For most of my friends, getting to eat bulgogi is a treat because they have to go out to a restaurant to eat the Korean marinated and grilled beef. For me, eating bulgogi is about the equivalent of eating meatloaf for my friends. It's boring because we ate it a lot when we were growing up. I know that Korean people always tell non-Koreans that they are wrong when they think that all Korean people eat is barbecue and kimchee, but for my family, it was true. We were in the midwest, and the ingredients for bulgogi and galbee were easier to find than say, fermented soybean paste.
So, since bulgogi seems to be such a treat for my friends, I have written up the "recipe" that my Mom and I use when we make it at home. I say "recipe" in quotes because everyone, of course, makes bulgogi and other Korean foods by taste. Make the marinade, take a taste, and adjust to your liking. It's the same nasic marinade we saw last year for Korean-marinated Flank Steak, but don't you dare call that bulgogi.Bulgogi (Korean marinated and grilled beef) - double, triple, or quadruple as needed.
Toss 1 lb. thinly sliced ribeye (either have the butcher do it for you, or go to a Korean grocery store, where they sell the meat already sliced) with 1 T. each of sugar and rice vinegar.
In a small bowl, combine 3 T. soy sauce, 1 T sugar, 1 T rice wine, 1 super finely minced garlic clove, ¼ t. super finely minced fresh ginger, 1 finely chopped green onion (including white parts), 2 t. sesame oil, a dash of pepper and 1 T. water.
Pour over sliced meat and let marinate for at least 1 hour. Overnight in the refrigerator is even better.
(** As a side note, I also throw in 1 regular onion in medium-thickness slices with the marinade and grill them along with the beef, but most people I know don't do that.)
Grill until brown on both sides, or put in single layer under broiler until brown.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-21-2007 @ 6:28PM
Angela Pitt said...
The first time I made Bulgogi was in Culinary school.
It sounded unsavory to me. It turned out to be very
savory and quite delicious.
Reply
1-21-2007 @ 6:48PM
Hawk said...
I make bulgogi all the time (comparatively.) It's so good.
My suggestions for the above are to:
- add a kiwi
- Puree everything in a whatever your preferred pureeing thing is
- allow to sit for about an hour
- strain
- then marinate
Also, I never use ribeye because it's so expensive. I use whatever meat I end up with. If you're going to slice it yourself, use a very big cleaver and leave the meat half-frozen.
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1-21-2007 @ 6:53PM
sarah said...
dear hawk:
will u marry me?
Reply
1-21-2007 @ 7:06PM
Ryan Caldarone said...
Sounds Good
Reply
1-21-2007 @ 7:20PM
Charlie said...
oh.. one thing to add to Hawk's recipe is that you don't want to add more than half of a kiwi. Kiwi is very strong meat tenderizer and when it mixed with thinly sliced beef......
(But if you have tougher meat and not enough time, put one whole kiwi or two and pray..)
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1-21-2007 @ 7:45PM
bbum said...
I have had bulgogi as described, only with kim-chi added along with the onions.
Delicious.
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1-21-2007 @ 7:58PM
Rosalyn said...
This is my favorite comfort food. Growning up, my mom would make it at least once a week. Yummy! Thanks for posting!
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1-21-2007 @ 9:37PM
Hawk said...
Also, bulgogi can be used to make bibimbap (I'm pretty sure that's what the meat is in bibimbap), or however you really transliterate it... especially good for leftover bulgogi. I find bibimbap really a PITA to make, because I've always had it with brined veggies so that takes a while.
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1-22-2007 @ 8:39AM
Sunkneeg said...
I mash a Korean pear into my marinade.
Reply
1-23-2007 @ 12:31PM
Mike said...
I did honey one time for a friend who was on a sugar free diet. One thing the best way is to grill over charcoals. I was in Korea last summer and ate at a Bulgogi house where they used coals. Soo much better than the Korean restaurants in the US that use gas.
On a unrelated note, little bit disappointed that the Saveur top 100 didn't include something Korean this year. It would have been great to see Cham Pong or Ja Ja Myung make the list. Now someone should do an article on Tang Su Yook. That's the best Sweet and Sour Pork in the world.
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1-24-2007 @ 3:58PM
james said...
mmmm, bulgogi!!! yes, growing up korean, i'm 1/2, having bulgogi is like having meatloaf cause you have it all the time; but i love it so! my mom puts julliened carrots along w/sliced yellow onion. she also used honey in place of sugar, quite a difference if you ask me. that's how i taught some friend how to make bulgogi.
omg, mike your're so right tong su yook is the best sweet and sour pork, much better than the average chinese variety you get on chinese take out.
i've made ja ja myong for friend, but since they can't pronounce ja ja myong i just tell them that it's korean spaghetti. they freak out that it's black, but once they taste the savory goodiness they all love it!
p.s sarah, why do you spell your last name with a g instead of a k? you also did that with kalbee. i realize that there are regional pronunciation differences in korean. is that why, or are you just trying to be different? anyways, your articles are always mashita, keep up the good work.
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