and more dense sauce and seasoning with bean sprouts :) Moreover, it's often hotter and spicier than gamjatang.

To enjoy bbyeo jjim, you have to scrape the meat off its backbone with a spoon and chopsticks. It's very easy because backbone meat is soft and silky - it just falls off the bone when you touch it :)

For a better taste, dip your meat into a  Japanese horseradish sauce provided. This greenish horseradish sauce stings the mouth and nostrils, but gives a very refreshing flavor which prevents your tongue from being filled with a fatty and oily taste :)

Don't forget to indulge in a spicy sauce with bean sprouts :) Its crunchy texture and spicy taste will give a little 'kick' between the thick meaty flavor :)

I enjoyed a whole meat dish so much, with bone, beansprouts and spicy sauce, and I'm also happy that this restaurant will remain open as long as people visit it :)

If you ever visit Sokcho in Korea, visit this fabulous bbyeo jjim place for meat with a superb taste :)

Bon Appétit!