Chadol-baegi

Paper-thin beef brisket slices that cook in seconds on a hot grill, prized for their lacy ribbons of fat.

Chadol-baegi is the beloved thinly shaved beef brisket that has become a staple of Korean grill restaurants, especially the charcoal-fired spots tucked beneath the overpasses of Seoul's Mapo and Yeongdeungpo districts. The slices are so thin they turn opaque and lightly crisp within moments of hitting the grill, making them one of the fastest cooking cuts at a Korean barbecue table. Koreans prize the irregular streaks of white fat that render down and baste the meat naturally, producing an aroma that drifts down the alleyways and draws passersby in. It is almost always eaten with a dipping sauce of sesame oil and salt rather than ssamjang, so the delicate beefy flavour is not overpowered. Office workers often head to a chadol-baegi grill house after work for a quick meal paired with soju, and the combination is so iconic it has its own shorthand — 'chadolsoju' in casual conversation. The cut's accessibility and fast cooking time have made it a democratic favourite across every age group in Korea.