Have you ever eaten a dish for the first time and immediately fell in love with it? I’m talking about a dish so good that you almost feel disappointed that it took you so long in life to finally try it. Well, that definitely happened to me the first time I tried beef bulgogi.
You see it was only about 6 or 7 years ago when I made my first foray into Korean cuisine. I had journeyed with some friends to a Korean BBQ joint, and being curious I decided to try out as many dishes as I could. And while I enjoyed practically everything that came my way, I will never forget that first encounter with beef bulgogi.
What is Beef Bulgogi?
Beef bulgogi is thinly sliced pieces of beef, typically rib eye, that has been marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, and a few other ingredients. It is a perfect balance of sweet, salty, and umami flavor. And due to both the marinade and the way that the beef is sliced it is super tender.
Traditionally the meat would be grilled over a charcoal fire hence the name bulgogi which translates “fire meat”. However, nowadays it is just as common to see people cooking their bulgogi in a pan. But no matter what method you use to cook your bulgogi you are guaranteed to have a delicious meal.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- Beef bulgogi is typically prepared out of thinly sliced rib-eye or top sirloin. If you live close to a Korean market then you should be able to find pre-sliced meat that will be labeled for bulgogi. However, most of us don’t have that option but don’t fret as you can just as easily slice your beef at home. To get the best result place your piece of beef in your freezer for two hours. This should make the beef sturdy enough that you can slice it thin.
- Today I will be cooking our beef bulgogi the traditional way over a grill. Now obviously the beef is sliced too thin to grill directly over grill grates which is why we will be using a grill pan. So if you would like to grill your bulgogi and don’t have a grill pan then check out the link I have provided below. That being said you can just as easily cook your bulgogi in a regular old pan/skillet over your stovetop. Just add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to your pan/skillet and cook it just as I have instructed in step 4.
- Sometime bulgogi consists only of meat, While other times it includes vegetables like onions or carrots. The addition of vegetables is totally up to you.
- I love to serve my beef bulgogi in rice bowls, and while it’s not traditional I find pairing it with a sunomono salad works well.
Beef Bulgogi Recipe
Prep time: 1 hour (mainly for marinating the beef)
Cook time: 10 minutes
Servings: 2 to 3
Ingredients
1 Lb of Thinly sliced beef
For the marinade:
¼ Cup of soy sauce
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 ½ Tablespoons of mirin rice wine
1 Tablespoon of sesame oil
3 Cloves of garlic, minced
1 Inch piece of ginger, minced
1 Tablespoon of minced kiwi
¼ Teaspoon of black pepper
Optional vegetables:
1 small onion, sliced thin
1 small carrot, sliced thin
Garnish:
Toasted sesame seeds
Sliced green onion
Instructions
- Make the marinade: Get out a large bowl and add the soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, and brown sugar to it. Whisk these ingredients together until the brown sugar has dissolved. Then the remaining marinade ingredients to the bowl and mix everything together.
- Add the beef to the same bowl, toss it in the marinade and let it sit for 1 hour. If you are using the optional vegetables then you can add them to the bowl at this time too.
- Preheat your grill for high.
- Grill the beef: Place your grill pan on your grill and let it get hot for a couple of minutes. Then toss in the beef and vegetables and let this grill for a minute.
After a minute you will want to stir the beef to make sure that the slices separate and don’t form into huge chunks. Keep stirring and cooking the beef for another 5 minutes or until it is done to your liking.
- Place some rice in a bowl and top it with the freshly grilled beef bulgogi, enjoy!
Beef Bulgogi Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Lb of Thinly sliced beef
For the marinade:
- ¼ Cup of soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 ½ Tablespoons of mirin rice wine
- 1 Tablespoon of sesame oil
- 3 Cloves of garlic minced
- 1 Inch piece of ginger minced
- 1 Tablespoon of minced kiwi
- ¼ Teaspoon of black pepper
Optional vegetables:
- 1 small onion sliced thin
- 1 small carrot sliced thin
Garnish:
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Sliced green onion
Instructions
- Make the marinade: Get out a large bowl and add the soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, and brown sugar to it. Whisk these ingredients together until the brown sugar has dissolved. Then the remaining marinade ingredients to the bowl and mix everything together.
- Add the beef to the same bowl, toss it in the marinade and let it sit for 1 hour. If you are using the optional vegetables then you can add them to the bowl at this time too.
- Preheat your grill for high.
- Grill the beef: Place your grill pan on your grill and let it get hot for a couple of minutes. Then toss in the beef and vegetables and let this grill for a minute. After a minute you will want to stir the beef to make sure that the slices separate and don’t form into huge chunks. Keep stirring and cooking the beef for another 5 minutes or until it is done to your liking.
- Place some rice in a bowl and top it with the freshly grilled beef bulgogi, enjoy!
