Tender and Flavorful Beef Bulgogi
This recipe for tender and flavorful beef bulgogi is one you need to add into your menu rotation!
Prep Time20 minutes mins
Cook Time10 minutes mins
Marinating Time30 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: korean
Keyword: beef bulgogi, korean beef bulgogi, korean main dishes
Servings: 6 servings
- 1 ½-2 pounds Beef, sliced thin (about ⅛ inch) I used beef tenderloin, but you can also use a ribeye or even top sirloin if you prefer.
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 tablespoons rice wine or mirin
- 3 tablespoon minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds plus more for sprinkling on the top after grilling
- 4 tablespoons pureed pears, apples or even kiwi These will tenderize your meat
- ¼ cup chopped green onions for topping at the end
Once your beef is sliced, set it aside. In a medium-sized bowl add the soy sauce, water, honey, rice wine, garlic, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and pureed pear.Mix well to combine.Now, add in your beef and with your hands, gently massage the meat and marinade to make sure all the beef is covered.This can be a really quick marinade, like 30 minutes quick. Or it can be marinated up to 6-8 hours. Now, you can cook the beef 2 ways. The first is grilling. While this is a little trick to do, I like the flavor with this the best. The 2nd way is in a skillet, preferably cast iron. For grilling, heat the grill really hot, at least 550-600 degrees. The meat is so thin it will cook hot and fast! Lightly grease your grill grates and place the beef pieces on it. I only grilled mine about 45 seconds to 1 minute per side. Turning it over can be a little tricky, so just be careful. Now, if you prefer to not take your chances on the grill, a skillet it great as well. Heat it over medium-high heat. Once it is really hot, add about 1 tablespoon of canola oil to the pan and swirl around the pan to cover the bottom. Being careful not to overcrowd the pan, add in you beef slices. You will need to do this in 2-3 batches, depending on the size of your pan. If the pan is good and hot, and you don't overcrowd, the beef should cook really quickly. If you need to, wipe down the pan, oil and do the next batch. Once the beef is finished cooking, top with another sprinkle of sesame seeds and the green onions.We served ours with rice and the oi muchim, which is included in the blog post as well.