12.130 Shabu Shabu

12.130

15 (Sat) May 2021

Shabu Shabu

3.5

by me

at home

-Changgok, Sujeong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea-

with the Family

My favorite ingredient for Korean soups these days is chadolbagi (shaved beef brisket) (see for example 12.124 Siraegi Gukbab; 11.156 Ddeok Guk with Chadolbagi and Chicory), always guaranteed to succeed.

From E-Mart’s No Brand line, a package of Mexican beef brisket costs 16,880 won for 600 grams at 2,814 won per gram – traditionally a cheaper cut, prices have risen due to surging popularity.
More of a traditonal shabu shabu with whole vegetable, rather than my signature shredded kabuki style (see for example 1.217 Beef Shabuki).

Happy to confirm that chadolbagi is also an excellent cut for shabu shabu.  Whereas brisket is inherently tough, requiring low and slow cooking to break down the dense muscle fibers, shaved brisket is cut against the grain and thus pre-tenderized to a point, so a quick dip in the boiling broth makes it soft yet still chewy, with a ribbon of fat for extra juiciness, unlike flabbier cuts that come out dry and crumbly.  After a few rounds of meat, the broth was intensely beefy, perfect for cooking noodles (kal guksu) to finish off the meal.

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