Best and Easiest Beef Bulgogi – Asian Recipes At Home (2024)

FAQs

What cut of beef is best for bulgogi? ›

Boneless ribeye steak is our cut of choice for this recipe and the most popular because it is tender and flavorful with nice marbling. Sirloin is also commonly used to make bulgogi and is slightly leaner that ribeye. You can also use flank steak in a pinch with good results, but the texture won't be quite as tender.

Add the thinly sliced beef, thinly sliced onions, and green onions. Mix and marinate for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Over high heat, add a tbsp of oil to a pan. Cook the beef bulgogi in batches until the water cooks out and the beef and onions are nicely caramelized, about 4-5 minutes.

The best way to serve beef bulgogi is with some freshly cooked rice where you drizzle all that sauce. On the side, you can have kimchi and other banchans, as well as some vegetables such as lettuce and sliced peppers. For the sauce, don't forget the ssamjang! With these, you can make a ssam or bulgogi lettuce wraps.

Bulgogi pairs well with many dishes, but typically served with white short grain rice, kimchi and side dishes. If you are wanting to create that Korean BBQ restaurant style meal?

noodles—mixed into the brothy sauce. bulgogi memories. There are three main regional styles of bulgogi: Gwangyang, Eonyang, and Seoul.

Most recipes for marinating meat and poultry recommend six hours up to 24 hours. It is safe to keep the food in the marinade longer, but after two days it is possible that the marinade can start to break down the fibers of the meat, causing it to become mushy.

It's super easy to make and takes less than 20 minutes of active cooking time, making it perfect for the weekdays and a crowd pleaser on the weekends! Enjoy it with some white rice or Korean purple rice, Korean rolled egg omelete, and japchae (Korean glass noodle stir fry) to complete the meal!

If you live near a Korean grocery store, you can pick up presliced beef (look for Korean BBQ beef); if you're cutting the meat yourself, freeze it for at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour for easier slicing. Traditional bulgogi marinade calls for puréed or grated fruit such as kiwi, apple, or pear.

Asian Pear: Also known as an apple pear or nashi pear, is a type of fruit that originated in East Asia. We grate ¼ of the pear and add it to the marinade. The grated pear not only adds sweetness but more importantly, tenderizes the meat.

Yoon Sook-ja, director of the Institute of Traditional Korean Food, recommends pairing dwaeji bulgogi (marinated grilled pork) with soju (clear liquor). Soju, the clear traditional liquor that comes in the iconic green bottle, is widely known to soothe the sorrows of Koreans as shown in many films and TV dramas.

Why do Koreans eat bulgogi? ›

The dish is believed to have entered South Korea as a result of refugees fleeing Pyongan Providence after the liberation of the Korean Peninsula from the Japanese in 1945. After its introduction into South Korea, bulgogi became popular in Seoul and many other cities.

The term 'bulgogi' comes from Korea and translates to 'fire meat' as it was originally cooked using skewers on a hwaro grill. This ubiquitous meal's early history and origin date back to the Goguryeo era (37 B.C. to 668 A.D.), when it was initially called maekjeok.

The savory beef combined with the sweet, gingery marinade is always a big hit. The word bul means fire in Korean, and goki means meat. So this is “fire meat!” Delicious bulgogi depends on three things: a good cut of beef, a delicious marinade, and the method you use to cook it.

Most recipes call for crushed pear to tenderize the meat. My boyfriend's Korean mother says Coca-Cola can also be used for the same purpose. This recipe uses very thinly-sliced sirloin steak, so tenderization isn't necessary. It's delicious served with rice, lettuce leaves, and chile paste or kimchi.

If you've ever wondered what cut goes into everyone's favorite Korean BBQ beef dish of bulgogi, look no further than the sirloin steak. This often overlooked piece of beef is known more for its flavor than its texture, which makes it an excellent recipient for recipes that involve a little bit of marinade.

As steaks cook quickly on the grill, tender cuts such as sirloin, ribeye and fillet give the best results. These cuts come from areas of the cow that do less work, whereas hard-working muscles are better for long, slow cooking.