Beef Bulgogi Recipe (Korean BBQ Beef)
Our easy beef bulgogi is bursting with flavor thanks to our simple marinade. And the thinly sliced marinated beef cooks up in minutes creating mouth watering tender flavorful beef.
Servings: 4
Calories: 505kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless rib eye steak or boneless top sirloin
- ¼ cup soy sauce low sodium or regular
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cloves fresh garlic minced
- ½ cup Asian pear or any variety of pear or apple - peeled and thinly sliced or grated.
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger freshly grated
- 1 tablespoon gochujang Korean red pepper paste
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoon green onion sliced for marinade and garnish
Instructions
- Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, minced garlic, grated ginger, black pepper, gochujang (Korean red pepper paste), sliced (or grated) Asian pear, and 1 tablespoon of chopped green onions to a mixing bowl.
- Thoroughly mix the marinade ingredients and set aside until needed.*If you’d like extra bulgogi sauce to go with the finished dish, increase the marinade ingredients by 50%.
- Wrap the steak in plastic wrap and freeze it for 30 minutes.
- Unwrap the beef and slice it across the grain into thin strips (⅛ – ¼-inch thick)
- Place the thin slices of beef in the flavorful marinade and mix to coat the steak with the bulgogi marinade.
- Cover it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least two hours (overnight is best) to allow the steak time to marinate and absorb the flavors.*Remove the meat from the refrigerator 15-30 minutes prior to cooking to allow it to come to room temperature.
- Remove the meat from the refrigerator 15-30 minutes prior to cooking to allow it to come to room temperature.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a hot cast iron skillet (or large skillet) over medium-high heat.
- Add the pieces of meat to the hot skillet in a single layer. If needed cook the beef in batches.
- Sear the steak for 1-2 minutes on each side or until cooked to your taste preference. *If cooking in batches, tent the cooked beef with aluminum foil until all the meat has been cooked.
- Cook the steak on each side for 2-3 minutes until cooked. If cooking in batches tent the cooked beef with aluminum foil until all the meat has been cooked.
- Serve our Beef Bulgogi with white rice and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and green onions. You can also use lettuce leaves to make bulgogi beef lettuce wraps.
- For a change of pace, make Korean beef bowls. Start with a bed of white rice, and serve the bulgogi beef with a soft-boiled egg, sliced red bell peppers, cucumber slices, pickled carrots, and spicy kimchi.
Notes
What can I use instead of an Asian pear?
Although Korean pears are the first choice to make this classic dish, you can use any variety of pear or apple to make the recipe.
What kind of beef should I use to make Beef Bulgogi?
The best cut of beef to use is a boneless ribeye steak. You can also use top sirloin, sirloin steak, and tenderloin to make this flavorful beef dish.
Skirt steak and flank steak can be used, but the meat may be a little tougher. However, they are both excellent choices for making bulgogi beef.
Nutrition
Calories: 505kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 903mg | Potassium: 566mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 70IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 4mg