Easy Boneless Jokbal Recipe: Korean Braised Pork Trotters

This is the easiest Korean Jokbal recipe in the world. No need to soak the meat for 6 hours because this one uses boneless pork trotters. Just follow this recipe, and you’ll taste the exact same Jokbal(pork feet) you had at a Korean restaurant, honestly even better! Shall we start?

What Is Jokbal? 족발

Jokbal is a Korean dish made by boiling pig’s feet with soy sauce, garlic, ginger, star anise, and various spices. It has a savory and slightly sweet flavor with a rich aroma from the spices. The pig’s skin is cooked on top of the meat, giving it a chewy texture with juicy meat underneath, making it a delicious dish.

How Koreans Enjoy Pork Trotters

Koreans usually eat pork trotters either boiled in soy sauce or coated in a spicy-sweet sauce. Sometimes people eat only jokbal, and often they enjoy half jokbal and half bossam (boiled pork). It is typically served with shrimp sauce and ssamjang. People may dip the pork trotters in shrimp sauce, then add some ssamjang, or place the meat in a lettuce wrap with garlic and chili for a bite. Jokbal is often enjoyed as anju (Korean drinking food), and the drink most commonly paired with it is soju.

Why You’ll Love This Boneless Jokbal Recipe

No Need to Soak the Blood

In typical jokbal recipes, the pig’s trotters are boiled with the bones intact, so it is common to soak them for about 6 hours to remove the blood. This helps eliminate the porky odor. However, by removing the bones beforehand, there is no need to soak the meat — you can cook it right away.

Quick Cooking Time

Since you don’t need to remove the blood, the pork feet recipe is much simpler and faster. Cutting the meat into boneless pieces also significantly shortens the cooking time. In total, you can make delicious jokbal at home in about 1 hour.

Easy Recipe

Even if you’re not confident in cooking, don’t worry. Just use the seasoning ratio I provide, add the pork trotters, and simmer for exactly 50 minutes. You’ll have restaurant-quality jokbal made by your own hands. I promise it’s that easy.

Affordable

Pork trotters are inexpensive in most countries. Whether in Korea or Europe, this cut is cheaper than most other cuts of meat. Making it at home allows you to enjoy the same dish for about 30% of the restaurant price and in much larger portions. Honestly, since you can use better cuts and higher-quality ingredients, home-cooked jokbal naturally tastes much better.

Ingredients for Korean Pork Trotters

Main Ingredients

• 1 whole jokbal (pig’s trotter): Make sure it has the skin attached.
• 2 onions
• 2 green onions
• 8 garlic cloves

Spices

Since pig’s trotters have a strong porky smell, several spices are used to neutralize it.

• 6 star anise: The key spice. This is essential to get the authentic jokbal flavor.
• 1 cinnamon stick: Optional, adds a fragrant aroma to the pork trotters.
• 3 dried jujubes: Optional, adds natural sweetness and aroma. These small ingredients create depth of flavor.
• 2 tbsp sliced ginger: Ginger is one of the main spices that removes the gamy taste of pork.
• 1 tsp whole or ground black pepper: Whole pepper is ideal, but ground pepper works if you don’t have whole pepper.

Braised Sauce

• 150 ml soy sauce: You can use Korean jin ganjang. If you want to learn more about types of Korean soy sauces, check my blog post below.

Korean Soy Sauce Guide: Choose the Best Ganjang for Korean Cooking

• 100 ml dark soy sauce: Chinese-style dark soy sauce (lao chou) adds sweetness and deep color to make the pork trotters look more appetizing.
• 50 ml soju: Pig trotters have a strong porky smell, so soju or cooking wine helps remove it.
• 120 ml sugar: It may seem like a lot, but after braising, the jokbal isn’t overly sweet. The sweetness balances with the saltiness of the soy sauce.
• 20 ml corn syrup
• 30 ml plum extract
• 300 ml water
• 1 tsp MSG: Optional, but essential if you want the same flavor as Korean restaurants. It significantly enhances umami.

Substitutions

• Dark soy sauce (lao chou): Mainly for color. If unavailable, use jin ganjang with 1.5 tsp brown sugar.
• Soju: Essential for removing pork odor. Can be replaced with cooking wine, mirin, or other alcohol.
• Corn syrup: Can be replaced with honey or sugar, but it’s difficult to achieve the same glossy finish.
• Plum syrup: Can be replaced with honey or sugar, but plum extract adds aroma and slight acidity, enhancing umami. It’s highly recommended to get it for authentic Korean flavor.
  • Plum syrup on Amazon

How to Make Jokbal Step by Step

Prepare the Meat

Remove the bones from the pig’s trotters, keeping the skin attached. There’s no need to soak the meat to remove blood. While you prepare the other ingredients, keep the meat in cold water.

Prepare the Vegetables

Cut the green onions into large pieces. Slice the onions into 1.5 cm (½ inch) thick rounds. Lightly crush the garlic cloves with a knife and thinly slice the ginger.

Assemble in the Pot

Place the sliced onions at the bottom of the pot and lay the pork on top. Add the green onions, garlic, star anise, cinnamon stick, ginger, dried jujubes, and black pepper.

Make the Sauce

In a bowl, mix soy sauce, dark soy sauce, soju (or cooking wine), sugar, corn syrup, plum extract, and water. Pour the sauce over the meat. Add MSG if you want a restaurant-style flavor.

Simmer and Braise

Cover the pot with a lid and bring it to a boil over high heat. Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 50 minutes. Turn the meat 2–3 times during cooking to ensure it cooks evenly.

Rest and Slice

After cooking, let the pig’s trotters rest for about 15 minutes before slicing. This helps the meat stay firm and bouncy without falling apart.

What to Serve with Korean Pig’s Trotters

Main

• Bossam: In Korea, pork trotters are sometimes eaten on their own, but it’s also common to enjoy them half-and-half with bossam (boiled pork belly). This is an easy bossam recipe for making moist and tender bossam right at home.

Garlic Bossam (Korean Pork Wraps): Boiled Pork Belly with Sweet Garlic Sauce

Sides

• Sauces: Prepare shrimp sauce and ssamjang for dipping. You can also dip the jokbal in the braising liquid, which is really delicious.
• Vegetables: Use lettuce for wrapping the Korean pig’s trotters in ssam (lettuce wraps).
• Bibim Makguksu: In Korea, it’s common to enjoy spicy, sweet, and tangy bibim makguksu (cold buckwheat noodles) as a side when eating Korean pork trotters.
• Rice: Steamed rice can also be served alongside.

Pairings

• Soju: Korean pork trotters is a rich and fatty dish, making it the perfect anju (Korean drinking food) to enjoy with soju.
• Somaek: A mix of soju and beer, called somaek, also pairs very well with jokbal.

Tips for Perfect Jokbal

Spices

Spices are very important in jokbal because they help remove the porky odor and add fragrance. Using all the spices I include will give the jokbal more depth of flavor, but if that’s not possible, be sure to at least include ginger and star anise.

Heavy Lid

Using a pressure cooker can make the meat much more tender in a shorter time, but if that’s not an option, at the very least, cover the pot with a heavy lid while boiling the pork trotters to ensure the meat becomes tender.

Medium Low Heat

Once the water starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer slowly. This helps trap the juices and cook the meat tenderly.

Resting

Let the jokbal rest for 10–15 minutes before slicing. This prevents the meat from falling apart and makes the skin chewier. Eating it warm gives a softer skin, while eating it after it cools makes the skin chewier — Koreans have very different preferences. I prefer to eat it warm, while my younger sibling likes it slightly cooled and chewier. If you want to eat it warm, rest for 10–15 minutes before slicing. If you prefer it chewier, let it cool for about 20 minutes.

Storage and Reheating Tips

How to Store in the Fridge

Place the pork trotters in a container and cover it with plastic wrap before storing it in the fridge. It’s best to eat it within two days.

Best Way to Reheat

• Steaming: Place the pork trotters in a steamer and steam it once. This method preserves moisture, keeping it juicy and flavorful.
• Microwave: Place the Korean pig’s trotters in a microwave-safe dish, sprinkle 2 tbsp of water over it, cover with plastic wrap, and poke a few holes. Microwave for 1 minute 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Flip the meat halfway through for even reheating.

FAQ about Jokbal

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