Jokbal, braised pig's trotters

By Korean Food Promotion Institute

Editor's note

Jokbal is a Korean dish of pig's trotters slowly braised in a soy sauce seasoning with ginger, garlic and doenjang until the meat turns tender. It is prized for the silky, collagen-heavy texture that gives each bite its signature chew. The trotters are typically served cold or warm, sliced thinly and eaten in lettuce wraps or dipped in a salted shrimp sauce, and are a popular accompaniment to drinks. Chilling the braised meat before slicing firms it up and makes for cleaner cutting.

Ingredients

8 kilograms pig’s feet

Ingredients for boiling

1 onion

1 large green onion

30 grams ginger

12 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons whole black pepper

Pinch of clove powder

2 tablespoons doenjang (soybean paste)

Water as needed

Seasoning for braising

2 cups soy sauce

1/2 cup corn syrup

5 tablespoons black sugar

5 dried red chili peppers, water

Salted shrimp sauce

2 tablespoons salted shrimps

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Pinch of red chili flakes

1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds

Preparation

Divide each pig’s foot into 3-4 pieces, or ask your butcher to do so before purchasing. Soak the pieces in cold water for 3-4 hours to drain the blood.

In a large saucepan, put the pig’s feet, the water the pig’s feet were soaked in, and the ingredients for boiling. Boil for 1 hour.

Wash the boiled pig’s feet in cold water after boiling.

Cooking

In a large saucepan, add the boiled pig’s feet and the seasoning for braising. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the braising liquid and let the meat cool.

Debone the cooled pig’s feet and slice them into bite-sized pieces.

Combine the ingredients for the salted shrimp sauce and mix well. Then serve with sliced pig’s feet.

Tip

Serving sliced jokbal is much better compared to a whole pig's foot. Typically, it is wrapped up and chilled in the refrigerator before slicing.