Jokbal

Jokbal is a Korean dish made by simmering pig’s legs until tender in water seasoned with soy sauce and aromatic ingredients, then reducing the liquid. It is sliced like pyeonyuk and eaten dipped in salted shrimp. Among pork [article] dishes, it represents Korea’s braising tradition alongside samgyeopsal [article] in the grilling tradition and Korean dwaeji-gukbap [article] in the soup tradition.

It began in the 1960s in Jangchung-dong, Jung District, Seoul. Its origins lie with displaced women from Pyeongan Province who had fled south around the time of the Korean War. While selling bindaetteok and alcohol, they began serving as a drinking snack the braised pig’s trotters they had eaten in their hometowns. Several establishments are regarded as the original, and the documented lineage is as follows.

• Ttungttungi Halmeonijip (뚱뚱이할머니집): Founded by Jeon Suk-yeol (전숙열; died 2021). She reportedly opened a restaurant named Pyeongando (평안도) in 1957, sold bindaetteok, and later developed jokbal. It has been certified as a Century Store by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and the family business is now in its third generation.

• Pyeongando Jokbaljip (평안도족발집): Operated by Lee Gyeong-sun (이경순; born 1932). It opened in 1961 and initially sold bindaetteok before adding jokbal in the late 1960s. Heo Yeong-man’s comic Sikgaek identifies Lee Gyeong-sun as the developer of the jokbal menu.

• Wonjo 1-ho Jangchung-dong Halmeonijip (원조1호장충동할머니집): Regarded as one of the oldest establishments in the alley.

Jangchung Arena opened in 1963. The area grew as spectators poured into the alley after watching wrestling, boxing, and basketball matches, and it reached its peak in the 1980s.

The forelegs are larger and meatier than the hind legs, so they are sold as “large,” while the hind legs are sold as “small.” Because the forelegs are used more in movement, they contain a balanced mixture of muscle, fat, and skin and have a chewy texture. The hind legs have a higher proportion of lean meat, giving them a milder taste but making them prone to dryness.

• Schweinshaxe: A Bavarian German dish made with pork knuckle. It is roasted in an oven, giving it crisp skin. Its cooking principle is the exact opposite of jokbal, which is braised in soy sauce until the skin becomes gelatinously tender.

• Wuxiang jiangrou (五香醬肉): A Chinese dish in which pork is braised in soy sauce with spices such as star anise, cinnamon, and cloves, then chilled and served sliced. Like jokbal, it follows the format of soy-braised meat served in slices.

• Naengchae jokbal: Originated in the early 1980s in Bupyeong-dong, Jung-gu, Busan. Thinly sliced jokbal is served with chilled jellyfish salad, cucumber, and mustard sauce. It is a signature dish of Bupyeong-dong Jokbal Alley, where restaurants such as Hanyang Jokbal are clustered.

• Bul-jokbal: A variation coated with a spicy seasoning and grilled or stir-fried. In the delivery market, it became established as a half-and-half set paired with regular jokbal.

As delivery-focused restaurants proliferated in the 1990s, jokbal became a late-night dish enjoyed nationwide. Today, jokbal and bossam form their own major category in the delivery market, and the place name 'Jangchung-dong' itself has become synonymous with jokbal restaurant names across the country.

• Seoul Sarang (Seoul Metropolitan Government), "Jangchung-dong Jokbal, a Culinary Neighborhood Known Across Korea" (love.seoul.go.kr/articles/8977)

• Kyunghyang Shinmun, "Jeon Suk-yeol, Founder of 'Ttungttungi Halmeonijip' in Jangchung-dong Jokbal District, Dies", 2021-04-29 (khan.co.kr/article/202104291511001)

• BizHankook, "Korean Jokbal Began Here: Pyeongando Jokbaljip", 2016-12-06 (bizhankook.com/bk/article/12169)

• Munhwa News, "Childhood Food Captures Everyone's Palate: 'Jangchung-dong Jokbal Street'", 2023-03-22 (mhns.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=549738)

• Local N Culture (Federation of Korean Cultural Center), "A Busan Specialty Combining Jokbal and Chilled Jellyfish Salad: Bupyeong-dong Naengchae Jokbal" (ncms.nculture.org/food/story/989)

• Korean Wikipedia, "Jokbal (Dish)" (discussion of the distinction between large front-leg and small hind-leg portions and the proliferation of delivery-focused restaurants in the 1990s)