Bulgogi (Korean BBQ Beef)

Bulgogi hardly needs any introduction for Korean food lovers. For the rest of you, it’s about time to welcome this iconic Korean dish into your life.

Bulgogi, also known as Korean BBQ Beef, is a must-try. I love how tender and juicy the beef strips are, slightly caramelized with savory soy, garlicky goodness, and a hint of sweetness. Trust me, it’s a game-changer!

Beef Bulgogi is what I am making today, and the best part? I can whip this up super quickly on my BBQ grill or stovetop.

Summer time is coming, and with that comes all the grilling and fun cook out times. I have some great outdoor grilling recipes for you. My Puerto Rican Pinchos, Greek Souvlaki, and Mexican Pollo Asado will give you great unique BBQ flavors.

Now this Bulgogi, all the way from the other side of the world, is not your usual grilled meat. It’s loaded with umami Asian flavors, with the perfect combination of savory and sweet with a good dose of garlic and sesame oil.

Like other Asian foods, it’s flash cooked in minutes, and I love the fact that it can be served in a few interesting ways.

What is Bulgogi?

Bulgogi (불고기), pronounced as bool-GOH-gee, is a classic Korean dish made of thin marinated slices of meat, mostly beef, grilled on a barbecue or on a stove top griddle. It is also often stir-fried in a pan in home cooking.

This traditional dish has been around for thousands of years, and started as a high-class cuisine only the rich could afford. Over the centuries it slowly became very popular with the masses, and their favorite go to meal to cook, especially during special occasions and get togethers.

Bulgogi is a combination of two Korean words, Bul meaning “fire” and Gogi, translating to “meat”. Hence, this dish is famously called “fire meat.” But don’t worry, Bulgogi is not really spicy, rather slightly sweet with typical Asian umami flavors. “Fire” here is a reference to the hot cooking surface that’s used to cook it.

In many Korean barbecue restaurants, customers are seated at a table that has a grill installed in the middle. Customers can order raw and marinated bulgogi meat, and cook it themselves right at the table. It is common for each person to pick at the meat directly from the grill, or serve each other enjoying a meal together.

There Are 3 Keys to Good Bulgogi:

1. Good quality beef
2. The Bulgogi Sauce or marinade
3. Proper cooking technique

What Cut of Beef is Best

When I’m making bulgogi, I always go for a prime tender cut that will be juicy and melt in my mouth. Boneless ribeye is one of my favorites because of its tenderness and perfect fat content, especially when it’s nicely marbled. Sometimes, I splurge and use fillet mignon. Top sirloin is another excellent option that I love to use.

If I find some Korean or Japanese market nearby, I look for pre-cut, shaved (very thinly sliced) beef labeled “bulgogi meat” in the freezer section. It usually comes in different grades, but I always go for the premier quality like ribeye. I’ve even found shaved ribeye at some Trader Joe’s locations. Some times I ask my butcher to thinly slice the meat for me. When cutting it myself, I freeze the meat until it’s partially frozen. This makes it easier to cut the meat into thin strips.

I make sure to cut the meat thinly against the grain, aiming for an ideal thickness of about 1/8 inch. Cutting the beef against the grain ensures that it stays tender when cooked.

Bulgogi Marinade

Bulgogi Marinade is the soul of this dish. Delicious Bulgogi happens when you get the right balance of savory, umami flair with a dash of sweetness. The classic marinade is made with just a few pantry staple ingredients like soy sauce, rice wine, mirin, sugar, aromatics like ginger and garlic, and a good dose of sesame oil.

One unique ingredient that goes in the marinade is grated Korean pear. Pear contains an enzyme called calpain, which tenderizes the meat and adds a touch of sweetness. If you can’t find a Korean pear, you can use ripe bosc pear, or any other Asian pear instead.

Some recipes even use kiwi fruit or pineapple instead of pear. If you are using kiwi or pineapple, marinate it for a shorter time, like an hour or two. Kiwi and pineapple have higher levels of calpain, and that can break down the meat or degrade it if marinated for a longer time.

Cooking Method: Grilling or on Stove Top

Though bulgogi traditionally started as grilled meat, many Korean households simply make it in a pan or skillet on stovetop for everyday meals. Pan fried bulgogi can release a lot of juices, and meat can cook in this juices, which some people prefer.

One way to achieve the smoky, caramelized grill style bulgogi while cooking on stove top is using a larger cast iron skillet, and cooking in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. This allows the meat to get a nice sear without creating a lot of liquid. Make sure that the skillet is sizzling hot with oil to ensure faster cooking, and a good sear on the meat.

Grilling, on other hand, gives a true Korean style BBQ experience, where smoke created by drippings coat the meat wonderfully.

Some people like to throw in some vegetables along with the beef. Sliced onions, scallions and carrots are some of the veggies that go great with the tender strips of beef, making a more rounded meal.

Ingredients Needed

• Beef – Today I am using thick, nicely marbled rib eye.
• For Bulgogi marinade – Soy sauce, mirin or rice wine, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, pear, scallions, sesame oil, sesame seeds, pepper.
• Oil – Use any of your favorite cooking oil with a high smoke point.
• Onion – I love to serve our beef Bulgogi on a bed of caramelized onions.
• For garnishing and serving – Scallions, sesame seeds, lettuce, rice, kimchi.

Bulgogi Recipe:

1. Make Bulgogi marinade and marinate the beef: I start by mixing all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl and whisking them together until they’re well combined. Then, I pour the marinade over the thinly sliced beef and mix it well, using my hands to rub the marinade all over the meat. Once everything is evenly coated, I cover the bowl with cling wrap and let the meat marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Sometimes, I even let it marinate overnight for extra flavor.

2. Cook on stove top: I heat a large cast iron pan or skillet over high heat. Once it’s hot, I add 2 tablespoons of oil and swirl it around to coat the pan. Then, I add the marinated beef in a single layer to the sizzling hot oil (cooking in batches if my pan is smaller). I let it cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes. After that, I toss the beef and cook for another 3-4 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the beef is cooked to my desired doneness and has a slight caramelization.

Once the beef is cooked, I remove it from the heat. Some days I simply serve this bulgogi right away on a serving plate, and sometimes I like to serve it on a bed of caramelized sliced onions. To do that, I heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil on very high heat and cook the sliced onions undisturbed for 3-4 minutes. Then, I stir them and cook until they start to get brown and a little caramelized. I place the cooked bulgogi right on top of the onions and garnish with sesame seeds and scallions. I love serving this with warm rice or in lettuce cups along with some kimchi.

Grilling method: I preheat the grill on medium-high heat. Once it’s ready, I grill the meat in a single layer until it’s slightly caramelized.

Serving Suggestions

• Bulgogi is very often served with steamed rice.
• Another popular way I love to eat bulgogi is wrapped in lettuce leaves. I wrap the meat in lettuce with a little rice, some Korean ssamjang (Korean BBQ dipping sauce), and some kimchi.
• I also use bulgogi meat in other Korean dishes like Japchae, Bibimbap, kimbap, or Korean style tacos like our Bulgogi Tacos.
• It goes great with any kind of Fried Rice or Asian noodles. I like to pair it with sautéed veggies like carrots, mushrooms, bell peppers, snow peas, and scallions.
• Sometimes, I use it as part of an Asian bowl meal or on top of a salad. 
• And if I have leftovers, I serve them the next day with fried or poached eggs for breakfast.

Alpana’s Tips

1. I always use nicely marbled tender cuts of beef for tender, juicy Bulgogi. The thicker the cut, the wider the bulgogi slices will be, just like the shaved pre-cut bulgogi meat I find in Korean grocery stores.
2. I make sure to marinate the beef for at least a couple of hours so the flavors penetrate into the meat. Overnight marination is great, or I marinate it in the morning for dinner.
3. Partially freezing the beef for about 30 minutes helps me cut it into thin strips using a sharp knife.
4. When I’m cooking in a pan, I always use a larger skillet, and cast iron skillets are the best since they hold heat well.I make sure to preheat the pan, which is needed for caramelizing the beef quickly without overcooking it.
5. I sear the beef in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Overcrowding can lead to steaming the meat in its own juices rather than getting that quick caramelization.
6. If I’m cooking veggies like onion and carrots to boost the beef, I cook them separately, not with the beef, to avoid steaming the beef.
7. I don’t skimp on the ingredients in the marinade to get those delicious bulgogi flavors going.
8. Only sear the beef and not the leftover marinade, as that adds more unwanted liquid to the pan.

Variations

• Sometimes I use different proteins for bulgogi. Very often, I make pork bulgogi, and chicken bulgogi is great too. I use the same marinade recipe for all these proteins. For a budget-friendly option, I even like making Ground Beef Bulgogi.
• For a little zing and a spice kick, I add gochujang (Korean red chili paste) or red chili flakes to the marinade.
• To add a veggie boost, I stir-fry some vegetables like carrots, onions, mushrooms, snow peas, or cabbage.

Cook this 10 minute quick beef recipe with delicious Korean flavors. Introduce Korean BBQ beef to your friends and family this summer, and make a fun grilling recipe with new flavors.

Make a giant batch, serve simply with some caramelized onions or bunches of other veggies. Enjoy it over a bowl of rice, or wrap it up in lettuce wraps. Bulgogi – the ultimate easy Korean delight, just for you.

Beef Bulgogi, in our Gypsy Bowl… enjoy!

Try these other great Asian beef recipes!
Mongolian Beef
Vietnamese Shaking Beef
Korean Ground Beef Bowl
Japanese Beef Curry
Beijing Beef

Bulgogi (Korean BBQ Beef)

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

This easy Beef Bulgogi recipe features beautifully marinated steak that cooks in a flash on stovetop or on the grill.

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Ingredients

Bulgogi Marinade

• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp mirin or rice wine
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp ginger, finely chopped
• ½ pear, cored and grated
• 2-3 scallions, diced
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• ⅛ tsp black pepper

Beef Bulgogi

• 1½ pounds rib eye (or any tender prime beef cut like tenderloin), thinly sliced to 1/8th inch thickness
• 3 Tbsp oil, divided
• 1 onion, thinly sliced

Serving and garnishing

• scallion, only green part, sliced
• sesame seeds
• rice
• lettuce cups
• kimchi

Instructions

1. Mix all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until well combined.
2. Pour the marinade over the thinly sliced beef and mix well (use hands to rub the marinade all over the meat). Cover the bowl with cling wrap and marinate the meat for at least 4 hours in the fridge. You can marinate the beef overnight if time allows.
3. Heat a large cast iron pan or skillet over high heat. Add 2 Tbsp oil and swirl to coat. Add marinated beef in a single layer (cook in batches if you have a smaller pan). Cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes. Toss and cook for another 3-4 minutes, tossing occasionally, till beef is cooked to your desired doneness with a slight caramelization. Remove from heat.
4. You can serve this bulgogi right away on a serving plate, or you can serve it on a bed of caramelized sliced onions. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp oil on very high heat and cook sliced onions, undisturbed for 3-4 minutes. Stir and cook them till they start getting brown and caramelized. Place bulgogi atop the onions and garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.
5. Serve with warm rice or in lettuce cups along with some kimchi.

Grilling method

1. Marinate the meat as described above.
2. Preheat grill on medium high high heat. Grill the meat in a single layer until slightly caramelized on both sides.

Notes

1. Leftovers: This quick and easy stir fry kind of dish is a great meal prep option, and can be made ahead of time for future meals. To refrigerate: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to five days. To freeze: Place the cooled leftovers in an airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Simply thaw overnight and heat through in the microwave or on stove top.

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Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.