Korean Pork Bulgogi Recipe (stove-top or grill) (2024)

FAQs

How is bulgogi so tender? ›

The beef is marinated in a blend of soy sauce, sesame oil, onion, garlic, ginger, sugar, asian pear, and black pepper. It's marinated for several hours which flavors and tenderizes the meat.

While traditional beef bulgogi has a soy sauce-based marinade, dwaeji-bulgogi or spicy pork bulgogi uses a Korean-based chile pepper flakes/powder called gochugaru and chile pepper paste called gochujang. Gochujang is the same paste used for Korean fried chicken sauce and tteokbokki too.

The best way to serve beef bulgogi is with some freshly cooked rice where you drizzle all that sauce. On the side, you can have kimchi and other banchans, as well as some vegetables such as lettuce and sliced peppers. For the sauce, don't forget the ssamjang! With these, you can make a ssam or bulgogi lettuce wraps.

In many Korean restaurants, tables are outfitted with grills in the center so customers can cook the bulgogi meat themselves and eat it straight from the grill. Bulgogi is typically served with steamed rice, lettuce wraps, chili sauce, and other traditional Korean accompaniments.

There are three types of bulgogi that are typically served at restaurants today – Gwangyang-style of South Jeolla Province, Eonyang-style of South Gyeongsang Province and last but not least, the Seoul-style.

Pork Belly (Samgyeopsal)

It is the top choice of many because it is affordable and easy to find. You can even buy it in your local grocery store. After grilling, it is traditionally wrapped in a lettuce before eating.

Heat a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, cook and stir steak and marinade together in the hot skillet, adding honey to caramelize the steak, until steak is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Garnish bulgogi with dark green parts of green onions.

You can cook on a cast-iron pan, nonstick pan or any similar griddle on your stovetop. Or – upgrade your tableside setup with a portable camp stove and butane cans. Fire it up with a Korean-style grill pan – its special grooves keep meats from sticking and help drain grease.

This dish is best served with a bowl of rice and some banchan (Korean side dishes) like kimchi or pickled vegetables, as well as lettuce leaves or perilla leaves for wrapping the pork slices. If you are paleo or Whole30, it's delicious with cauliflower rice as well.

From a nutritional point of view, Bulgogi enjoys an excellent reputation: grilled or burned beef steak in a pan does not require the use of additional fat and is a source par excellence of noble proteins, vitamins PP and B12, while the ginger present in marination speeds up the digestion process as well as fighting ...

What is the best cut of meat for bulgogi? ›

What kind of meat do you use for beef bulgogi? Bulgogi is typically made with almost paper-thin slices of the most tender cuts of beef. Rib-eye is the most common cut of beef with top sirloin coming in a close second.

Bulgogi generally refers to thinly sliced beef marinated in a sauce that is a mix of soy sauce, sugar or honey, sesame oil, garlic, onion, and often pureed Asian pear.

Bulgogi (Korean: 불고기; lit. fire meat; Korean pronunciation: [pul. ɡo. ɡi]; American English /bʊlˈɡoʊɡiː/ buul-GOH-ghee) is a gui (Korean-style grilled or roasted dish) made of thin, marinated slices of meat, most commonly beef, grilled on a barbecue or on a stove-top griddle.

Traditional bulgogi marinade calls for puréed or grated fruit such as kiwi, apple, or pear. Any type of pear will work with this recipe, but if you can access Korean pears (or another Asian pear variety), use those.

From 1910 to 1945, Korea was under Japanese rule, and serious beef shortages swept the nation. As a result, beef prices soared, and the prominence of the bulgogi dish waned. By the 1990s, however, the dish's popularity rebounded. It is collectively known as one of the most popular foods in Korea today.

Grilled vegetables are a simple and versatile side dish that can be easily paired with Bulgogi. The smoky, charred flavors of the vegetables enhance the taste of the marinated beef, while the variety of textures creates a satisfying meal. Popular choices include bell peppers, zucchini, onions, and mushrooms.

Taste. While American BBQ mostly has a smoky flavor focusing on vinegar-based sauces, Koreans prefer more savory-sweet marinades. The most commonly used ingredients are sesame oil, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, and honey. Like sesame and soy sauce, some of them are unique to Asian cuisine due to their geographical location ...

Lean meats are your best friend at a Korean barbecue. Opt for cuts like beef tenderloin, chicken breast, or seafood, which are lower in fat and calories but high in protein.

Fresh Veggies: Select veggies that can withstand the grill's heat, like mushrooms, seasonal vegetables (peppers, onions, squash, go nuts here). Korean green chiles are also really nice. They are a sharp spicy bite that can help reset your palette after too much fatty meat. Grill these as well or just leave them raw.

Popular Korean food blogger Maangchi uses pureed pear in her recipe for beef bulgogi, and I've seen recipes using pear juice or shredded apple too. For the simplest application, mash or slice fruit and spread over thin cuts of meat and leave for a few hours before grilling.

Why is Korean barbecue so tender? ›

Marinated barbecue meats

Pears are also traditionally used in the marinade to help tenderize the meat, but kiwi and pineapple have also been used more recently. It is traditionally cooked using gridirons or perforated dome griddles that sit on braziers, but pan cooking has become common as well.

But you still can make good bulgogi without these choice cuts. Whatever you use, it's very important to choose tender, marbled beef: leaner cuts like brisket or flak steak will turn out too tough. Cut the beef thinly against the grain to make it easier to chew, and marinate overnight.

Beef Bulgogi is crazy tender and juicy seeping with mildly sweet, savory, smoky flavors from the soy, sesame, garlic, ginger marinade. It is intensely flavorful, and tantalizingly delicious. This Bulgogi cooks super fast, so once your steak is done marinating, it's 15 minutes to dinner!