Yoo Geun-joo, CJ CheilJedang Researcher, "Yukgongyuk, Authentic Overseas Gourmet Ham... Reinterpreted to Suit Korean Tastes"

Improved Flavor with Seasoning Tailored to Korean Taste Based on Handmade Style Experienced Abroad
Maximized Juiciness and Texture through Differentiated 'Double Aging' Technique
Rising Demand for Premium Meat Products... High Growth Potential for Gourmet-Style Deli Meats

Yoo Geun-ju, Researcher in charge of Yukgongyuk at CJ CheilJedang

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] "Yukgongyuk (六工肉) is a handcrafted ham that combines various spices to create flavors preferred by Koreans, embodying know-how and effort to produce rich meat juice and a popping texture."

Yoo Geun-joo, CJ CheilJedang’s meat processing master researcher, said in an interview with Asia Economy on the 4th, "We focused on creating a product that maintains the taste and flavor of traditional European handcrafted meat products while reinterpreting them to suit Korean tastes. After more than two years of development, we applied six proprietary meat processing technologies to introduce a product differentiated from existing ham and sausage products."

Yukgongyuk is a premium meat processing brand launched by CJ CheilJedang at the end of May, promoting itself as ‘deli meat with six meat processing technologies and modern tastes.’ It embodies the philosophy of presenting a new food culture to consumers seeking diverse experiences in food. Recently, four types?frank, kielbasa, long frank, and Vienna?have surpassed cumulative sales of one million units within four months of launch, recording an average monthly sales of 2 billion KRW, receiving positive responses from consumers.

Researcher Yoo, who played a pivotal role in the birth of Yukgongyuk, graduated from the Munich Meat School and the Augsburg Meat Processing Meister Training School in Germany. He is a meat processing expert who became the third person in Korea to pass the certification exam authorized by the German Federal Guild Association and obtained a meat processing meister certificate. He joined CJ CheilJedang in 2016 and currently leads the Yukgongyuk commercialization and cooked meat profitability enhancement projects.

Four types of CJ CheilJedang's 'Yukgongyuk' products

Researcher Yoo said he focused first on finding the optimal seasoning and raw material blend to achieve Yukgongyuk’s distinctive flavor and texture. He explained, "We added ‘Taste & Rich,’ CJ CheilJedang’s natural fermented seasoning material, to enhance umami, and combined various spices such as paprika, coriander, nutmeg, and caraway and their extracts appropriately to amplify the flavor." He emphasized, "We blended beef and pork belly, which are generally not used in domestic meat products, and cut the raw meat into various sizes to create a popping texture and rich meat juice."

The blend created this way underwent a ‘double aging’ process, which matures the meat at a constant temperature for more than twice the usual time, followed by an additional hot air drying to maximize meat juice and texture. Researcher Yoo said, "We applied a 12 to 48-hour aging time and multi-stage hot air drying and cooking processes in a constant temperature aging room optimized for the Yukgongyuk blend to achieve harmonious flavor, meat juice, and a springy texture." He added, "Through continuous cooking tests and research, we designed and applied temperature and time conditions suitable for various cooking methods such as pan-frying, water frying, and air frying."

Researcher Yoo expressed confidence that the gourmet deli meat market has sufficient growth potential in the future. As consumers who have experienced various meat processing products?from handcrafted sausages that retain the original flavor of raw materials to sliced ham platters?steadily increase, the era of being satisfied with ordinary side-dish sausages is over. He said, "The meat processing market is segmented by consumer demand into gourmet, health, convenient snacks, and side dishes, and the number of consumers wanting to enjoy diverse gourmet experiences is increasing. Although the gourmet premium deli meat market is not yet large, it continues to grow at a high rate every year and plays a leading role in changing the direction of the meat processing market."

Currently, Yukgongyuk is developing sandwiches and sliced ham for side dishes that reflect consumers’ sophisticated tastes and demand for diverse products. Additionally, it is focusing on researching meat products suitable for replacing Korea’s unique grilling culture and for home-style restaurant menus. Researcher Yoo stated, "Yukgongyuk will lead the growth of the gourmet ham category within the mature cooked meat market. Through continuous research and development for differentiated appearance and taste from conventional meat products, we want to make Yukgongyuk a brand loved not only by domestic but also overseas consumers."