“If I could eat only one cut for the rest of my life, it would be pork belly”… 54.6% of Seonjin employees chose it

It was found that pork belly remains overwhelmingly popular among pork cuts. More than half of the respondents stated that they would choose pork belly if they could only eat one cut for the rest of their lives, and pork belly accounted for a significant portion of actual online purchases.

Sunjin, a company specializing in livestock and food products, announced on the 16th the results of the 'Sunjin Employee Pork Preference Survey' conducted among 185 employees in celebration of its founding anniversary in October. The survey was conducted from October 2 to 11.

According to the survey results, in response to the question "If you could eat only one cut of pork for the rest of your life?", the respondents54.6% (101 people) pork bellyThey selected pork neck at 21.6% (40 people), pork jowl at 8.6% (16 people), and pork shoulder at 8.1% (15 people).

On the other hand, pork jowl showed the highest preference as a delicacy cut recommended for those who usually eat pork belly or pork neck.

The most respondents recommended pork jowl, with 40.0% (74 people), followed by pork shoulder at 27.6% (51 people) and pork skirt at 17.8% (33 people).

In particular, among the 101 respondents who chose pork belly as the one cut they would eat for the rest of their lives, 52.5% (53 people) recommended pork jowl as a delicacy cut. This indicates a difference between the cuts preferred for daily consumption and those sought out to enjoy a unique taste.

The reasons cited for the recommendation included the distinctive texture and savory flavor of pork jowl, the tender texture of pork shoulder, and the rich meaty aroma of pork skirt meat.

■ 8 out of 10 online customers buy pork belly

The high preference for pork belly was also confirmed in Seonjin's online mall sales data.

According to an analysis of order records from Sunjin’s official online mall, ‘Sunjin Pork Handon Mall,’ from January to September of this year, 79.0% (1,342 people) of the total 1,698 purchasing customers purchased pork belly at least once.

During the same period, out of a total of 6,905 orders, 3,745 orders included pork belly, accounting for 54.2%.

In addition, orders containing two or more different cuts of pork amounted to 2,743 cases, accounting for 39.7% of the total.

This shows that as pork belly has established itself as a major purchase item in online sales, a consumption pattern of buying multiple cuts together in a single order is also emerging.

■ The criteria for selecting pork are fat content and freshness

When purchasing pork, the ratio of lean meat to fat and marbling recorded the highest response rate at 65.9% (122 people) as important factors considered.

Responses indicating that the color and condition of the meat are important also reached 64.9% (120 people), showing that consumers use the quality and appearance of pork as their main criteria for judgment.

Salt and whole peppercorns were the most popular combination to enjoy with pork, accounting for 49.2% (91 people), while fresh wasabi also showed a high preference rate of 42.2% (78 people).

A Seonjin official stated that pork is an ingredient that can be enjoyed in various ways, as the composition of fat and lean meat, texture, and flavor differ depending on the cut, and added that the company will strive to enable consumers to enjoy Korean pork in even more diverse ways based on its accumulated expertise in the meat industry.