Korean Spicy Pork

Thin-sliced pork belly is the most underrated cut at an Asian grocery store. At most Western markets you see pork belly sold in thick slabs, which is great for braising but terrible for fast searing. At an Asian market, you can ask for shabu-shabu cut or samgyeopsal, which is pork belly sliced to 1 to 2 millimeters. At that thickness, the pork cooks through in 60 to 90 seconds, the fat renders and crisps at the edges, and you get restaurant-quality results from a weeknight dinner.

The marinade is a standard Korean BBQ-style combo: gochujang, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar. What makes it work on thin pork is that every slice gets full coverage without needing to sit for hours. Five minutes minimum, 30 minutes if you have the time, and you're marinated enough for intense flavor.

The sear requires the highest heat you can generate. Cast iron or a heavy wide skillet, pre-heated until smoking, oil added, then the pork in a single layer. Crowding the pan is the number one failure mode. If you crowd, the pork steams instead of sears, the marinade pools and burns, and the whole dish goes grey and sad. Work in batches if you have to.

The sugar in the marinade means it caramelizes fast and burns fast. 2 to 3 minutes of undisturbed contact with the pan gives you deeply caramelized, almost-burnt edges and rendered fat. That's the sweet spot. Flip, cook another minute, scatter in scallions, toss briefly.

Rest the pork for one minute off the heat. The caramelized crust sets and stops steaming, which keeps the crisp edges crisp. Plate over rice, scatter scallions and sesame seeds, add quick pickled radish (thin-sliced radish with rice vinegar, sugar, and a pinch of salt for 5 minutes). Extra gochujang on the side for the brave.