Did You Know - KBBQ Edition

How to Not Look Like an Idiot While Eating Korean BBQ

Bring a lot of friends (and cash)

"Korean barbecue is expensive," Hong says. "Meat prices are on the rise." Because KBBQ is a large-format meal that's all about eating as many different foods as possible, it helps to bring more people. Because the more friends you invite, the more food you get to order and try! It's kind of like a pyramid scheme, but you get a ton of grilled meat instead of money. And it also won't screw you over like a pyramid scheme! Hong recommends going with a group of at least four to six people and bringing cash! It's easier than splitting six credit cards.

Enjoy the banchan (and take advantage of the free refills)

"Banchan are side dishes that differ from restaurant to restaurant," Hong says. The servers will bring them out before the main course, but that doesn't mean they're an appetizer. They're meant to be sampled throughout the meal, as the dishes typically have acid and vinegar. You'll appreciate that when the acid cuts through all the rich meats soon to be on your plate.

And while you may not be able to identify some of the dishes (it's mostly different varieties of kimchee, pickles, eggplant, and other assorted veggies), just shovel that stuff into your mouth and trust that everything will be OK. Because it will! "Be adventurous!" Hong implores. "Try everything once! Nothing there is gonna hurt you." He sounds like a man who's never been hurt before. Hong's favorite banchan is the fermented kimchee, which he says pairs beautifully with hot meat off the grill. And if you finish that tiny portion, ask for more. They'll bring you out as much as you can handle, and it's free. There might not be free lunch in America, but there sure is free dinner.

Ask for a new grill if one isn't given to you

Servers at a Korean BBQ spot should swap out the grill for you, depending on whether you're cooking beef or pork. If the restaurant doesn't swap the specialty grills for the meats you're cooking, ask for a new one! Pork should be cooked on a plate grill. Beef needs a mesh grill. Some KBBQ spots will have charcoal under the mesh, and some will just have a burner. If you're lucky enough to get charcoal, all the delicious drippings (like fat and marinades) from the meat will hit the charcoal, which will envelop the beef with a flavor-filled smoke.

Complete list (Thrillist.com)

The Beginning's Of A Great Meal

(CavemanCircus.com)

Did You Know - Korean BBQ Edition

Here's What's in All Those Little Dishes at Korean Barbecue

Cheongpomuk (mung bean jelly)

• The name translates as "clear froth jelly," which sounds like something you should be paid handsomely for putting in your mouth. But it's actually just mung bean starch, and it does pretty much what lemon sorbet does during a fancy French feast: cleanses the palate. Garnished with a little sesame oil and/or soy sauce, maybe a little chile and scallion, it's one part flavor to three parts texture. (Muk made from acorn starch is also common, though wiggling cubes of liver-brown gelatin take a little getting used to, which in turn takes a lot of soju.)

Eomuk bokkeum (fried fishcake)

• Bokkeum are essentially stir-fried dishes. Among banchan, the most common is probably fishcake. At its occasional worst, you may as well be chewing on Band-Aids; but at its best, the texture's almost pasta-like, the flavor rich and meaty beneath the sweet-savory glaze it attains during cooking.

Saewoo or myulchi bokkeum (fried dried shrimp or anchovies)

• If your server brings you a dish of tiny dried shrimp or anchovies stir-fried in a sweet soy syrup, prepare to inhale dozens of critters in a few quick bites, because the crunchy little things are too good to pass up. (The easily creeped might find the variant made with shredded squid easier to stomach -- it looks like shaved carrot.)

Complete list (Thrillist.com)

You Can't Go Wrong Eating At Any Of These Places

10 Great Korean Barbecue Restaurants in Orange County

2. Cham Sut Gol (Garden Grove)

• 9252 Garden Grove Blvd., Ste. 10,
• Garden Grove, Garden Grove,
• (714) 590-9292

10. Incheonwon BBQ House (Garden Grove)

• 13321 Brookhurst St,
• Garden Grove,
• (714) 638-9292

Complete list (OCWeekly.com)