How Many Calories in Jokbal?

Also known as 족발, Korean Braised Pig's Trotters, Jokbal Pig Feet, Bul Jokbal, 불족발.

Jokbal is pig's trotters braised for hours in soy sauce, sugar, ginger and spices until the skin turns glossy and the meat falls off, then sliced and served with salted shrimp, ssamjang and lettuce. The 10pm delivery order across Korea.

470kcal / 1 person's share (about 250g, a third of a small order)

A single person's share of jokbal, about 250g of sliced meat and skin, is roughly 470 calories, in line with the fatsecret.kr 1인분 figure of 458 and 190 kcal per 100g. It is high in protein at about 42g, but 32g of fat comes with it from the skin. A small (소) order of about 700g is 1,400 calories for the table.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 person's share (about 250g, a third of a small order) (250g)	Amount	Per 100g
Calories	470 kcal	188 kcal
Protein	42 g	17 g
Carbs	4 g	2 g
Fat	32 g	13 g

Where the calories come from

Braised trotter meat and skin, sliced230g

440 kcal

Saeujeot and ssamjang15g

15 kcal

Lettuce, garlic, chili40g

15 kcal

The real talk

Jokbal is skin, fat and tendon around a little meat, and the braising does not change that ratio. 250g of slices is 470 calories with 32g of fat, and most of the fat sits in the skin layer everyone likes best. The upside is 42g of protein, which is more than a serving of samgyeopsal gives you for 160 fewer calories.

A small order is 700g to 800g and costs 35,000 to 40,000 won, and it arrives with a mountain of sides: lettuce, salted shrimp (새우젓), ssamjang, pickled radish, raw garlic, and often a bowl of makguksu or a small sundae. The sides are cheap on calories, maybe 60 total, but the makguksu that comes in the set is another 400 and the sundae plate 300. The 1,400 calorie order turns into 2,100 for the table quickly.

Bul jokbal, the spicy version tossed in gochugaru sauce and torched, is about 220 kcal per 100g, so 550 per share, because of the sugar in the sauce. Naengchae jokbal with the cold jellyfish salad and mustard dressing is closer to the plain number and the mustard is free.

How the portions compare

290 kcal

Small share (150g)

470 kcal

One share of a small order (250g)

1400 kcal

Whole small order (소, about 700g)

Jokbal variants, ranked by calories

Variant	Calories	Notes
Naengchae jokbal (cold, with jellyfish), 250g	460 kcal	Mustard dressing, no sugar glaze
Plain jokbal, 250g	470 kcal	Standard braised
Bul jokbal (spicy), 250g	550 kcal	Gochugaru sugar sauce
Jokbal with makguksu set, 1 share	870 kcal	Cold noodles added

How to eat it lighter

Pick the meatier slices from the front trotter (앞다리) and leave the pure skin and fat pieces. A slice of mostly skin is about 40 calories and almost no protein.
Wrap every slice in lettuce with salted shrimp instead of ssamjang. Saeujeot is about 2 calories a spoon; ssamjang is 20.
Split a small order between 3, not 2. That is 470 each instead of 700.
Skip the makguksu in the set. Those cold buckwheat noodles are about 400 calories on top.
Plain over bul jokbal. The spicy glaze adds about 80 calories per share in sugar.

Common questions

How many calories in a small jokbal?

About 1,400 for a whole 소 order of roughly 700g. Split three ways that is 470 per person.

Is jokbal high in protein?

Yes, about 42g per 250g share, and 17g per 100g. It is also 32g of fat per share, so it is protein with a cost.

Is jokbal good for collagen or skin?

The skin is mostly collagen, which is where the chewy texture comes from. Eating it does not do anything measurable for your own skin. It does add about 40 calories per slice.

Which is lower in calories, jokbal or bossam?

Jokbal, at about 190 kcal per 100g versus 290 for boiled pork belly bossam. Per share it is 470 versus 620.

Related foods

Bossam

620 kcal per 1 person's share (about 180g pork with kimchi and wraps)

Samgyeopsal

630 kcal per 1 serving (1인분, 200g raw belly, grilled, with ssam)

Sundae

300 kcal per 1 serving (1인분, about 200g with liver and lung)

Khau Yuk

490 kcal per 1 serving (3-4 slices pork belly with mui choy and gravy)

Bulgogi

330 kcal per 1 serving (200g cooked, no rice)

Tangsuyuk

590 kcal per 1 person's share (about 200g, a third of a small plate)

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Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical restaurant or pojangmacha serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.

Calorie figure based on fatsecret.kr 족발 1인분 458 kcal, 돼지족발 190 kcal per 100g. Macros estimated from the ingredients.

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