Puns for days as Choi Kang-rok's braise slays on 'Culinary Class Wars'

When Choi Kang-rok grabbed victory on the second season of Netflix’s “Culinary Class Wars,” it wasn't just his calm cooking style and refined dishes that won over judges and viewers.

As the Korean chef's signature braise-first philosophy crossed borders throughout the series, global viewers quickly caught on, riffing on the meme-ready nickname Korean fans had given him — “Jorim-ping,” translating roughly as "Mr. Braise."

It set the internet alight with wordplay as fans celebrated the win: “You braise me up,” “Braise the Lord” and “You braised my heart.”

While Korean fans joked about his devotion to braising, international viewers translated both the spirit and the word into English-language humor.

“He doesn’t fry. He doesn’t rush. He braises,” one YouTube comment read.

Other comments read: “This man braises like it’s a religion,” “Everyone else is fighting the clock. He’s braising time itself” and “Others cooked to impress. He braised to win.”

In a competition built on speed and performance under pressure, Choi distinguished himself by resisting the urge to rush. While others chased drama, he relied on technique, timing and restraint.

Along the way to the final episode, Choi himself delivered a string of memorable lines reflecting his devotion to braising, declaring during the semifinal “Infinite Cooking Heaven” challenge, “I will braise them all, until it’s over.”

Even Netflix leaned into the moment, titling its official YouTube clip highlighting Choi “Born to braise everything.”

And what began as a meme took on greater meaning after Choi’s win on Tuesday.

For the final mission to create “one dish for himself,” he chose something true to his own tastes, a simple soup with tofu and ingredients he liked, saying he had spent much of his career “pretending to be good at braising,” and that when cooking for himself, he could not braise.

In another clip on Reddit, an online English community, a fan added English subtitles that simply read: “He will braise. Always.”​