Discover Naengsam: Korea’s Thin and Affordable Frozen Pork Belly
If you think Korean pork belly is always thick, juicy slices of samgyeopsal sizzling over a grill, there is another version you should know about.
It is called naengsam (냉삼), short for naengdong samgyeopsal (냉동삼겹살), which means frozen pork belly.
Naengsam is sliced much thinner than the thick pork belly you often see at Korean barbecue restaurants. Because the slices are thin, they cook quickly, are easy to eat, and are usually quite affordable. But what makes naengsam especially fun is everything that comes with it.
Kimchi, seasoned bean sprouts, green onions, lettuce, peppers, sauces, mushrooms and other side dishes can all end up on the grill or inside a lettuce wrap with your pork.
There are naengsam restaurants all over Korea. For this meal, I visited Kkambo (깜보), a well-known restaurant franchise in Gyeonggi-do.
And from the moment I walked through the door, this felt like much more than a simple pork belly dinner.
Table of Contents
A Tiny Korean Restaurant Full of Retro Character
From outside, the restaurant looked surprisingly small. It did not have the size or polished appearance of a large modern Korean barbecue restaurant.
But that was part of its charm.
Once I stepped inside, the atmosphere completely changed.
The restaurant is decorated in a Korean 1970s–1980s retro style, with old-fashioned furniture, decorations and images covering the walls.
For international visitors, eating here almost feels like stepping into a small piece of Korea’s past.
Old Korean posters are everywhere. Instead of clean, minimalist walls, almost every corner has something interesting to look at.
I even spotted a photo of Fin.K.L (핑클), one of Korea’s famous first-generation K-pop girl groups.
And nearby was Robot Taekwon V (로봇 태권V), one of Korea’s best-known classic animated characters.
The retro decorations make the restaurant feel less like a franchise and more like a collection of Korean pop-culture memories.
What Can You Order at a Naengsam Restaurant?
Of course, the main attraction is frozen pork belly.
One serving of naengsam here costs around ₩13,000 (about US$9–10), making it a relatively affordable Korean barbecue option.
But pork belly is not the only thing on the menu. You can also order other meats and cuts such as pork neck (목살), intestines (막창), and pork skin (껍데기).
That means you can start with naengsam and add different meats to the grill as the meal continues.
There are also plenty of side dishes and additional foods, so this is the kind of place where you can come for Korean barbecue but end up having a full meal.
And then the table arrived.
This Might Be the Most Side Dishes I’ve Seen With Pork Belly
A huge tray of side dishes was placed on the table.
There were 12 different banchan (반찬), or Korean side dishes, packed so tightly together that the tray looked like it could barely hold everything.
And almost every one of them had a purpose.
First came several sauces, including gochujang-based mayonnaise and wasabi. Having different sauces means that even if you eat dozens of pieces of pork, you can keep changing the flavor.
🔊 Listen: 쌈장
(ssamjang)
Korean dipping sauce
There was also ssamjang (쌈장), a savory Korean dipping paste commonly eaten with grilled meat, along with an oil-based dipping sauce.
The soybean powder on the side is especially good with grilled pork skin.
🔊 Listen: 콩나물
(kongnamul)
Bean sprouts
These seasoned bean sprouts were already good on their own.
But I had another plan for them.
Once the pork belly begins releasing its fat onto the grill, put the bean sprouts in it and let them cook. The vegetables absorb some of that rich pork flavor, and they become completely different.
Next was pajeori (파절이), seasoned shredded green onions.
Pork belly can become quite rich after several pieces, and the sharp, fresh flavor of the green onions helps balance that fattiness.
And of course, a Korean barbecue table would not be complete without lettuce and green peppers.
Later, these would become the base for our ssam (쌈) — Korean lettuce wraps.
Then there was kimchi, perhaps Korea’s most famous soul food.
You can eat it cold, but when there is pork fat sitting on a hot grill in front of you, there is another option: grill it.
There was even bunhong sausage (분홍소세지), the old-fashioned pink Korean sausage many Koreans grew up eating.
This went onto the grill too.
At this point, I was beginning to realize that almost everything on our table could somehow end up on that grill.
Cheonggukjang: One of Korea’s Strongest Comfort Foods
🔊 Listen: 청국장
(cheonggukjang)
Fermented soybean stew
Then came cheonggukjang (청국장).
At first glance, international visitors might think this is just another type of doenjang jjigae, or soybean paste stew. But cheonggukjang is made with quickly fermented soybeans and is famous for its much stronger aroma and deep, earthy flavor.
It can be challenging if you have never tried it before, but for many Koreans it is classic comfort food.
This version even had rice inside.
Warm, rich and filling, it could almost have been a meal by itself.
Except we had barely started.
Finally, It’s Time for the Naengsam
Looking at the entire table, there was barely any empty space left.
Sauces, vegetables, kimchi, lettuce, cheonggukjang and meat surrounded the grill.
And then the star of the meal arrived.
🔊 Listen: 냉삼
(naengsam)
Frozen pork belly
This is naengsam.
You can immediately see the difference from ordinary thick-cut samgyeopsal. The frozen pork belly is sliced very thin, with beautiful layers of pink meat and white fat.
Because each piece is so thin, you do not have to wait long.
Onto the grill it goes.
The Best Part: Cooking Everything in Pork Fat
We grilled the pork together with minari (미나리), Korean water parsley.
As the frozen pork begins to cook, the fat melts across the grill. That fat becomes part of the meal itself.
Vegetables that touch it become richer, shinier and much more flavorful.
Within minutes, the pale frozen slices transformed into beautifully browned pieces of pork.
This is one of the advantages of naengsam: you spend less time waiting and more time eating.
But we were not stopping at pork belly.
And Then We Added Beef Intestines
🔊 Listen: 곱창
(gopchang)
Beef or pork intestines
We also ordered sogopchang (소곱창), or beef small intestines.
Onions and garlic stems went onto the grill beside them.
Just like pork belly, gopchang releases rich fat as it cooks. Let the vegetables cook in that fat and they absorb an incredible amount of flavor.
A staff member helped grill everything for us, which made the experience even easier.
All we had to do was wait for the perfect moment.
🔊 Listen: 미나리
(minari)
Water parsley
And this was it.
Golden edges, sizzling fat and meat ready to come straight off the grill.
By now the table looked almost ridiculous.
There was so much food that the expression “the table legs are going to break” suddenly felt appropriate.
Just When I Thought There Couldn’t Be More Food…
They brought us dongchimi (동치미), a refreshing radish water kimchi.
At this point I genuinely wondered how many more dishes could possibly fit on the table.
The cold, slightly sour broth was exactly what I needed between bites of fatty grilled meat.
It cleans the palate and makes you ready for another piece.
Which, naturally, calls for another drink.
And what could be more Korean than enjoying grilled pork with a glass of soju?
Even better when the glass is shaped like a heart.
Now Let’s Actually Eat
The grilled gopchang looked incredible up close — crispy and browned outside, rich and juicy inside.
And this is what we came for.
Fresh off the grill, the thin naengsam was juicy, lightly crisp around the edges and full of pork flavor.
Because the slices are thin, the balance between meat, fat and crispy surface is very different from thick samgyeopsal.
🔊 Listen: 버섯
(beoseot)
Mushroom
Even the mushrooms became something special.
After cooking in the rendered pork fat, they were glossy, juicy and packed with flavor.
This is one of my favorite things about Korean barbecue: the meat changes everything else on the grill.
How Koreans Eat Pork Belly: Make a Ssam
Now take a piece of lettuce.
Add grilled pork.
Then add whatever you want — ssamjang, kimchi, green onions, garlic, peppers or other side dishes.
There is no single perfect combination.
That’s part of the fun.
Fold everything into a small package that you can eat in one bite.
This is ssam (쌈).
One bite can contain fresh lettuce, salty sauce, spicy kimchi, aromatic vegetables and rich grilled pork all at once.
And that is one of the biggest reasons naengsam is so enjoyable: the pork may be simple, but you can create a different bite every time.
Korean Barbecue Isn’t Over Until the Fried Rice Arrives
You might think we were finished.
Not even close.
🔊 Listen: 볶음밥
(bokkeumbap)
Fried rice
After the meat, we ordered fried rice and covered it with cheese.
Then the cheese was melted with a torch right in front of us.
Watching it bubble and melt over the fried rice was almost as satisfying as eating it.
🔊 Listen: 계란후라이
(gyeran hurai)
Fried egg
And then came the final version:
Fried rice.
Cheese.
Grilled meat.
And a fried egg on top.
At this point, adding anything else almost seemed unnecessary.
Almost.
Remember those seasoned bean sprouts from the beginning?
After meeting the pork fat on the grill, they became one of my favorite parts of the entire meal.
Sometimes the simplest side dish becomes completely different once it hits a Korean barbecue grill.
One Last Bowl
🔊 Listen: 라면
(ramyeon)
Korean instant noodles
And somehow, we still finished with ramyeon.
Hot Korean noodles after an enormous barbecue meal might sound excessive.
It probably is.
But after naengsam, gopchang, cheonggukjang, twelve side dishes, lettuce wraps, fried rice and cheese…
why stop now?
It was the perfect ending to a perfect meal.
Should You Try Naengsam in Korea?
Absolutely.
When you visit Korea, don’t limit yourself to the thick samgyeopsal you may already know from Korean barbecue restaurants overseas.
Try naengsam (냉삼) too.
It is thin, quick to grill, easy to eat and relatively affordable. More importantly, eating naengsam is not just about the pork. It is about putting kimchi and vegetables on the grill, experimenting with different sauces, making lettuce wraps and sharing an overflowing table of food with other people.
A serving can cost around ₩13,000 (roughly US$9–10) at places like the restaurant I visited, although prices vary by restaurant and location.
When you’re traveling in Korea, open Naver Map and search:
냉삼
or
냉동삼겹살
You’ll probably find a restaurant nearby.
Walk in, order a few servings, put some kimchi and bean sprouts on the grill, make yourself a big ssam…
and you’ll understand why this simple frozen pork belly has remained such a fun way to enjoy Korean barbecue.
For me, this was a perfect Korean meal.
