"Here, They Always Rinse" Rib Chain That Rewashed and Resold Meat Destined for Disposal

Meat with altered texture from long room temperature exposure washed with alcohol
Skilled staff sometimes grill it to avoid customer suspicion
Franchise official: "An incident caused by branch error"

At a large branch of a galbi franchise, it was revealed that meat was "soaked" and served to customers. The photo shows the meat, which had changed in condition, being washed with alcohol and then mixed again with seasoning sauce. / Photo by JTBC capture

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lim Juhyung] Controversy has erupted after it was revealed that a large branch of a famous galbi franchise was re-serving meat that was supposed to be discarded by 'soaking' it in alcohol.

On the 8th, JTBC released footage capturing an employee at this branch washing meat with soju, then mixing it with seasoning and putting it back on the table. The footage was reportedly provided by an employee of the franchise.

In the video, an employee wearing plastic gloves picks up meat in poor condition, washes it in alcohol, and then mixes it with fresh seasoning. When another employee asks, "Shouldn't this be thrown away?" the response is, "I don't know. Here, we always rinse and use it," adding, "The manager told us to soak it, so we have to soak it."

The employee who provided the footage explained that when meat is stored at room temperature for a long time, its texture changes, and "when such meat appears, the responsible employee mixes it with fresh meat and immediately soaks it."

Additionally, meat with altered texture was sometimes grilled by skilled employees and served to customers.

A supplier that delivers meat to this franchise, after seeing the footage, pointed out, "When meat is marinated in seasoning, it absorbs the seasoning and then releases it, causing stickiness," adding, "It should have been sold before this happened."

A Mr. A, who was the branch manager at the time, told JTBC in an interview, "I gave the instruction to wash the meat," and expressed, "I thought it wouldn't be a big problem, so sell it. Reporting this to headquarters was mentally very burdensome."

Meanwhile, a franchise representative explained, "This was an incident caused by the branch's mistake, and the meat should have been discarded," adding, "After identifying the problem, we educated the employees and improved refrigeration facilities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.