Beef Bulgogi (Korean BBQ Beef)
Beef bulgogi is made with tender, thin-sliced beef marinated in a sweet-savory soy, garlic, and pear sauce, then pan-seared or grilled for an authentic Korean BBQ dinner favorite.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 5 min
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 lb (900 g) beef sirloin or rib eye (thinly sliced, about 1/8-inch thick)
- 1 Asian leek or 3 green onion (sliced)
- 1/2 (about 100 g) large Asian pear (peeled and diced. See note for substitution)
- 1/4-1/2 (about 35 g) kiwi (peeled and diced. See note below)
- 1/2 (about 100 g) large onion (diced)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 5 tbsp (75 ml) soy sauce
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) Korean soup soy sauce (gukganjang)
- 2-3 tbsp (25–40 g) light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) sweet rice wine (mirim)
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) Korean plum extract (maeshil cheong) (optional)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) sesame oil
- 2 tsp (6 g) toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- 1
To make bulgogi marinade, put pear, kiwi, onion, and garlic in a blender and process until very smooth.
- 2
Pour the onion/fruit puree into a large shallow pan - a 9x13-inch pyrex baking pan (with lid) is perfect for this. Add soy sauce, Koran soup soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine, Korean plum extract (if using), pepper and sesame oil; mix well. You can make this marinade sauce ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- 3
Dab the beef with a paper towel to wipe out extra liquid on the package if there's any. Separate the beef slices and add them to the marinade sauce. Toss gently by hand to combine everything with a slight massaging motion. Cover and marinate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
- 4
Heat a skillet very hot over medium-high heat. Do not add any oil! Add the beef. You can add sliced Asian leek or green onion on top. The beef should sizzle as soon as it touches the hot skillet. Let the meat cook in its own juice. Toss the meat around to cook evenly and thoroughly, about 2-3 minutes. It cooks very quickly.
- 5
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onion to garnish. Serve warm with rice and a vegetable side dish.