Korean Beef Bulgogi
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A super easy recipe for Korean BBQ beef with the most flavorful marinade! The thin slices of meat cook quickly, and it’s so tender!!!
It was always a treat when my mom would whip this up on those busy weeknights – marinating the beef just a few hours while I was at swim practice. And then she’d throw these onto a hot skillet, filling up the house with the best kind of beef aroma – you know, the smell at the Korean BBQ restaurants that get you so hungry.
The meat cooked in seconds, and she’d serve these with red leaf lettuce, rice, and red pepper paste. It was just perfection.
But with my mom being in Korea and all, she doesn’t really get a chance to make this for me anymore.
So I’ve done my best to “grow up” and whip this up myself. Now to be honest, nothing beats my mom’s cooking but this is a very close second.
The key here is to slice the meat as thin as possible. Throwing the steak in the freezer for 20-30 minutes helps with this process tremendously. That way, the thin cuts of meat can soak up the most epic marinade in just a few hours.
Once it’s done marinating, the hard part is over. Throw it onto a super hot cast iron skillet or grill pan and that smoky, sweet-savory charred bits of meat will simply put you over the edge.
Serve with rice and maybe a side of kimchi for a full meal. Or red leaf lettuce tacos also work perfectly here.
Korean Beef Bulgogi
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless rib eye steak
- ½ small pear, peeled and coarsely grated
- ¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon gochujang, Korean red pepper paste
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Wrap steak in plastic wrap, and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Unwrap and slice across the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices.
- In a medium bowl, combine pear, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and gochujang. In a gallon size Ziploc bag, combine soy sauce mixture and steak; marinate for at least 2 hours to overnight, turning the bag occasionally.
- Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a cast iron grill pan over medium-high heat.* Working in batches, add steak to the grill pan in a single layer and cook, flipping once, until charred and cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and steak.
- Serve immediately, garnished with green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.
Notes
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I have made this recipe about 6 times now and we gave considered this a go-to meal! I make it for company and they all love it. My favorite beef to use is filet mignon beef tips, but they are harder to find. I’ve also used skirt steak which isn’t a bad substitute. I have skipped the Asian pear the last two times because I just forgot to buy it – but it really didn’t make a difference. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!
I’ve made this several times for my family. We all love it!
Can I please give this ten stars? If I could, I would! Absolutely incredible marinade and the beef was so tender. I wouldn’t change a thing. A side of kimchi is perfect as well.
Honestly I haven’t come across a recipe from Damn Delicious that wasn’t a winner in my book… and this recipe is no exception! I love making this recipe and I crave it all the time! I meal prep it for work lunches with some steamed riced cauliflower.
I made this tonight with what my husband had decreed was “trash meat”. A rib eye steak that had been improperly packaged in the freezer with a bit of freezer burn. It was delicious! Flavors were spot on, cooked up quick- super going to make again. Plus saved the meat from the compost. Can’t wait to try it again with fresh meat.
Served with rice, avocado, cucumber, pickled carrots and sesame seeds.
Love this recipe. Make it at least once a month.
Got this recipe from a friend who made it for a party. I immediately went home and bought the ingredients, it was so delicious! She served it with an amazing dumpling sauce from tiktok (which uses many of the same ingredients found in this recipe) with rice on butter lettuce leaves. YUM!!! I’m marinating meat to make it tomorrow as we speak.
Awesome recipe. Thank you for posting! My husband said he’ll never eat a regular taco again!!!!!
Made this last night. It was absolutely delicious! I used pineapple instead of pear because that was what I had on hand. Otherwise, I made exactly as posted. Thanks for all your great recipes!
Loved this recipe. Easy to make and short cook time make it great for cooking after a long workday. Have the meat marinating while you are gone. After cooking the meat I serve it with roasted green beans and dressed up jasmine rice. To make the rice start with a drizzle of oil and add sesame seeds. I use about a teaspoon of sesame seeds and let them toast in the oil slightly. When I add the rice and water I also throw in the whites of the green onions and let the rice cook. The greens of the onion are used with additional sesame seeds to dress the plate before serving.
Quick and easy with great flavor!
really good. i doubled the sauce and didn’t marinade just cooked meat about 30 minutes because i had a tougher cut of meat. but it was awesome. added some broccoli and red peppers and served over rice
I’ve made this a few times now and while it was super delicious, I didn’t have access to gochujang so I did my best to substitute all while knowing it would be missing a certain something. I recently stumbled upon gochujang at my local supermarket so obv had to make this recipe again, and WOW. Highly recommend getting your hands on gochujang if you can. It’s really a game changer. Served with white rice, kimchi and a quick-pickled cucumber and my boyfriend stated it was better than our fav local Korean spot. 10-10!!
So delicious! I used shaved beef slices from Costco, marinated over night, and served with riced cauliflower to keep it healthy and some pan sautéed bok choy. Used the leftovers to put it all into a tortilla and had a bulgogi burrito!
My 15 year-old son found this recipe on the internet and although I was skeptical that it would be nearly as good as our favorite restaurant, I agreed to try it out. It was so easy to make and the flavor was spot on! This recipe is definitely a keeper!!!
Ive cooked this a few times now. i use stir fry beef from the butcher (im lazy) and i use pear or apples for the fruit – whatever is over ripe… I also add lemon juice and the juice from half an orange.
Really easy, really great recipe – thanks!
I have made this a few times now. It is fast, easy and delicious. In fact, I made it again last night, and even though I lacked several of the ingredients the recipe called for, I substituted wildly and it was still delicious. I have never managed to find the right amount of time to marinate the meat, but it still comes out well. Also, I use inexpensive, tough cuts of beef, so it is not an expensive meal. However, even though my substitutions worked out, follow the original recipe. You won’t be sorry.
Delicious! We crave this all the time now! We are fortunate to have a Costco nearby that sells the thinly sliced New York sirloin. We have used this in place of the rib eye for the convenience. After some experimenting with different cooking methods, I now put the meat directly on our gas bbq grill at medium high heat for about 2 minutes on each side, delicious!! Thanks for introducing our family to gochujang!
I make this several times a year and always get rave reviews!
i’m absolutely obsessed, i feel like such a chef! thank you. <3
I didn’t have steak so I used ground beef. It turned out delicious! Easy weeknight dinner that even the kids enjoyed. The only modification was less red pepper paste.
If there was a way to give a hundred stars to this recipe I would. This was absolutely one of the tastiest Asian inspired marinades I’ve ever made in my life. We enjoyed it over sticky rice and will be forever utilizing this recipe. Thanks so much.
I absolutely love this recipe, it’s perfect! Everyone I have made this for will also agree! It’s so tender, juicy, Yummy!! If I could give more then 5 Stars.. I would!!
Prepare meatballs and after they are baked, you can put them in a bowl of bulgogi sauce to completely coat then put on top of jasmine rice; and drizzle with siracha sauce. Try a side of fresh carrots cut up and sprinkled with cinnamon and a pinch of sugar. Finish off the meatballs by topping with scallions.
WOWWW! I’ve had my eye on this recipe for a while and finally made it last night. It was wonderful. Thanks for sharing one of the best recipes found online.
Just made this recipe a couple hours ago, and just wanted to say thanks! That was so damned good!
Good recipe, I followed the ingredients mostly except I made my own paste using fresh chili’s,toasted sesame seeds ginger and garlic, mixed that in with the soy sauce brown sugar and some oyster sauce for the marinade . I also used strip loin and carved the fat off. After about 5 hours of marinated goodness the meat was ridiculously tender. Cooking in batches I seared all the marinated steak up removed it, deglaze with white wine ,tossed in some steamed carrots and fresh scallions the pan the added all the beef back and let simmer a few minutes. Great flavor and easy to make.
Excited to try this can I use Gochujang powder instead?!
I have made this dish several times and enjoy it served over sticky rice (Calrose) with sauteed vegetables. The first time I followed the recipe exactly, using ribeye, but found that the meat was simply too soft after cooking. I decided to modify recipe by substituting flap steak (widely used for fajitas) cut into 6″ x 6″ medallions. Marinate using the standard marinade for 3-4 hours. Grill medallions over lump charcoal, turning once. When meat is no longer red, remove from grill and cut into strips with kitchen scissors across the grain. The result is far superior to the version using ribeye and the meat is a bit less expensive.
Outstanding recipe! So good. Thanks for sharing this.
This recipe is exactly what I’ve been looking for since I worked on a project in Korea For some reason I thought the meat to use was chuck. Thank you for this wonderful recipe with the directions on how to get it ready!!
This is my favorite bulgogi recipe. I’ve tried a few different ones and always come back to this one. I marinate the beef overnight, it’s so tender the next day. I often make it for breakfast.
I’ve been making this recipe for years. A friend was visiting for the weekend and I made this for her. She’s never had anything like it. She loved it so much that she ate every scrap of rice and meat, licked the sauce off the plate with her finger, and then drank the last bits of marinade off the plate. DAMN!! This is some great shit!!!
I’ve made this twice already. The second time, I forgot the pear but it was still delicious! My family loves it so much we haven’t had any leftovers from this meal. This is certainly one of our favorite dishes to prepare and so easy to put together.
Thanks!
I always wanted to recreate this dish I had in South Korea. Now I ise this exact recipe when I cook at the firehouse and ky fellow firefighters eat it up. Thanks!
This is an amazing recipe! The marinade is so flavorful.
Have not tried but just curious what putting it the freezer for half an hour does?
Putting the steak in the freezer for a half hour allows it to firm up prior to slicing
Helps with slicing the meat thinly 🙂
Easier to thinly slice a slightly frozen piece of meat
I substituted pureed pear like natural baby food.
This recipe always gets high marks!
The pureed pear is a smart move!!! Thank you!!!
I’ve been using this Bulgogi recipe for years, it is fantastic. Great to use with thin sliced beef as described, but can also be used with ground beef/turkey with great results. I normally use it as foundation for bowls, but great pet of Bulgogi style tacos as well.
I’m curious. How do you incorporate with ground meats?
Going to try it with strip steaks.
Do I need to refrigerate it while it is marinating?
Damn it’s delicious .
Made it for dinner my partner loves it.
THANK YOU for SHARING.
Yes, it should be chilled so it doesn’t grow bacteria.
I made this and it was SO good! Thank you for sharing.
Our go to recipe. It’s delicious! Go and make some and be happy.
Much better than takeout, and is requested frequently in our house!
I’ve tried several bulgogi recipes and this one has become my go-to. Easy to put together, absolutely delicious, everyone raves about it. Leftovers freeze beautifully. Sometimes I serve it over white rice, sometimes I serve it in lettuce leaves with rice, pickled cucumbers, and pickled radishes.
Made it with sirloin and it was fantastic! Would London broil work also as long as I marinate overnight?
Flat out amazing recipe. Made on a whim for a dinner party side dish. The only problem was that I didn’t make enough!
Hi..I forgot to mention…I couldn’t find pears, so I used Del Monte pear halves in a can… I took one out and diced it up and added it to the marinade. I can’t wait to make this again! Amazing. Tasty. Easy to make. For fun, I used chop sticks!!
I followed the recipe exactly…wow! delicious!!! , easy to make, I used the mild Gotchu Korean hot sauce. I marinated it overnight in Ziploc bag.. I served w Jasmine rice, I put a tad of sauce over the rice..with the meat and the sauce was very tasty over the rice. Amazing…and I’m picky. This is a keeper in my family ❤️☺️
Thank you.
It’s perfect! Thank you for sharing.
So good! I’ve tried to make bulgogi before but it never tasted like the real stuff. This did! I used thin sliced chuck from our Asian grocery store and did a little extra gochujang. Marinated for about 5 hours, it was amazing!
sooo good 🙂 made this recipe in the beginning of the pandemic when i was trying new recipes and i’ve looked so long for this specific recipe and finally found it again, thank you for sharing your recipe with us all 🙂
Excellent recipe. My local big box warehouse lately has been selling very thinly sliced New York steak for shabu shabu, and that was very helpful I didn’t have gochujang specifically, but used something similar. I also used chili sesame oil as we all like it spicy. Like many others, I more than doubled the garlic. Since coming down with COVID some time ago, garlic is one of those things that I can’t taste much anymore.
This was soooo good!! Made it tonight!
So good!!! I made these with pork belly as well and they taste amazing. Wrapped in lettuce and taste like k bbq. Also put the meat in hot dog bun, with cheese and toasted it. SO GOOD. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe! Will definitely make it again!
The family really liked it. I made it true to the recipe with two exceptions. Specifically, first, I always add more garlic to a given recipe and did the same here. Second, once the beef was cooked I added some pre-made rice to the pan and lightly sautéed it to bring it up to temp and to soak up the leftover beef bits/marinade that was still in the pan. DEFINITELY recommend that.
The spice level was, for us, quite managable but some folks may find it too mild or too hot. For those who like spicy food, you can add a half to another full tablespoon of goghujang. For those who like mild, try only adding a teaspoon or two of goghujang.
The rice trick is a really good tip! I tried it and my family love it!
Can I use sirloin steak beef as I don’t have rib eye for this recipe?
Of course! I’m using thin NY slices I got at Costco tonight.
We added zucchini, broccoli carrots and onions. We also sliced cabbage very thin and put that directly on the warm rice. Very delicious
I’ve made this several times. It has become a regular dish on our dinner rotation and my family has now dubbed it “meat candy”. It is SO good. I also buy the Trader Joe’s shaved beef, which makes it extra quick and easy to put together last minute.
Great idea to use the shaved beef! How long do you marinade for?
I made this with my dad for a school project. It was delicious! Thanks!
Love this recipe. Very flavorful and quick and easy to prepare. I enjoy the spiciness of the goghujang so doubled the dose.
I’ve made this recipe 3 times in the last two months. I recently found out my stepdaughter has a low iron deficiency so we’ve been bringing meat back into our household to keep her healthy. This recipe has been an absolute favorite and (not-so) regular meal in household now. I’ve also been working/brushing up on my Asian cuisine skills and this recipe is such a great one to add to the books! Thank you, Damn Delicious!
This is my favorite recipe to use when entertaining guests! It’s so easy and tastes amazing! It’s foolproof and a total crowd-pleaser! Thank you!
I whiffed on this one. I used frozen store bought sliced ribeye which was SUPER thin, and due to packaging the amount of meat was 4 oz too much. The marinade was gone after maybe 60% of the meat was soaked… I’m guessing that because the meat was so thin, the surface area was too much for the amount of marinade. It just didn’t have the flavor of previous recipes. It was still good, very good in fact, but if I use that meat again, I will double the marinade and make it nice and saucy.
Just curious how to store this and how long it will
last? I whipped it up but something came up and we won’t be able to cook the meat for another 4 days.
thank you <3
Tried it with thinly sliced horse meat. Beautiful marinade, tasted almost exactly like the bulgogi from my favourite Korean restaurant. It was a big hit with my friends. Highly recommend trying it with horse meat (if your local grocery store caries it) and with some gochujang.
I have never seen horse meat for sale at any supermarket. I question whether this is a legitimate post.
We can buy horse meat at most large grocery stores in Quebec. I’m not a fan personally but it’s certainly available.
Holy shit this is crazy yum. Have made 3 times now for flatmates, younger siblings, and grandparents. Everyone frothing that beautiful Korean flavour. 5*
So, so good.
This is one of my family’s favorites. Great balance of flavor and effort!
This has become a favorite go-to recipe at our house. Flavorful and delicious! Thank you!
Fantastic! Wanted to surprise my husband by making something completely different and this was a hit. I used apple instead of pear I chopped and diced it in thin slices that after cooking got soft and yummy. After reading that some said the pear dissolves into a grit I’m kinda glad I didn’t have any pear. I used siracha instead of the gochujang. After reading how gochujang is different I will definitely find some and make this again. I also didn’t have toasted seasame oil but pure seasame oil. Still delicious. Will make again soon!
I make the very often!
I make this at least once a month. We change the recipe sometimes, just adding something in here and there for a little different flavor each time. I have it marinating right now. We added chopped onion to help tenderize the meat, since the quality of meat right now is not great. We also use a whole pear, because we all love the pear flavor. I’ve shared this recipe with my friends and I bring a neighbor of ours a bowl when I make it. Everyone loves this dish. It is my absolute favorite!!!
This tastes as good as my local Korean BBQ restaurant – so unfortunately they’ve lost a customer now. I made it a month ago and my family (wife and daughter) loved it. So I’m making it again tomorrow on my birthday. I’m marinating it overnight (using flank not ribeye, but flank comes out pretty nicely). This is definitely a monthly recipe now.
Making this for beef and for chicken for my family in Ukraine and they loves it.
Thank you for recipe.
Delish!! I used an apple instead of a pear since it’s what I had on hand. I also added cilantro and lime to top with the green onions (I didn’t have sesame seeds. So good!!
I started making bulgogi a few years back. We mildly liked the recipe. Today I finally searched for a new recipe. Thank you for posting your recipe! The flavor was perfect! I didn’t have the red pepper paste but still great! Can’t wait to make it again!
Quick, easy and DELISH!!! Trader Joe’s just came out with Japchae Noodles so I used their shaved steak to make a bulgogi to go on top. I halved the recipe and it worked perfectly. Thank you for making my favorite restaurant dish come to my home!
The last time I had bulgogi was in Hong Kong a few years ago with friends at a Korean restaurant. This recipe reminds me of that meal. The recipe is perfect.
Made for dinner last night exactly as directed. So. So. Damn. Good. A keeper! Thank you.
Wicked good !! Easy to do
after an afternoon of yard work.
Excellent recipe, came out perfectly!
It was good i really enjoyed it
Perfect Bulgogi recepy. I ate it at a Korean restaurant in the Netherlands, and bought a stash pots ready made Bulgogi. But this one beats it! And indeed, as mentioned by someone else, the whole family likes it. With plain rice, Romana , sweet peppers, spring unions, an all time favourite.
This tastes amazing! My husband was in Korea for a year with the military and loves bulgolgi. He introduced me to it at a Korean restaurant in Colorado and we have come to really enjoy it. Making it homemade is second best especially with Covid and not going to restaurants
Absolute perfection! My family gobbled it up snd had 2nds and 3rds! I followed your recipe to a T and wouldn’t change a thing. Thanks so much!
Omg this was fantastic !!! I didn’t use the pear and added crushed red pepper for just a bit more kick! Fantastic! Everyone I use you one of your recipes it’s a slam dunk!!!! Thank you!
I buy the beef already sliced very thin at the Asian market. I but all the Korean side dishes we love as well. I routinely use apple instead of pear and I skip the hot sauce.
I use a George Forman grill and I get brown on both sides at once.
This recipe is pretty close to the one I loved but lost. So yummy.
Delicious!!!
Absolutely delicious! I couldn’t get gochujang so used some schiracha instead & used a green apple instead of a pear. It cooked great in a normal non stick pan. I added some thinly sliced red onion to the pan while cooking the beef. And, daughter loved it with firm tofu instead of the beef! Served with some brown basmati rice & a Korean style green salad the whole dish was to die for. This recipe is definitely around the top on my must cook again list!
Where do you add the onions?
Hi Mandy! The green onions are added in step #4. Hope that helps!
Have made at least three times now, and I can say the recipe works equally well on my grill pan indoors and in a backyard bbq. Both grated pear and pear nectar (sold in the Hispanic grocery section) work equally well. Closest I get to going to an actual Korean bbq. Now, back to work on improving my banchan…
Excellent recipe!! This has been a staple in our house ever since we first tried it. I use Carna Picada beef that is shredded and already packaged at Walmart. I double the sauce and serve with rice and kimchee.
Very good recipe thanks for sharing I did not use the pear, added two tbsp of chilly flakes for some spice, yummy
Absolutely love this recipe- delicious!! Thank you!
For me, this bulgogi recipe is by far THE BEST! Everything is just right! I’ve been using this marinade on pork slices, beef strips and chicken thigh fillet. Gril it until almost charred, and its PERFECT!♥️
Thank you for sharing tgis recipe!
For me, this bulgogi recipe is by far THE BEST! Everything is just right! I’ve been using ZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz88this marinade for pork slices, beef strips and chicken thigh fillet. Grilled it until almost charred… PERFECT! ♥️
Thank you for sharing it with us!
Sorry for the inadvertent typo error. I accidentally pressed post without checking. Kindly delete Thank you.
This is absolutely fabulous. I have made this many times and it is now a family favorite. The flavor is spot on. Easy to make. I make 4 batches at a time and freeze it so I can have it anytime. Easy recipe to make. Thank you for sharing.
Patty do you freeze with the beef or just the sauce?
I totally make the whole recipe and freeze all together both meat and sauce. All I have to do is thaw and cook. Works perfect.
I absolutely LOVE this recipe ( have tried many others) BUT…I wonder how to get the meat crispy as it should be cooked. The sauce is so thick (but very delicious) that there is no way the beef gets crispy; it is more like it is steaming in the sauce.I have also tried other frying pans in addition to the cast iron, but result still the same. It seems almost like I need to wipe the sauce off the meat before frying, but that would be time consuming, messy and a hassle. Any suggestions??? I even thought of perhaps doubling the marinade recipe, the grilling meat on charcoal grill and adding back to sauce.
Bulgogi is never crispy, always saucy
Hi Dale, I was having the same issue and finally this last time I made it (cast iron), I didnt cut the steak as thin (still thin but a little thicker) and it was less mushy/saucy. Still not “crispy” though.
Followed recipe exactly, but used chicken tenders and skinless/boneless thigh (all I had in the fridge). Cooked on gas grill and charred with a Searzall. Wrapped it up in red lettuce leaf
with mung bean sprouts and sweet eel sauce. Delish!
Will try w/ beef next time. Thanks!
I added thinly sliced bell pepper, onion, and mushroom. After marinating the beef, (I used thinly slices ‘Hot Pot’ beef). I fried the beef almost to the point that the fat was starting to char. Then added the rest of the ingredients. Served over white rice, with a side of kimchi. Great recipe. Thank you, Chungah
I regularly use your recipe for venison backstrap and it turns out great every time. The only substitutions I make are an apple in place of the pear and liquid aminos instead of soy sauce. I made it last night with venison that I cut into much smaller pieces, and it was the best version yet. It allowed the marinade/sauce to coat more of the meat, leading to a more flavorful and moister final product. That’s particularly important with venison since it has not fat. I paired this with kimchi, rice, and sauteed swiss chard (sautee stems for 5 min, add minced garlic, crushed red pepper, and leaves, sprinkle with liquid aminos, a dash of rice vinegar and goguchan to taste). An awesome diner! Thank you!
Fabulous flavor – thank you! The first time I made this I used flank steak and “not” low sodium soy “too salty” for my taste and the meat was a little dry. Really good… but not quite what I expected. The second time I made it, I used deboned beef short ribs cut very thin, low sodium soy and I added the rest of the marinade at 80% cooked (didn’t do that the first time). I also completely masticated the pear and added the pear juice in the marinade. It marinated for 6 hours. Don’t skip toasting the sesame seeds. This is an amazing recipe. I will try ribeye next time as the next experiment. Short ribs were pretty amazing though. This dish needs some fat in the beef.
Hi,
Noticed that this recipe is similar to Korean chicken kabobs except that this one uses pear and the other one uses rice wine. Can we sub rice wine for pear in this recipe? No pear in my fridge at the moment. Thanks
Silvia I often use apple of applesauce if I dont have the pear.
I have subbed a can of pineapple chunks or pineapple tidbits and it’s just as delicious.
I just made this last night and it was delicious! I’m now scouring your recipes for tonight’s dinner. My family thanks you!
I made this when I was pressed for time and energy, intending to use a jar that caught my eye at the supermarket, until I read the label and the first six ingredients were all variations on MSG and HFCS. Almost as quick and undoubtedly tastier and healthier. My wife’s stir fry vegies and some bought kimchi went beautifully with it. Thanks.
Simple, Easy, DELICIOUS! I used red leaf lettuce. My kids added some rice to theirs Everyone raved.
I think this meal was amazing!
Hello! If I don’t have a cast iron grill or skillet can I use a wok? Thanks!
Amazing! I made lettuce wraps with these – I used iceberg lettuce and red shiso leaf. SO tasty. My dinner guests were amazed 🙂
Yea
This sounds amazing. I prefer dishes not spicy. Would it be ok to omit the gochujang? If so any adjustments to other ingredients based on omission?
This sauce is amazing. My son said it was better than the stuff that came with Hello Fresh. Very yummy. Definitely a keeper.
Was this dish very spicy if you used the 고추장 (gochujang) or was it not that spicy?
You can find non spicy gochujang sauce in the supermarket. They usually sell 3 types – sweet, spicy or sweet and spicy.
Very flavorful
This sauce was amazing! I only had stew meat and needed a quick weeknight dinner, so I changed this up a little. I put the 3 lbs of stew meat and double the sauce in the crockpot and let it cook while I was gone all day. I made rice bowls with the meat, shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, onions, red peppers and avocado. The family wants to know when I will make it again.
Great idea!
Delicious, just a little too much ginger. Going to try again with less ginger. Also I doubled the sauce and cooked the meat in the sauce instead of oil to get that glazed finish.
Just tried Farmboy’s bulgogi, and it has the equivalent of 5 tablespoons of sugar for 500 grams. Made it with onions, and tasted pretty good though not quite as good as sushi restaurant and nothing hot in it whatsoever. That’s why your recipe is such a find. But I think I’ll substitute that paste for grinded crushed red pepper flakes; a few pinches thereof.
You absolutely should not substitute the gochujang. It is 100% necessary and red pepper flakes are a very poor imitation.
I didn’t have the pear or fresh ginger and used flank steak…. but this was still AMAZING!!!! Would HIGHLY recommend and my family is already asking to have it again! I let it marinate for 2-4 hours and I used Instant Pot to saute all the meat and then pressure cooked for 10 minutes. Perfect!! Easy recipe that tastes like you spent HOURS on. =)
i substituted apple juice instead and it turned out amazing!
So good! This recipe checked all of the boxes I was craving. I will definitely be making this again and again. Thank you for sharing!
This is our go-to recipe for meat trimmings (both beef and pork, generally by whole roast and got into steaks or chops). We try to follow the recipe as close as possible (adjusted for the weight of the trimmings), but sometimes have to substitute the gochujang. For less clean up, we just line a broiler pan with aluminum foil and place it under a high broiler. Despite the fact that we use meat scraps and make this a simple meal with a foil line broiler pan, it comes out so good that it is one of the family’s favorites. Enjoy.
Superb recipe. However, I added Chile pepper flakes to the marinade. Also I used some orange juice to the marinade. I also used a Gas grill with an Iron veggie grilling insert with holes to allow me to cook the strips of meat without worrying about losing a piece through the grates. Also added blueberry Jam to the marinade to give another rich taste dimension.
Very delicious recipe! tried this samgyupsal on my niece’s Birthday and they all loved it! although I always use beef for the meat. much flavorful.
Really tasty!! Love this. Thanks for sharing
Extremely flavorful! We followed the recipe exactly and have made the dish three times this past month. This is my husband’s most requested dish. Thank you
Love this!!! I’ve made this recipe at least 5 times in the past few months, always with beef. Sometimes with lettuce wraps, sometimes with rice, sometimes with both. Adding quick pickles of radishes and cucumbers as sides upps it from excellent to outstanding. Any leftovers, rare, make a terrific lunch. Without green onions it’s great. Without the pear, it’s great. With just an hour marinade, it’s great. The sesame seeds add a wonderful toasty nutty flavor. Kudos!!!!!
Excellent! But I use Korean short ribs for the beef, which we love. These are thin sliced short ribs. I use the meat with white rice, or use it on bi bim bap. Rice, then sliced cooked or pickled veggies, like spinach, carrots, bean sprouts, then layer of meat, then a very softly cooked egg on top. Stir it all together and add additional go-chu-jang sauce to taste and it will be your favorite meal for life! Getting that wet egg yolk incorporated into your rice with your chop sticks is kept.
Excellent. Wish I had tripled the sauce. Served with white rice, Asian vegetables, and pickled cucumbers. I did reduce the amount of brown sugar to 1 tbsp based on other posts.
I love this recipe. I will buy sirloin roasts when they are on sale, cut it up thinly and divide into make 3-5 pkgs with their own marinade. Leave them in the fridge 24 hours t marinade and freeze. I love pulling one out for dinner and just need to make accompaniments. Awesome recipe.
Brenda, I was wondering, do you find the frozen marinated meat salty when you cook it later?
I’m wondering because I was thinking of doing that but was concerned it would change the consistency of the meat and also make it salty. I consider slicing the meat and doing the packages as you did for the freezer, but either just doing that and making the sauce later, or possibly, making the sauce and freezing separately?
Thanks,
Mary
* No rating because I haven’t made this yet, but am looking forward to it!
Easy to follow instructions and the taste was delicious.
I made a batch with seitan for my vegetarian son, plus included some brown jasmine rice and the butthead lettuce leaves to use as wraps.
Everyone loved it and I would make this again.
Amazing flavor! I used 2.5 lbs of venison roast since that was the closest to beef in the freezer. Shaved the roast while completely frozen for super thin slices. Used Gochugaru 고추가루 which is in powder or flake form, and all I had available. Doubled the sauce and had to use molasses and white sugar to sub for brown sugar. Super tender. Served with stir fried bok choi, carrot and onion and a huge pot of white rice to 3 teenage boys and myself. No leftovers 🙁 Will be making this again and again!
Absolutely delicious!!! I already expected it to be good based on the other reviews, but I was shocked at how amazing it was! And it was so easy to make! I will be making this regularly now for sure!
Easy instructions, and insanely easy considering how delicious it is. This is definitely be a recipe that will get lots of use in my house! Everybody loved it and the meat is so tender.
So so so so….so so so good! We ate until we popped.
I’ve been using this marinade forever and we all love it. I’ve even used the marinade with shaved steak and it comes out so good. My husband cooks it on his flat top grill and we serve it with white rice, grilled mushrooms and onions. Sometimes we even eat it in romaine lettuce as a wrap. So good!
So, I didn’t know what green onions were when I first made this, so I used a small yellow onion instead.
I put the onion, along with the rest of the marinade ingredients, into a blender and made a paste. Into a gallon ziplock bag with a pound of ground beef. 24-hour marinade. Throw it into a pan at medium heat and cook till all the liquid’s gone. I make this a couple times a month. Wife loves it too.
Jesus Murphy, that is truly terrifying….
No no no no no no comment necessary with such abuse of the original recipe.
WHAT????
Now I can see someone being confused if the recipe called for “scallions,” as some may not know that this is the official name for green onions. The recipe AND pictures should have ended any confusion.
The thought of putting all the ingredients in a blender is crazy but I thought I’d plotz (a GREAT Yiddish word) when I read GROUND BEEF!
So my question to you, Sir. What has your review got to do with Bulgogi Korean beef?
Let’s not shame anyone for not knowing what a specific ingredient is. Perhaps green onions are not common or readily available where the OP is from. Also, why does it matter what kind of meat they chose to use? Maybe they were using what they had on hand. Regardless, the flavor profile will be same. Eoin, I hope you continue your journey to try new food!!!
Definitely agreed with you! I used prime rib last weekend and I am going to try this using a pork tenderloin this weekend!
Good for you for standing up for Eoin. The main thing is that no one got hurt and for this person and his wife really enjoyed what they created. It may not be what you would have done or enjoy, but for them its wonderful. I agree, continue to enjoy YOUR flavorful journey what ever that may be.
great idea. put it on your favorite bun for bulgogi sloppy joe’s – kimchi optional
I nearly fell off my chair laughing when I read Eoin’s down-home method for assembling this recipe. However, Bruce called it by naming it Bulgogi Sloppy Joes. I used to LOVE Sloppy Joes, and I love this Bulgogi recipe. Thank you Eoin for your creativity and fun. I haven’t laughed like that in at least a year. Thank you Bruce for further clarification and inspiration. Very soon, I’m going to try Bulgogi ground beef lettuce cups. I bet the family will love them!
Amazing recipe!!!! So delicious
This turned out so good! Will definitely keep this as an easy go-to weeknight meal. It was a hit with the husband and kiddo.
great recipe. it turned out to be more brown than black, how could i make it more black?
Squid ink!
HOT iron skillet to seat meat, work in batches so as to have a single layer at a time.
Very tasty!
My “go-to” dish when I am up to cook at the firehouse! Everyone loves it!
This was one of the easiest, most delicious meals I’ve ever made. My wife and I LOVED it! Planning on making it a regularly from now on. Thanks!
amazing recipe. made it for my husband’s birthday dinner recently and he loved it so much. he was in Japan as a child on a military base and had the dish often while there. I was hoping it would be super delicious and we were not disappointed!
This was a delicious, warming meal. The only substitute I used was for the meat. Boneless prime rib was cost prohibitive for me so I used fajita meat and cooked it slow and low in a cast iron skillet, one layer at a time. We also didn’t have time to marinate the meat but still used the sauce. When all the meat was browned I added rough cut chunks of onion in with the meat and poured the sauce on top. Again, I cooked this slow and low. We ate this with rice and it was very, very good.
Absolutely awesome recipe and one that we’ll make again! I used maple syrup instead of brown sugar. I ended up cubing a 1.5 lb flank steak and dumped the beef and marinade into the slow cooker. After 5 hours on low, the beef was nice and tender. Served with kimchi. 🙂
Flank steak in a slow cooker?!? Why? Just slice across the grain for delicious and tender pieces. Save braising for the lesser cuts.
Thank you SO much for this recipe–it is my new favorite thing! I never would have thought of grated pear, but it is SO complimentary with that sesame/soy/ginger profile! Also great to make with a big batch of sticky rice & bring leftovers to work for lunch. NOmnomnomnom.
We wanted to try Korean food and came across this recipe and decided to try it. We had regular soy sauce and only marinated it for 1 hour. It was delicious! It’s going into our dinner rotation! Thank you!
I made this last night. It is the best bulgogi recipe I’ve made so far. Even better than my mom’s recipe (yes, she is Korean). I marinated it for 24 hours and I think that is the magic in the recipe. Much stronger flavor than any restaurant dish or recipe I’ve eaten before. One thing, it is a bit spicy. Next time, I will definitely decrease the amount of gojuchang.
Great Recipe!! I added 1/2 cup white wine, and subbed out the Ribeye with New York Strip steak. Cooked on very hot grill after marinating for only 60 minutes. Was a bit worried if that would be enough, but it was plenty. The flavor was spot on, my wife stated this was the best steak she had in a few months. Grill was fired with Mesquite wood chips, cooking time was just a few minutes total once on the grill. Steak was super tender, like cut with a fork tender, and the mix of ingredients provided very nice depth of flavors.
Superb every time. First time I made it I reduced the sugar a bit. Now use a scant tablespoon of sugar and it’s perfect for those of us who are seriously sweet adverse. I usually cook only half the beef and freeze the rest in the marinade. It is the perfect get a meal on the table in 20 minutes dish, even faster if I have leftover rice.
This was amazing! Throw in some rice and veg and its a wonderful meal.
Hi! Should we drain the marinade ?
If you want the crispy texture, I would say no. I used the marinade to sautee vegetables. It was delicious!
Used wagyu beef. Used sesame oil instead of seeds. I’m an mediocre cook but this came out freaking awesome.
This was delicious! I used half of an apple because I didn’t have any pear, and I skipped the red pepper paste because I wanted it to be kid-friendly. Unfortunately, the kids hated it because they hate deliciously flavorful foods, but the grownups loved it!
I had meant to double the recipe, but found out right after making the marinade that our dinner guests had to cancel because of COVID exposure. So I used the regular amount of meat with double the marinade. It came out delicious, but definitely way too sweet. Just a word to the wise if anyone is thinking about doubling up the sauce!
This was amazing!!! Made it for my family & they loved it!! We want to make a larger quantity but find that ribeye’s a little pricey. Is there a cheaper alternative cut you’d recommend?
I use flank steak
Thanks Bobbie! Trying london broil tonight, fingers crossed!
You can actually use any cut of beef you want or even pork or mutton and they all taste wonderful but for pork I recommend Korean BBQ sauce for the marinade. hope this helps
Thanks so much for this recipe. Made it tonight and it was Damn Delicious!!! 🙂 The beef was so tender it could be cut with a fork.
This bulgogi recipe ROCKS!!! I’ve tried several and they have all been way too sweet.
This one, however is perfectly balanced and oooooh the flavours are amazing. The meat was tender and juicy.
I have printed out this recipe and it will go in my recipe binder, cos this is a keeper. It’s going to be made at least once a month in my house from now on! Thank you so, so much for this recipe! My sister, niece and nephew loved it and they have never tried Korean food before!
This recipe is the most similar that I could find to a recipe my family made growing up that I’ve lost. Thank you so much for this! It’s delicious every time!
I have made this for years and this recipe closely resembles my Korean friend’s recipe. She had us use 1 small can crushed pineapple and added pepper and cooked on BBQ grill. Excellent cold also!! It melts in your mouth!
This recipe is really delicious. I marinated beef overnight and it made it really tender. My family loved it, I will definitely be making it again.
I tried this and we made bulgogi nachos and this recipe did not dissapoint for the beef. Well done!
Amazing. How a simple recipe can turn out so good. The recipe didn’t mention to drain marinade and discard before grilling, which I did, so I hope I opted for the correct procedure. Toasted the sesame seeds. Served with rice and kimchi which made for a complete Korean meal.
This is just the recipe I was looking for- I had ordered gochujang several months ago but hadn’t opened it because I wasn’t sure how to use it. I love bulgogi and yours is the best I have ever had! I don’t keep pears or apples around- do you think I could use unsweetened applesauce next time?
i suspect not… enzymes in certain fruits act as a tenderizer, while adding sweetness.
these enzymes can break down with cooking.
from a Reddit on Asian Pears in Korean marinades:
“fruits that have the enzyme protease can tenderize the meat. Kiwi, pineapple, papaya, mango, fig all have this enzyme. Kiwi works great because you only need a little bit and so does not add too much flavor. Kiwi is also very powerful so 1/2 kiwi for 5 lbs of bulgogi works best. None of the fruits above naturally grows in Korea so traditionally pear was what was used but kiwi works just as well in tenderizing. I hope this helps! And yes, you can use onion too”
warning: some fruits have VERY powerful tenderizing powers (e.g. pineapple) and if left for even a few hours can turn your meat into mush. so do your homework before substitution!
I used shitake mushrooms instead of beef and goodness gracious! So delicious!
This was a rare recipe that got the universal thumbs up from the whole family. My wife and, especially my daughter, are spicy-averse and they both said it was a keeper! Usually my daughter saying it has some spiciness is a death knell but when she just got up and grabbed a glass of milk and went back to eating I nearly fell out of my chair. For anyone worrying about the spiciness I would categorize this as mild. I detected it but only if I thought about it. Great recipe!
My God, you can cook! My children beg me to make this dish. I’ve actually ordered bulgogi at a restaurant after trying your recipe, and I hated the restaurants version. You are so consistent too. I always feel confident that your recipes will be a hit with my family no matter which one I choose. Thank you.
Absolutely LOVED this recipe. I have tried crock pot and installation, but this is SO much better, Amazing flavor, purchased the chili paste and it was raved about by the markets employees who helped me find it.
My family didn’t mind not having any sauce,
Adding this the the family cookbook.
Thanks for sharing this.
Superb! So good. Much better making it yourself than eating out.
Get good quality meat.
You might also add pineapple and fresh red chilli.
This was amazing 5 star meal! I have always wanted to try this dish but not had the opportunity in a restaurant yet. It was so good, I ate it all! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and so many others as well. Love your website =)
Your bulgogi recipe was delicious! I am a big fan of bulgogi and have eaten it in several Korean restaurants. This was the first time I had ever made it myself. It was a hit! It was as tasty as in a restaurant. Some of us ate it in a bowl with basmati rice. I tried it like a lettuce taco with Romaine lettuce basmati rice, bulgogi meat, shredded carrots and cucumbers on the side. Yum! I’m thinking I might try to cook it in the George Foreman grill next time. Thanks for sharing your awesome recipe!
the flavors were amazing, tastes just like our fav korean bbq restaurant!!! Marinading it overnight made it a damn delicious 😉 weeknight meal
Super easy recipe and the taste was what I expected from bulgogi! I loved the pear and ginger flavors in this recipe.
This is, hands down, THE best recipe I have ever tried for Beef Bulgogi. Thank you SO MUCH! I had never heard of the addition of grated fruit before. I didn’t have Asian pears, so I used half of an apple instead. I will try it with an Asian pear sometime in the future, because I am sure I will be making this again and again! Nice and easy, also. YUM!Dor
I can’t stand reviews that are like this recipes amazing but here are all the things I changed. I don’t want to be that person but hear me out, this was beyond my control. Amazon didn’t deliver the highly-rated Gochujang sauce I ordered so I HAD to use sriracha (I’m trying to go out as little as possible, Covid). And I didn’t have sesame oil so I HAD to use olive. I’m sorry!! BUT LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, this recipe smelled just like every authentic bulgogi I’ve had before so…I ordered a different highly-rated Gochujang and even some sesame oil and it’s going down. Thank you so much for this recipe, I LOVE IT, and so did my Family, it was DAMN delicious! (see what I did there ).
This recipe is so GOOD!!! I have made this for my kids and they love it, shared it with friends they love it, my mom loves it… just great! I highly suggest to stick to the Korean red pepper paste because you can tell the difference. I didn’t have it the first few times I made this and used crushed red pepper instead. The crushed red pepper is delicious as well but the red pepper paste truly makes the flavor stick on the bulgogi. I’m so happy with this recipe ❤️
Didn’t have a pear and I used sriracha instead of gochujang, but it still turned out really flavorful. Will definitely make it again
I am a chef for a large international school in Japan and we use this recipe, as well as in my home.
amazing dish – i make this every few weeks. thank you
Found your recipe almost 2 weeks ago. This is the 3rd time I’ve made it. Seems like a hit!
Can I use reg sesame oil, as that is all i have?
I had the same question and found out that sesame oil is like vegetable oil, canola oil and so on. Toasted sesame is a flavouring ingredient. The article said the flavouring is strong and trying to use it as a cooking oil is a mistake. I’m guessing here but since you’re going the other way it will just be a subtle flavour. Hope it works out
My husband is a huge fan of bulgogoi. In fact it was our last meal out with friends before the restaurants were shut down in Chicago in March. I found this recipe and just happened to have two ribeye steaks. It came together so easy and the tip to freeze the steaks before slicing thin worked perfectly. I used a whole d’anjou pear finally grated and I had no grit. Otherwise, I followed the recipe completely. I wish I could post a picture of how perfectly it looks and it tasted even better than I expected. My husband gave me two thumbs up. Thank you for a terrific recipe. I look forward to sharing it and making it again and again.
I found this recipe around this time last year. I can’t tell you how many times I have made it. It’s an absolute favorite! I was able to get my my whole family to try it ( I live off on my own and brought it to my parents for a meal). I was also able to get a few stubborn “old timers” at work to try it. They asked for the recipe which I gladly printed for them and also got some ingredients for them. It was a pretty cool experience explaining what certain ingredients to them. Half the time they are explaining how to cook or new ways to cook things I grew up on, but now I’m able to throw a whole new world of flavor to them and my family.
I tried this with beef belly (because it’s the only one I could find during lockdown) and it tasted great! I used a whole pear, and just a teaspoon of gochujang because I wanted my toddler to enjoy it too. He did enjoy it! He even ate it with lettuce. Thank you very much for your recipe! I posted it on my blog and cited you as well as the creator of the recipe
I just made a version of this with lean ground beef and just reduced the gochujang to a heaping 1/2 t because I knew my kids wouldn’t tolerate it and it was a hit in my family. My 5 year old even asked me to make it every day
Made this many times and everyone loves it. I use pork loin and cut it nice and thin.
Amazing! Didn’t change a thing. This is a delicious and easy recipe!
Just made this tonight after a serious craving for Iron Age – this was absolutely amazing, and I’m seriously pleased with how it turned out.
I love this recipe! I’ve made it a few times now, and I love it so much, it has become one of my favorite go to recipes. I have never used Gochujang, so i replace it with red pepper flakes, and it still comes out amazing! Everyone must try!
Thank you for the awesome receipe!
I enjoyed it I made a couple of changes though I used sirloin steak and 2/3 cup of brown sugar a whole pear and more ginger and a non stick pan Thanks for the recipe.
Hi – I did something wrong and I’m hoping u can help. Are u supposed to drain the marinade from the meat before cooking in the cast iron pan? I ask because although the flavor was phenomenal, there was a lot of bubbling going on from the marinade. I got the carmelization. The problem was there was a “grit” on the meat. I double checked ingredients, heat, made sure meat pieces were separated from each other, used the cast iron. Any ideas or suggestions?
No draining. The grit is from the pear, most likely. Instead of grating the pear, it should be puréed. If you can find it, use an Asian pear.
Or do not use the pear at all.
I didn’t have the pepper paste so I decided to wing it and blend half a chilli pepper with a teaspoon of tomato paste, then added that to the mixture and oh LORD was it delicious
10/10 ✨
it was delish! making it was fun too!
Make this! Even my 7 year old loves it! I usually don’t do reviews but had to tell you how much I love this recipe. Made it exactly as written (except I used sliced sirloin). It was exactly like the bulgogi I fell in love with while visiting my sister in Charlotte.
Can i use ground beef instead of rib eye steak,?
Gochujang in Bulgogi? Hmmm…very interesting. Not opposed, but not you classic recipe.
This is so good. Like: definitely made enough for dinner and leftover lunch for the family, and there is somehow none left after it was served for dinner. Thank you!
THIS BULGOGI IS EVERYTHING. We had a “zoom” cooking competition tonight with our 4 closest couples, only one rule: had to use “steak.” We were voted the winners and my husband is still practically licking the plate. (He lived in Japan and went to Korea for work a lot and had some great bulgogi in his time.) We followed the recipe exactly, did not change a thing.
The Ribeye was perfect. We just used lettuce wraps and didn’t need rice. THE PEAR IS GENIUS! We have a really great super heavy cast iron skillet so got a good sear – I think cast iron is key here. Not sure you’d get quite the same caramelization from a non-stick.
We will be making this again and again. Thanks for making our quarantine better! We love your blog.
What kind of pear?
I was cooking this even before social distancing! Damn delicious, works every time. 🙂 My family thanks you a lot. 🙂
Delicious! This is going down on the keeper list. Followed the recipe except substituted an orange for the half pear. Was perfect. Bf loved it. On the side we had some sliced pickled radish, cucumber, carrot, green onion, and a sunny side up egg over rice for a kind of bibimbap dish.
INCREDIBLE!!! but must use the sliced beef that comes from the Korean grocer if its possible.
Hi is there a substitute for pear since I don’t have any. Thank you
Social distancing really makes me miss flavourful restaurant food. Made this with stuff I had so used apple instead of pear, siracha instead of the korean red pepper paste, chives instead of green onions. Grated in some raw carrot also when it was done for some added vegetable content. I only had tenderloin beef so I used that (kind of overkill I know but it’s the only steak I had on hand!). Anyway it was delish thanks so much.
Loved, loved, loved.
I didn’t have rib eye, and didn’t have time to marinate, so I used ground beef instead. I had my husband cook the meat while I did a quick workout. I also substituted the small pear for a small apple and it was just as delicious. With the meat fully cooked I just put the mix in and even added some shredded carrots to give a little crunch. It was absolutely DELICIOUS.
Thank you so much for this great, easy, recipe with such fresh ingredients.
Very delicious and thank you for sharing this recipe. I followed the marinade to the dot and the result is fantastic. I bought a special bulgogi cut beef so it’s really thin and tender. I ate it as a bbq rolled with lettuce leaf and green onion.
Delicious. I cut the steak against the grain and skipped the marinating. It was super tender and flavorful. I also added asparagus. Will definitely make again.
Delicious!!! Better than most bulgogi I get at restaurants, and quite easy to make. Used pre-cut bulgogi meat from our local H-Mart, and marinated it while I was working in quarantine.
We made this but omitted the Korean hot sauce and the pear (Because didn’t hv any) and used honey in place of the sugar (Trying to be healthy ? Lol) And saved the scallions until after we cooked the beef. I let it marinade about 1.5 hr and it was good but the flavor was even better after I cooked the uncooked marinated beef 24-48 hours later. I didn’t want to deal with my cast iron and just used a regular frying pan and fried the beef with olive oil…and it was still all amazing with just the basic ingredients listed . Thank you so much for posting this ! Sharing this recipe with all my friends!
This recipe is absolutely delicious! My boyfriend and I decided to try out some new recipes while we’re stuck inside, and I’m really glad we chose this one. The meat tastes amazing and it’s easy to make. We had to make some modifications to the marinade (took out gochujang bc I can’t handle spicy food and swapped pear for an apple bc we didn’t have a pear) and it was still delicious.
I make this with shaved beef from my grocery store. Delicious.
We are in March 2020 and confined at home in Spain. One of the dishes I prepared this week was this delicious Bulgogi. It’s easy to prepare and the result is amazing. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe.
KOREAN BEEF BULGOGI
NOTES:
*If you do not have a cast iron grill pan, you can also use a large cast iron skillet.
This note is unclear. Still instructs to use cast iron.
Yes, that is correct. A cast iron would still be best (and very recommended) to use here.
There is a difference between a cast iron “grill pan” and a cast iron “skillet.” The grill pan will have the grill lines on it, so you’d get the same grill marks as if you were cooking on a grill. The skillet is just a regular, flat cast iron skillet.
Really easy to make and exactly the flavor I was looking for!
I suspect the reason for the slight difference between your and your mother’s is the use of low sodium soy sauce (always a mistake). Not only does the salt help open up the meat to the marinade, soften it, and add flavor, but, unless you happed to have sodium-sensitive hypertension, completely unnecessary.
I just tried this with regular soy sauce (bc I don’t have any low sodium and find it compromises flavor) and it was delicious! wasn’t salty at all and I’m taste-sensitive to high sodium foods.
Didn’t have pear so omitted that. And used red pepper flakes as I didn’t have the gochujang sauce. Still turned out delicious!
Can you use apple instead of pear?
Yes, of course. The fruit adds pectin which helps tenderize the meat.
That was delicious! Cooked the beef in my ninja food air fryer – WOW !
Tasty Bulgogi and your recipe made it very easy to make!