One of Korea’s traditional dishes, ‘Charcoal Fire Bear Stew,’ is a stew cooked over a special charcoal stove. This dish is commonly found in rural areas or smaller cities in Korea. The name “Charcoal Fire” comes from the fact that this stew is cooked over a wood charcoal stove.
Charcoal Fire Bear Stew is typically made using beef and offal. The stew broth is simmered for a long time to develop a deep and rich flavor, with the distinctive feature of being cooked over a charcoal stove. Vegetables like cabbage or water parsley are often added to the stew to enhance the flavor and nutrition of the dish.
Charcoal Fire Bear Stew is particularly popular during the winter months in Korea. Enjoying warm broth and meat on cold days brings great joy to many Koreans. Additionally, it is known for its high nutritional value and health benefits, making it popular as a health food. Charcoal Fire Bear Stew holds an important position in Korean cuisine due to its traditional and rich flavor.
I found the main branch of Jeonju Charcoal Fire Bear Stew that I used to visit frequently when I was out on a business trip near Gimpo.
On the first floor, there’s Jeonju Charcoal Fire Bear Stew, while the second floor serves Chinese cuisine. Since the first floor bear stew restaurant is more famous, it somewhat overshadows the Chinese restaurant.
It’s located near Yangchon Daepo Haewoon Industrial Complex, so it’s not uncommon to see a decent crowd during lunchtime. Additionally, there are marine and military bases nearby.
The bear stew uses domestically sourced ingredients, with only a few imported ones. They use oak charcoal for the fire, and outside, there’s also a performance area near the parking lot.
Menu items include bear stew for ₩12,000 (special ₩14,000), small whole bear stew for ₩18,000, spicy beef and cabbage stew, brisket stew, and more. Although specializing in bear stew, they offer a wide variety of meat options.
They also sold separate items like meat and kimchi dumplings, as well as the bear stew broth.
Kimchi and pickled radish are available for unlimited refills.
If you dine in, you can self-serve the bear stew broth, which is quite rare. The broth alone seems nutritious enough after a few bowls.
You can freely refill items like kimchi, pickled radish, aged soybean paste, green onions, onions, and garlic at the self-service bar.
The restaurant offers both table and floor seating, but these days, sitting at a table seems more comfortable.
The garlic chives and onions dipped in the aged soybean paste were flavorful and delicious. It’s more appealing to enjoy them to your heart’s content.
Adding plenty of green onions to the bear stew and even refilling the broth, the amount of meat served was generous despite ordering the regular portion.
Overall, it was a satisfying meal.
Bear stew mainly focuses on beef and offal, while ox bone soup emphasizes the taste of bones controlling the broth.
Here’s an introduction to the Jeonju Charcoal Fire Bear Stew house located near Gimpo’s Yangchon, Daepo, and Haewoon Industrial Complexes.
[Personal review]
✔ The parking lot is spacious, and with several restaurants nearby, there’s a wide range of choices.
✔ The fact that you can freely refill the bear stew broth is appealing. (Emphasized that it’s additive-free bear stew broth)
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