I can’t tell you how much I love pork liver and Korean sausages together. I’m officially a convert.
If that grosses you out, you should probably stop reading this post.
If it doesn’t, feel free to jump.
My college buddy, Hannah, visited Dallas this past weekend, and since she lives in Cary, North Carolina, where Korean food is a rare species of cuisine, we spent a good chunk of time exploring the restaurant maze around Carrollton’s Super H Mart. Sunday afternoon was chilly, so when Hannah spotted a sign for hot Korean sausages at WD Smoke BBQ (previously known as Wang Korean Restaurant), I shouted, “Yes!” and that was that.
WD Smoke BBQ is easy to miss. It’s lodged between Yogurtland and Omi Grill, so it’s one of those places that make you cock your head and go, “Oh, has this been here awhile? Really? How could I have not seen it?” No matter. WD Smoke BBQ is worth a drive out to Carrollton, especially if you’re ordering the soon dae bokum (stir fried Korean sausages).
In case you’re not familiar with Korean sausages, they’re not anything like a traditional American sausage. They’re more like blood sausages stuffed with a variety of ingredients. In WD Smoke BBQ’s case, the soon dae were filled with dangmyeon (vermicelli noodles) and small pieces of rice. I know what you’re thinking. It doesn’t sound all that great, but just imagine this: Outside, it’s freezing; inside, a waitress brings you a skillet of bubbling gochujang (thick red chili paste) filled with chunks of Korean sausages, onions, scallions, and carrots. Small bites of pork liver, intestines, and glass noodles are mixed in, which makes for a fun treasure hunt using chopsticks.
The fragrant perilla leaves (sesame leaves used to wrap Korean barbecue) are a fantastic, minty mouth-breather in between bites of sausages and gochujang, which is happens to be one of those fantastic pastes/sauces (like Sriracha) that taste good with just about everything. It creates this nice sweetness that balances out the slightly bitter edge of liver and sausage. There’s something charming about soon dae bokum, with its vibrant color and stew-like consistency.
It’s basically a dish full of hot spicy hugs.
