Pig's Feet (Simplified)Jokbal

Jokbal is one of Korea's most famous late-night foods. In Seoul, the Jangchungdan neighborhood near Dongdaemun is known as jokbal street — a stretch of restaurants that stay open through the night, where the smell of braising pork trotters drifts into the street from early evening until closing. People gather in groups over bottles of soju, pulling apart the tender meat and wrapping it in lettuce with a little saeujeot (salted fermented shrimp).

I grew up thinking jokbal was a restaurant-only dish — too laborious and ingredient-specific to make at home. Then I actually broke down the recipe and realized it's essentially a single braise. The challenging part is sourcing halved pork trotters (ask your butcher; most Korean and Chinese butchers will do this without hesitation) and committing to ninety minutes of simmering. The actual active work is minimal.

The one-hour cold water soak before cooking is about drawing out blood and impurities, which prevents the braising liquid from becoming murky and off-smelling. The five-minute blanch that follows removes more surface proteins. These two steps are what separate a clean-tasting jokbal from one with a gamey edge. Don't skip either.

The braised liquid is delicious and can be used as a base for soup the next day. The collagen from the trotters makes it gel solid in the fridge — a sign of a rich, properly made braise. This is the dish I cook when I want to make something that takes time but doesn't require constant attention. Set it on the stove, go do something else for ninety minutes, come back to dinner.