Korean Beef Bulgogi
by Chungah
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A super easy recipe for Korean BBQ with the most flavorful marinade! The thin, tender slices of meat cook SO quickly!
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Why you’ll love this korean bulgogi recipe
- Korean BBQ right at home. We’re talking marinated, tender meat with big bold flavors, cooked in just seconds and served with perilla leaves, white rice, and ssamjang (best known as a Korean BBQ dipping sauce). Yes, please!
- Dream weeknight dinner. This is one of those convenient, easy recipes you can make ahead of time (ideal for those busy weeknights!), marinating the Korean beef overnight and throwing them onto a hot skillet just before serving.
- Recipe that never disappoints. Korean bulgogi is a recipe you can keep coming back to week after week, serving over your favorite grains (ex. white rice, brown rice, fried rice, or cauliflower rice) and toppings (broccoli, carrots, corn, spinach or peas).
what is korean bulgogi?
Bulgogi (불고기) is a Korean dish made of thinly-sliced meat typically marinated in soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and pear. Bulgogi is most commonly made with beef, but can also be made with chicken or pork.
tips and tricks for success
- Freeze the steak for slicing. The key to bulgogi is using paper thin slices of meat. Throwing the steak in the freezer for 20-30 minutes will make it easier to slice the meat into very thin, even pieces. Pre-sliced bulgogi beef is also readily available at Korean and Japanese grocery stores.
- Pear adds maximum flavor. Adding coarsely grated pear will not only add a subtle sweetness to the marinade, but it will also help tenderize the meat. Korean pear or Bosc pear can be used.
- Use reduced sodium soy sauce. Reduced sodium has less sodium and less salt without compromising flavor.
- Use a hot cast iron grill pan. A heavy bottom pan, such as a cast iron grill pan, retains heat much better than a nonstick skillet, allowing for even cooking, a better sear and smoky, caramelized flavors.
- Cook in batches. Work in batches to properly sear the meat for maximum caramelization and smoky flavors. An overcrowded pan will unfortunately steam the beef instead.
- Freeze as needed. Marinated bulgogi is very freezer-friendly, great for meal prep and making weeknight meals even easier and quicker.
freezing and storage
Storage
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Reheating
Let the meat sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. Reheat over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until heated through.
Freeze before cooking
Transfer the marinated meat to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date and freeze up to 2 months. To cook, thaw overnight in the fridge and cook as directed, adding a few more minutes of cook time as needed.
Freeze after cooking
Let cool completely. Transfer the meat to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date and freeze up to 2 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, reheating over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until heated through.
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Tools For This Recipe
Cast iron grill pan
Korean Beef Bulgogi: Frequently Asked Questions
We prefer ribeye and top sirloin, but flank steak or skirt steak can also be used for a more budget-friendly option.
Fuji apple is a suitable substitute for the pear.
Gochujang is a red chili paste, a pantry staple in Korean cooking. It can be found in most grocery stores in a red, rectangular tub.
If you do not have a cast iron grill pan, you can also use a large cast iron skillet.
Bulgogi is commonly served with rice and a side of kimchi, cucumbers, perilla leaves and ssamjang.
Korean Beef Bulgogi
Video
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.
Equipment
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Can you use an outside grill for this? Maybe on tin foil with some holes poked through?
This is one of my families favorite meals! It’s easy to make and has simple ingredients. There is so much flavor in the marinade that make it such a delicious and memorable dinner. I sometimes make this with shaved beef instead of ribeye for a cheaper option and it always turns out so good!
Very salty. I used low sodium soy sauce and it was not the sauce I expected…. Will try again with some alterations.
Gonna make now. I’m a tiny bit confused though. Only 1/4 cup of soy sauce for 1 1/2 half pounds of meat. I’m using 1 pound and even then 1/4 cup seems too little. I have to be missing something. Gonna double the recipe.
Im making this dish for 5 people tonight. I purchased 2 pounds of Rib Eye steaks while your recipe shows the ingredients for 1.5 pounds of steak. My question is for 2 pounds of steak should the amounts listed for the ingredients change if you are making an extra half pound of steak? Also your website does not allow you to change the number of servings.
For 2 pounds of ribeye instead of 1.5 pounds, increase the marinade ingredients by about 33% (multiply by 1.33). That would be approximately:
• 2/3 small pear, peeled and grated
• 1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp gochujang
• 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp vegetable oil, divided
• 2–3 green onions, sliced
• 1 1/3 tsp toasted sesame seeds
You don’t have to be perfectly exact—rounding slightly up or down on most of these ingredients will still turn out just fine.
You have probably already had the dinner and hope it turned out great.
If I want to make the marinade ahead of time, how long is it good for? I’m wondering if I should wait to shred and add the pears to make sure they don’t go bad too soon
Made it for dinner tonight. It was absolutely delicious. Everyone enjoyed the meal. I bought the sliced beef at Hmart (Asian market) making it a very easy meal to prepare. Will definitely be making it again.
Delicious! Made exactly as written and my entire family loved it. I think it would be even better with the beef sliced thinner than the noted 1/4 inch but flavor was spot on.
Delicious! I left to marinade over night. Very simple to make, and very tasty. Will make on a more regular basis.
ITS AMAZING
This looks absolutely incredible! I especially appreciate how thin the beef is sliced; I bet that really helps it cook quickly and evenly, like you mentioned. I’m definitely adding this to my meal plan for next week, thanks for sharing!
It’s really the best kind of quick-cooking dinner!
I am so confident in this recipe that I am making it for a group of 20 family members, many who I have not seen in years! I had never tasted bulgogi until 2 years ago and it is now my favorite meal. “Damn delicious” truly captures the taste of this recipe. Thank you!
You are so welcome, Cheryl! Thank you so much for sharing.
This was easy and excellent. I used flank steak and instead of pear, apple. I doubled the recipe. Will make this again for sure. Thanks for the great recipe!
Can other cuts of meat be used? I’m wondering how different pieces of meat would affect the texture if it’s being marinated overnight.
I make this with skirt steak, a cooking via sous vide at 130F for an hour or two before grilling briefly or searing in a hot stainless steel pan (the gochujang, etc. leaves a residue that is difficult to clean off of cast iron or carbon steel pans, even when the meat is patted dry post-sous vide). I also cook down the marinade from the sous vide bags until thickened and serve it over rice with the sliced skirt steak. So good!
Throwing the steak in the freezer for 20-30 minutes will make it easier to slice the meat into very thin, even pieces. Try this at your next grocery store visit!
My son and I make this every couple months. Altho….we make bulgogi tacos. We serve the meat on flour tortillas with homemade kimchi and do chua (Vietnamese pickled radish, carrots and onions).
Its certainly fusion cuisine at our house 🙂
I just made the marinade and it doesn’t seem like it’s anywhere close to enough for the two 3/4 pound ribeyes that I sliced up
It definitely is enough. It’s just a marinade and I used more meat than whats in the recipe. Are you perhaps trying to use it as a sauce as well? I made extra sauce to use for my sirfry.
Would coconut aminos be ok for a soy sauce sub here? Thanks
Damn Delicious! Marinated sirloin overnight with this recipe and cooked it on the cast iron. Wow. Everyone loved it!