[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Hyesoo] On the afternoon of the 15th, MBC's 'Baekfather: Don't Stop Cooking!' (hereafter 'Baekfather') featured Baek Jong-won and beginner cooks making dishes using pork together.
At the opening of the broadcast, Yang Se-hyung started by saying, "There’s a commotion that Baek Jong-won's food tastes bad." In response, Baek Jong-won said, "Just do as you're told. Don’t do it your own way. And beginner cooks are stubborn. Fix your attitude."
Yang Se-hyung added, "Teacher, you should fix your attitude too," which brought laughter. Baek Jong-won urged, "Please try doing it slowly as instructed, then adjust according to your own taste and situation. Don’t have any preconceived notions."
Also, on this day, Baek Jong-won and Yang Se-hyung revealed the merchandise made by Baekfather and announced that they would distribute them evenly to those beginner cooks who work hard or post good comments on Naver (Green Window).
They continued, "If the viewership rating goes up, the prizes will get better," and expressed their aspiration, "We might even provide a food truck. It would be great if the program becomes one that gives away a car as a prize."
The ingredient for 'Baekfather' on this day was pork. Baek Jong-won said, "First, we’ll start with something simple like grilling, and if time permits, we’ll try making stew."
Before cooking, after greeting the cooking god from Gumi, a newly joined beginner cook from Bucheon, who joined through a tip from a coworker, was introduced. This beginner cook, a mother of two children, entertained Baek Jong-won and the others throughout with her elegant tone and voice.
They started by grilling thick samgyeopsal, which is difficult to cook at home. Baek Jong-won said, "It’s not difficult at all. Just put it on medium heat and then move it aside."
Meanwhile, regarding why some pork cuts are more expensive, Baek Jong-won explained, "It’s not because the cuts are different, but because some cuts don’t sell well."
While the thick samgyeopsal was cooking, they began grilling thin samgyeopsal. Pork with a lot of fat can be grilled in a pan without adding extra oil. Baek Jong-won advised, "Use the fat that comes out from grilling fatty meat to cook vegetables or leaner meat."
When Yang Se-hyung asked, "When do you flip the meat?" Baek Jong-won replied, "If you’re unsure, just flip it once. Since samgyeopsal has enough fat, you can flip it multiple times."
They continued preparing the green onion salad seasoning, mentioning that mixing cabbage into the green onion salad makes it tastier. He also gave a tip that if the knife is not sharp enough when shredding cabbage, you can use a potato peeler. The seasoning was made by mixing gochujang and sugar in equal parts, adding red pepper powder for color, and finishing with sesame oil.
The gochujang seasoning was for adults, and for children, he recommended mixing soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar in a 1:2:2 ratio. At this time, Baek Jong-won said that instead of green onions or cabbage, you can shred lettuce or perilla leaves to accompany the meat.
Meanwhile, the thick samgyeopsal that had been left unattended got burnt, but Baek Jong-won managed the situation by saying, "It looks burnt, but if you cut it, it’s fine," which drew a teasing remark from Yang Se-hyung.
With time remaining, they proceeded to make stew. In Bucheon, the two daughters of the participating mother beginner cook cooked more skillfully than their mom, making Baek Jong-won and Yang Se-hyung smile.
After completing the stew, they couldn’t finish the porridge as planned due to time constraints. Baek Jong-won ended by saying that next week’s ingredient would be 'tteok' (rice cakes), and "I will teach you how to make oil tteokbokki."
MBC's interactive cooking show in the untact era, 'Baekfather,' airs every Saturday at 5 PM.
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