You’ve been to Korean BBQ before. You know how it works. Meat goes on grill, meat comes off grill, meat goes in mouth. So why does yours never taste as good as you remember?

The Temperature Thing

Most people throw meat on way too early. The charcoal should be glowing red-orange with no visible flames - if you see fire, you’re gonna get char on the outside and raw in the middle. At Kol we manage the coals for you, but we’re sharing this anyway because we’ve seen plenty of folks at other places put meat on a barely-lit grill and then wonder why it comes out tough.

The Grill is Not a Buffet

Don’t pile everything on at once. You’re not running a cafeteria line. Cook in batches - start with the thicker cuts while everyone’s still hungry, then move to the quick-cooking stuff as the meal goes on. If every piece of meat is done at the same time, half of it is getting cold while you eat the other half.

The Wrap

Lettuce leaf. Small piece of meat - not half the galbi, a bite-sized piece. Little smear of ssamjang. Maybe a slice of garlic if you’re into that. Fold it, put the whole thing in your mouth. Don’t take a bite and put it back down. Don’t unwrap it and eat the components separately. The whole point is everything hitting your mouth at once.

Who Grills

Traditionally the youngest person at the table does the grilling. If you’re the maknae, that’s you - and honestly it’s not a bad deal because you’re controlling the pace of the meal and everyone’s depending on you.

If you’re at Kol and you’d rather just eat, we can handle the grill. But now you know what you’re looking at.