Korean Beef Bulgogi
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
This Korean beef bulgogi dish is an easy recipe for Korean BBQ with the most flavorful marinade! And the thin slices of meat cook so quickly!
Featured Comment
Why you’ll love this korean beef bulgogi
- 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 for the most effortless prep ever. When ready to serve, the meat will cook through in just a few short minutes right in a hot cast iron skillet!
- 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.
How to make Korean beef bulgogi
- Slice the beef. Wrap the ribeye steak in plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes prior to slicing. This will make the meat firm and stable, allowing you to cut smooth, razor-thin 1/4-inch thick slices.
- Prep the marinade. Whisk together the coarsely grated pear, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and gochujang.
- Marinate. Combine the thinly sliced steak with the marinade, marinating for at least 2 hours (preferably overnight for maximum flavor).
- Sear the meat. Heat a cast iron grill pan or large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat with a splash of oil. Cook the beef in a single layer until slightly charred, caramelized, and cooked through, about 2-3 minutes. Pro tip: cook the beef in batches to avoid steaming the meat.
- Serve. Sprinkle with green onions and toasted sesame seeds, serving alongside steamed rice.
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.
more favorited korean recipes
Tools For This Recipe
Korean Beef Bulgogi: Frequently Asked Questions
I prefer ribeye and top sirloin, but flank steak or skirt steak can also be used for a more budget-friendly option.
Fuji apple is an excellent 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.
Yes! Bulgogi freezes very well both before and after cooking, keeping in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Korean Beef Bulgogi
Video
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless ribeye 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
- Freeze the steak before 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.
- Slice against the grain. Always slice the beef perpendicular to the muscle fibers, shortening the fibers to allow for a more tender bite.
- 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.
- Watch the marinating time. Marinate the beef for at least 2 hours but no longer than 24 hours as the natural enzymes of the pear will break down the protein too much, resulting in mushy, mealy beef.
- 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.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
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…