Korean BBQ is not a single dish.
Why you should cook this
Korean BBQ at home is not a single dish, it is a way of eating. A grill plate or hot heavy pan in the centre of the table, a dozen small bowls of banchan (kimchi, pickled radish, beansprouts seasoned with sesame oil and salt, gochujang, ssamjang, garlic), a bowl of steamed jasmine rice, a stack of red leaf or iceberg lettuce. Marinated bulgogi beef cooks in front of the eaters. Each bite is wrapped in a lettuce leaf with a smear of ssamjang, a pinch of rice and the meat.
The marinade is the engine. Grated asian pear or apple (the enzymes tenderise the meat and add subtle sweetness), soy, brown sugar, mirin, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, spring onion, sesame seeds, all over thinly-sliced rib eye that the Korean butcher in Strathfield or Carnegie has pre-cut for bulgogi. Marinate overnight. Two hours is not enough. Cook in batches over the highest heat, ninety seconds per batch, do not crowd. Rice, banchan, lettuce, ssamjang, beef, wrap, eat. Cold OB beer, a small glass of soju.
What to drink with it
Soju, cold OB beer, or a Honey Tequila Sour, our recipe. Steamed jasmine rice on the side, lots of lettuce.
Notes from the kitchen
Marinate overnight. Korean marinades work on time. Two hours is not enough. Buy thin-sliced rib eye from a Korean grocer. Already cut for bulgogi. Saves you a knife job. Lettuce + ssamjang + a bit of rice + the meat = the perfect bite. That’s the formula. Ssamjang (the dipping sauce below) is non-negotiable.
The recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add the beef. Massage to coat. Cover. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
- Make ssamjang: combine doenjang, gochujang, sesame oil, honey and garlic. Stir until smooth.
- Set up a grill plate, electric griddle, or hot heavy pan in the centre of the table.
- Cook the marinated beef in batches over high heat — 90 seconds per side. Don't crowd.
- Eat: take a lettuce leaf, add a spoonful of rice, a piece of beef, a smear of ssamjang, a pinch of kimchi or pickled radish. Wrap and eat in one bite.
- Repeat with the next batch. Keep banchan, rice and lettuce topped up.
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Tough beef
Not enough marinating time. Two hours is not enough. Overnight or twenty-four hours is right.
Lettuce too small to wrap
Use iceberg or red leaf, not cos. The cup-shape catches the meat and rice properly.
Variations worth knowing
Galbi (short ribs)
Use thinly sliced flanken-cut beef short ribs. Same marinade. Slightly chewier, more flavoursome.
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Read the recipe →Spicy bulgogi
Add 2 tablespoons of gochujang to the marinade. Spicier, a richer caramelisation on the grill.
Leftovers and make ahead
Marinated raw meat keeps two days. Cooked bulgogi reheats well in a pan or microwave; serve over rice with banchan.