I ordered marinated galbi, and the ajumma — the older woman running the floor — stood next to my table and taught me everything.
I had no idea how to grill on my own
Went to a BBQ place with a friend. Picked yangnyeom galbi off the menu.
The meat came out and I froze. Three burners, two pairs of tongs. I put something on the grill, more or less at random.
The ajumma came over and took the tongs from me. Then she flipped the meat herself.
"This one goes here, and when it looks like this, you flip it."
She could tell I was a foreigner, so she walked me through it piece by piece. I just watched.
She said to call her when it burns
As we grilled, the plate started going black. The marinade was sticking and scorching.
I must have been staring at it, because the ajumma said, walking past:
"When it burns, call me. I'll swap it."
That's when it hit me. Swapping the plate is just what you do.
I'd assumed you grill on one plate to the end. I'd been herding the meat into the corners, dodging the burnt spots.
We swapped twice
I called her over once mid-meal. Took less than 30 seconds, honestly.
She lifted the whole plate off with tongs and set down a new one. Put the meat on it and it was like starting over.
The other time, she came before I even called. Walked by, looked at it, and went "this one needs changing."
Apparently with marinated meat, two or three swaps is normal. There's sugar in the marinade, so it burns fast.
It tasted good to the last bite
This was my favorite part: the last piece of meat tasted the same as the first.
If I'd kept grilling on a burnt plate, everything would've gone bitter. Never happened. We ordered fried rice to finish, and they made that on a fresh plate too.
| What I assumed | Reality |
|---|---|
| One plate, start to finish | They swap it when it burns. Two or three times is fine |
| Asking might be rude | Totally normal, nobody cares |
| They probably charge for it | It's usually free |
Other phrases I used that night
Korea cuts BBQ meat with scissors. Surprised me at first, but it's honestly way easier.
Pork has to be cooked all the way through, and I couldn't judge it. Ask, and they'll come take a look.
Now
I don't flounder at BBQ places anymore.
If that ajumma hadn't taught me, I'd have kept grilling on a burnt plate. And I'd have figured that's just how Korean BBQ is.
If you're heading to your first Korean BBQ: when in doubt, just ask. Everyone shows you.
