Bulgogi – Korean Beef BBQ

Bulgogi recipe that has been my go-to household recipe for over 30 years!! This hottest Korean BBQ Beef dish is created from marinated skinny slices of beef marinated in candy garlicky soy sauce that’s historically grilled over an open flame. Take pleasure in!

Korean BBQ Beef or Bulgogi 불고기 actually means ‘fireplace 불 meat 고기’ in Korean. It’s an incredible grilled Korean BBQ beef dish that can make anybody a fan of Korean meals when you style it. That is the very first recipe that I posted after I began my weblog in 2010 and as I mentioned within the title, I’ve been utilizing this genuine recipe ever since – for 30 years which is mainly how lengthy I’ve been married. 😍

So this Genuine Bulgogi recipe has actually stood the check of time and I’m nonetheless simply as proud and assured about my recipe after I first posted it in 2010.

What’s Bulgogi

HISTORY – Bulgogi has its origins relationship again 1000’s of years to the dominion of Goguryeo (고구려 37 BC – 668 AD) which was within the type of beef grilled on skewers. Later within the 1800’s, with the introduction of steel grates, Koreans began to marinate skinny cuts of beef after which grill on high of those gridirons. These have been referred to as Neobiahni Gui 너비아니 구이 which truly used thicker slices of beef than what’s used at present.

My most scrumptious reminiscence goes manner again to the times when my father took the entire household out to dinner at his favourite restaurant – Wooraeok 우래옥. You see the unique proprietor of Wooraeok was an excellent pal of my father since they each fled North Korea throughout the Korean Struggle within the ’50s.

Wooraeok nonetheless exists at present in Seoul. They nonetheless prepare dinner the meat on the metal pan (see Seoul Bulgogi pic under) and my dad used so as to add rice and cracked an egg to the juice that accrued across the rim. And OH MY…you’re going to get a beautiful juk there.. I can nonetheless bear in mind how good it tasted and I believed my dad was a genius!!

Greatest beef minimize for Bulgogi?

Historically, high sirloin, tenderloin or rib eye cuts (like within the pic above) are thought-about to be one of the best cuts for bulgogi and they’re thinly sliced throughout the grain. However when you don’t have a Korean grocery retailer close to by, you may thinly slice a skirt or flank steak and even chuck roast in opposition to the grain. The extra marbling the meat has, will probably be extra tender so attempt to purchase meats which have good quantity of marbling.

The way to slice

Wrap the meat in plastic wrap and freeze it for two hrs or extra (esp. if meat piece is larger than 1 lb) after which take it out of the freezer and slice it thinly in opposition to the grain. Professional Tip – at all times sharpen your knife (like how cooks do on TV) earlier than and will probably be a lot simpler.

Substitutions for Bulgogi sauce Substances

Historically the marinade sauce is created from soy sauce (jin ganjang), mirin or cooking rice wine, Asian pear, garlic, sugar and/or honey, sesame oil, sesame seeds and black pepper.

Asian Pear is the normal Korean tenderizer of alternative for bulgogi recipes and the rule of thumb is 2 Tbs grated pear for 1 lb of meat. However when you don’t have it, you may actually use different substitutes and will probably be effective.

Substitute for Asian Pear

• Kiwi – that is my favourite tenderizer to make use of when a pear shouldn’t be available –   it’s so highly effective that 1/2 kiwi is sweet for five lbs of beef so watch out to not use an excessive amount of.
• Onion – 3 Tbs of minced onion will do its trick for 1 lb of beef
• Weight-reduction plan Coke – My go-to emergency repair is so as to add 2 Tbs of food regimen coke to five lbs of beef,  when you discover that the meat continues to be too robust even after the marinade. Use Weight-reduction plan Coke solely as a final resort since it is rather highly effective and don’t go away it too lengthy.

Substitute for Rice wine/Mirin

Rice wine/Mirin/Sake Substitute – Though many of the alcohol is cooked away if you prepare dinner, I get requested so much whether or not they HAVE  to make use of it. In case you can’t use alcohol in your cooking, strive the next: for two Tbs rice or crimson wine =  2 Tbs ginger ale OR 2 Tbs apple juice OR 4 tsp grape juice +  1 tsp wine vinegar + 1 tsp water. Additionally, scale back the quantity of tenderizer (esp. kiwi) if utilizing these because the acidity in these juices or ginger ale could have a slight tenderizing impact.

The way to prepare dinner Bulgogi

Pan Fry

It’s the best and easiest technique to prepare dinner. The pan must be pre-heated on excessive warmth and in addition don’t crowd the pan by including an excessive amount of bulgogi or you’ll find yourself with quite a lot of meat juice within the pan. However when you like bulgogi that has quite a lot of liquid, which you’ll be able to combine your rice in (YUM!), then go forward and prepare dinner sluggish on low warmth.

GRILLING

Probably the most genuine and conventional technique to prepare dinner Korean BBQ (high left pic) is to prepare dinner it on an open flame on a charcoal grill or perhaps a fuel grill will do. You’ll want to use both a effective metal mesh or tin foil to prepare dinner the meat over charcoal as a result of in any other case, it’ll all fall via. You may as well use tin foil on a grill and poke holes in them.

Broiling

You may as well broil it on the highest rack of your oven (Broil temp) however bear in mind to maintain a really shut watch so it doesn’t burn!

Bulgogi Pan over a fuel burner

Conventional Bulgogi pan over Fuel (see pic for Seoul Bulgogi) – Use the basic domed pan on high of a tabletop fuel burner and prepare dinner with water or mild broth added to the rim. The juice from the meat will fall into the water and later make a beautiful juice which you could combine together with your rice. Add an egg and swirl it to make the juice even tastier!

Seoul Bulgogi

Seoul Bulgogi (서울불고기) or generally referred to as Yetnal Bulgogi (옛날불고기) is a variation of bulgogi that’s made with the identical marinated beef nevertheless it’s cooked both in a dome pan with a rim on the facet that’s stuffed with water which then slowly will get became essentially the most scrumptious broth because the meat juices drip down into the rim. Like so –

Or, it’s simply all cooked in a pot with a broth and completely different greens like cabbage, mushrooms and Dangmyeon noodles. This additionally goes by Bulgogi Jeongol (stew) and right here’s the pic under.

Completely different Korean Ssam Greens – I’ve a publish that explains all of the completely different greens you should utilize for ssam so combine them up!

Add-ons to Bulgogi

Historically, Koreans simply marinate the meat by itself however you may add all or any of the next: sliced uncooked onions, mushrooms (shitake, white, oyster), bell peppers, carrots, inexperienced onions can all be added to pan if you prepare dinner the meat.

Step-by-Step Directions

1. Make the sauce by mixing the entire marinade elements collectively apart from any elective greens corresponding to onions or mushrooms.

My favourite tenderizer to make use of is kiwi until I’ve Asian pear at house (which I don’t at all times). I do know it’s not conventional since kiwi shouldn’t be a local Korean fruit nevertheless it actually makes the meat soften in your mouth and far simpler to purchase outdoors of Korean groceries. Watch out to not use an excessive amount of as it could actually truly make the meat virtually crumble into nothing in your mouth.

2. Combine within the bulgogi beef into the sauce ready above – in a bowl large enough to carry the meat. Be certain the sauce is effectively combined with the meat. You will have to make use of your fingers right here and simply therapeutic massage every thing collectively.

Make Forward – and go away within the fridge in a single day. Or in case you are brief on time (as is at all times the case with me.. ), making it just some hours forward works effective too. Even simply 30 min. works. I’ve finished that many instances and most of the people don’t even appear to note the distinction. 🙂  However after all, it’ll style higher when you give it time to marinate and soak up all that good taste.

3. COOK YOUR MEAT – (watch video too)

• STOVE TOP – Warmth up your favourite frying pan on MEDIUM-HIGH warmth and simply pan fry/stir fry the meat till it’s barely brown on either side. Your pan must be sizzling sufficient in order that the meat sizzles because it touches the pan. DON’T put an excessive amount of meat into the pan and you’ll find yourself with quite a lot of the meat juice leaking out of the bulgogi which I personally don’t assume is sweet. However some like quite a lot of juice so it’s your alternative. Add any sliced greens to the pan a few minute after you begin cooking the meat. Prepare dinner till meat is effectively cooked and caramelized (such as you see under).
• OTHER – test my Ideas above for different methods to prepare dinner.

And there you go!

NEW!! Watch and take heed to my The way to make Bulgogi video! Subscribe to my Youtube channel when you loved it. 💕

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JinJoo