There is something about grilling meat over an open flame. I don’t know if it is the chance to eat the meat freshly cooked, or the charcoaled flavor that gets infused in the meat, or even just the experience of watching it cook before your eyes, but it can be amazing when done right.
Lucky for me, I recently had the chance to eat some grilled pork that was perfectly well cooked at Brother Meat House.
Located in the new downtown area of Ulsan, Brother Meat House looks warm and inviting from the outside, with bright lights shining through the glass.
Entering the restaurant, the smell of grilling meat greets your senses and sets off a wave of desire in your taste buds!
After choosing our table, we looked at the menu and took a few minutes to decide what to eat.
We decided on the “Brother” set, which is 250 grams of pork neck (목살) and 250 grams of pork belly (삼겹살).
As we were waiting for the order to arrive, we noticed a sign on the table that says the meat has been aged for 336 hours!
In fact, dining there you can see the meat that Brother Meat House serves is located in a tank of water, meaning that wet aging appears to be the style of choice at the restaurant. I was not aware that this was done for pork, having only heard about this for beef.
Before the meat came, the server brought out a number of side dishes as is common when eating Korean food. Many of them were quite tasty, particularly the fried kimchi!
One thing that we did not get to try was a special egg that they make at Brother Meat House, as we were told this is only available with a reservation. So if you are interested in the special side dish, call ahead to book a table.
The meat finally arrived shortly after the hot charcoal did. One of the great things about Brother Meat House is that you do not have to cook the meat yourself. This is something that is quite common in many Korean barbeque restaurants.
Another thing that is noticeable is that the meat is very thick, having not been pre-sliced as is also quite common when eating this style of food.
As the server went to work grilling the meat, the smell was absolutely incredible. I was so hungry by the time our server had finished preparing the food that I could barely wait to get started!
Both types of meat were completely amazing! The meat was juicy, flavorful, with a crispy surface while being tender inside. The server had done an amazing job of cooking the meat, and it is definitely worth it to pay a little bit more so you don’t have to cook it yourself!
In addition to the thick meat, Brother Meat House is also a bit unusual in the number of options, or sauces, that they provide for you to eat with the meat! Usually there is only Ssam-jjang, and sesame oil at most Korean barbeques, but at Brother they had SIX choices including wasabi, and my favorite, an oil (or butter based) one with garlic mixed in!
Of course, I had to try the meat with one of the most popular ways to enjoy Korean barbeque, with is wrapped in one of many different types of lettuce (or other leaves) with garlic and ssam-jjang. The flavors when mixed together were brilliant, complimenting each other so well.
By the end of the meal we were both completely full! The staff was very friendly and said good-bye as we were leaving.
Brother Meat House has some of the most delicious pork I have ever eaten in my life! While it is a little on the pricey side, I would definitely recommend it for a special dinner or treat, as the meat alone is worth the price.
