Flaming Grilled Tteokgalbi At Dongmun Market On Jeju Island

I noticed this Tteokgalbi and cole slaw stall as I was walking around the market. There was a sizable line so my foodie assumption was that it was a must try! The allure of sizzling meat along with the sweet aroma of a bunch of different spices, certainly caught my attention.

When I peered at what was being grilled it literally just looked like a big grilled ball of meat. That “ball of meat” is known as Tteokgalbi in South Korea. It’s definitely not something I’d heard of before so I had to do some research on it.

Tteokgalbi is a Korean style meat patty with minced beef or pork. The marinade typically includes soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and brown sugar. This creates a flavorful, sweet and savory taste when combined with the meat. The brown sugar carmelizes when the meat is on the grill. The end result is a deliciously crispy and slightly charred outer layer.

Something that typically comes with the Tteokgalbi is a side of coleslaw. The coleslaw can be a mix of mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, and sugar. It contrasts nicely with the sweet and savory flavor of the meat and it’s sauce.

This particular Tteokgalbi had a couple of different types of sauce, the regular sauce and then a spicier version. I’m a big spice fan, so had to go with the spicy sauce.

The meat was a little crisp and charred on the outside. Smothered in sauce, the interior when you dig in is juicy and moist with great flavor.

It really reminds me of a Korean version of meatloaf. Just in a different sauce.

The ground pork mixture included some onion and green onion in it which adds some texture and additional flavor to the meat.

The cabbage was pretty heavy with mayonnaise. It was difficult to tell if there was anything additional in the dressing since all I could taste with each bite was mayonnaise. The dressing seemed simple but it was effective in melding a unique flavor with the meat and the meat sauce.

The combination of the heavy mayonnaise dressing with the crunch of the cabbage was actually quite tasty when eaten with a bite of the juicy meat and meatsauce.

This was a simple yet very comforting dish. It definitely conjured up fond memories of a souped up version of meatloaf.