Chosun Korean BBQ

Chosun Korean BBQ
2560 Royal Ln # 105
Dallas, TX 75229
972-406-0087
Open Daily 11-10
http://www.chosunbbq.com/

I met John Choi during an food related event at my house, but I never knew he was a Korean BBQ expert. I wanted to branch out to some ethnic BBQ choices, so I asked around, and John's name came up. He's working on an Asian food related blog of his own, but I'm writing about our experience at Chosun Korean BBQ in northwest Dallas. The menu is wide and varied, but they have a section of Korean BBQ staples like short ribs and pork belly. John led us through the menu and placed the order for several meat options.



Soon after the order was placed, a smoking vessel of hot coals were brought to the table and placed in the table's cooking chamber. Then a few platters of meat arrived containing beef brisket, beef tongue, beef short ribs (both marinated and unmarinated) and thick slices of pork belly.



John tried his best to explain all of the sides that were presented, but with more than a dozen on the table, it was hard to keep up. Some were easy to recognize like kim chee, but others were so unfamiliar I can't name them from memory. Let's just say there were plenty of options.

John Choi


Just as the beef brisket was placed on the grill, the beef tartare was prepared tableside with the addition of an oily dressing and julienned asian pears. The dish was well balanced, and not as chewy as I expected with the less than paper-thin cuts of raw beef.



Beef brisket came off first, and had taken on the flavor of the coals quite well. Using coals rather than gas or electric heat is a rare but preferred practice for local Korean BBQ houses, and I was glad we were tasting the real deal. The unmarinated ribs were next and tasted clean and beefy. The marbling was incredible so they were very tender. These ribs are presented whole to the table before being sliced with scissors directly onto the grill.

Beef tongue


Beef tongue and pork belly were also good, but I'd prefer the brisket on a return visit. The marinated short ribs are probably the most well known Korean BBQ dish, but I found them to be too salty and sweet. Maybe they just tasted that way in contrast to the other meats which were all very lightly seasoned, but I think I liked the meats that showed off the flavor from the coal fire best.

Pork Belly


In the end the meal was $40 per person and lastest two hours, but it was worth it. John noted near the end of the meal that he'd normally do this for dinner rather than lunch, and also that we had much better service with a Korean speaker in tow. I'll be sure to bring him along again for my next trip, but maybe we won't order six different meats.

- BBQ Snob