Bulgogi is a classic Korean grilled beef recipe that makes a mouthwatering dinner or lunch. It‘s easy to make on a BBQ grill or stovetop griddle, too. Serve the tender pieces of marinated and caramelized meat alongside steamed rice and kimchi, or wrap the leftovers in your onigirazu.
Grilling season is here and I want to share one of my family’s favorite grilled meat recipes: Bulgogi—the iconic Korean BBQ beef. Intensely flavorful and delicious, it is undoubtedly some of the tastiest dishes to put on the grill.
When the marinated meat hit the sizzling skillet, you can immediately smell the tantalizingly sweet & smoky aroma filling the hot summer air. Love your grilled meat with big bold flavors? You will have to give this Beef Bulgogi recipe a try!
Table of Contents
What is Bulgogi?
Bulgogi (불고기) is a classic Korean preparation of beef or pork in which thinly shaved meat is marinated in a sweet and savory sauce and grilled on a barbecue or on a stove-top griddle. Literally “fire” and “meat,” bulgogi has been in existence for nearly a thousand years. It was even considered a fashionably high-class cuisine during the Joseon Dynasty.
With Korean barbecue restaurants becoming the mainstay of Japan’s food scene in recent years, a lot of housewives started making bulgogi (プルコギ) at home.
I love that it makes a wholesome one-skillet dinner for the family, especially when you cook it with vegetables as I did in this recipe.
Ingredients for Korean Grilled Beef
- Vegetables: I used onion, green onions/ scallion, and thinly shaved carrot, but you can also use other veggies such as bell peppers, bok choy, spinach, or bean sprouts.
- Cut of Beef: Thinly sliced beef (chuck or rib eye) is best, but you can use tenderloin or top sirloin; If you can’t find thinly sliced beef, you can freeze the block of meat for 2 hours before slicing (See my tutorial).
- Marinade: Korean (or Japanese) soy sauce, roasted sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, Korean (or Japanese) pear, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Sesame Oil
- Toasted sesame seeds
How to Make the Best Bulgogi
- Make the marinade and marinate the ingredients overnight.
- Grill the meat.
5 Tips to Make Delicious Bulgogi
Tip 1. Add grated Korean (Asian) pear
The SECRET ingredient for bulgogi’s tantalizing sweetness and melt-in-your-mouth texture is the addition of Korean pear in the marinade. Unlike other varieties, Korean pear (also called Asian pear or apple pear) contains more moisture and juice and has an enzyme that tenderizes the meat.
They appear in the grocery stores in the fall and winter months. It’s a lot easier to find them in Asian (Chinese, Korean, Japanese) grocery stores but my local Costco also carries them during the season. In Japan, we call these pears nashi (梨).
Korean pear may not be available in all seasons, but it’s totally worth hunting down when you make bulgogi at home. I didn’t expect I could get hold of a Korean pear in May at my local American grocery store. You never know until you look for it!
Tip 2. Use Korean soy sauce
Not all soy sauce is created equally! Korean soy sauce has a different richness, consistency, and flavor when compared to Japanese soy sauce or Chinese soy sauce. As it is one of the key flavors in bulgogi, you’ll notice a difference if you use another type of soy sauce.
Ideally, if you wish to cook up flavorsome bulgogi and other Korean dishes, use only Korean soy sauce as it works best for the characteristics of the cuisine. On the other hand, I use only Japanese soy sauce for all my Japanese cooking.
Tip 3. Marinate for at least 30 minutes (or overnight)
In my recipe below, I recommended at least 30 minutes for marinating, but I highly recommend overnight so the beef will be more tender and have enough time to soak up all the flavors. But sometimes, we just have that time. In that case, start prepping the meat the first thing so you can marinate for a long time.
Tip 4. Do not add the marinade liquid to the hot skillet
The trick in giving a nice char to the beef is to use a pair of tongs to pick up the meat from the marinade, leaving the liquid behind. You need to place just the meat on the hot skillet, no liquid goes into the skillet. Otherwise, you would end up steaming the meat in the pan. Make sure you coat each piece of the sliced beef well with your hands covered with plastic and let them absorb the flavors while marinating.
Tip 5. Cook on a hot skillet
Whether you use an outdoor barbecue grill or cook over the stovetop, you want to make sure the skillet/ pan is hot. That’s when the sliced meat gets nicely charred and caramelized quickly.
If using an outdoor barbecue grill, make sure to cook the meat on a skillet so the small pieces of meat won’t fall between the grill grates. I like to use a cast-iron skillet.
Bulgogi for An Easy Weeknight Family Meal
In the summertime, I often serve Bulgogi with steamed rice and kimchi on the side for a quick and easy weeknight family meal. If you are hosting a BBQ, this Korean grilled meat also makes a fabulous finger food when served on lettuce wraps. Enjoy with some icy cold beer or lemonade.
Oh, don’t forget to save a portion of leftover bulgogi meats for Bulgogi Onigirazu the next day! The rice sandwich is a delicious meal on its own.
Side Dishes to Serve with Bulgogi
For a more elaborate meal, here are some amazing side dishes that pair well with this Korean Beef Bulgogi:
- Quick Korean Fresh Kimchi
- Korean Spinach Namul and Bean Sprout Namul
- Onigiri Rice Balls
- Spicy Pickled Cucumbers
- Spicy Bean Sprout Salad
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Bulgogi (Korean Grilled Beef)
Video
Ingredients
- ½ onion
- 3 green onions/scallions
- 4 inches carrot
- 1½ lb thinly sliced beef (chuck or ribeye) (or use tenderloin or top sirloin; if you can’t find thinly sliced beef, see how to thinly slice meat at home)
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- ½ Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds (for the garnish)
Bulgogi Marinade
- 4 Tbsp Korean soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar (don’t substitute with honey as it burns easily)
- 8 cloves garlic (4 tsp, minced)
- ½ Asian pear (4 Tbsp, grated; or substitute with Fuji apple, kiwi, or fresh (not canned) pineapple)
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Make the bulgogi marinade. To a large bowl, add 4 Tbsp Korean soy sauce, 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, 3 Tbsp brown sugar, and 8 cloves garlic (crushed or minced).
- Grate ½ Asian pear into the bowl.
- Add freshly ground black pepper and mix it all together.
- Cut ½ onion into thin slices. Cut 3 green onions/scallions into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces and then cut in half lengthwise.
- Using a peeler, peel 4 inches carrot into thin ribbons or strips (or slice thinly). Add the onion, green onions, and carrot to the marinade, and mix all together.
- Add 1½ lb thinly sliced beef (chuck or ribeye) to the marinade, separating each slice. Mix it all together to coat with the marinade. I wear plastic gloves and mix thoroughly by hand.
- Set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight (recommended).
To Cook
- Heat a large skillet (I use a cast iron grill pan here) over medium-high eat. When it‘s hot, add 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil.
- Add the marinated beef in a single layer. Grill until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate and sprinkle with ½ Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds.
To Serve
- If you have a single-serving cast iron plate, you can use it to keep the meat warm for a longer time. Enjoy!
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3 days. You can also freeze it for up to a month.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on June 26, 2017. The post has been updated in August 2022.
What is the brand name of Korean soy sauce, can you take of picture of the bottle?
Hi Wayne! If you click on the ingredient, it’ll take you to the pantry page:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/korean-soy-sauce/
This recipe is amazing!! Thank you so much for sharing! I love how you give details about which Korean soy sauce to buy down to the actual picture. My local Asian store has an entire row of just soy sauce and every time I go in there I feel lost. ???? And also the tip about cutting your own meat was great bc buying a piece of ribeye roll was way more affordable than the precut. Quick, so tasty, and you know what’s in your food!!
Hi Marta! Aww I’m so happy to hear you liked this recipe. I love this one too, and make it often when I get good beef from the Korean store. 😀 The Korean soy sauce makes it a huge difference (I found out later after using Japanese soy sauce for years). I’m glad you didn’t get lose at soy sauce isle. 😉 Thank you for writing your kind feedback! xo
Can you freeze the marinade to use again!
Hi Jo! For food safety reason, it’s not recommended to RE-use the marinade that raw meat was marinated in. I know it’s seems waste, but maybe next time, try adding more meat, cook, and freeze? 🙂
Where did you buy your grill pan? Is it available on amazon? Thanks!
Hi DM! Yes it is here: http://amzn.to/2mnWpiA
I never did realize that Korean soy sauce is different than Chinese or Japanese soy sauce. The only thing I was concerned about is the high fructose corn syrup listed as one of the ingredients in the Korean soy sauce you recommended. What are your thoughts on this please? Thank you!
Hi Ann! It’s common to see the high fructose corn syrup in Asian condiments, from all kinds of sauces to dressings to marinade etc. It’s a bit harder to avoid without spending extra money. If I have other healthier choices, I’d consider it. Also it depends on how often I use it in my cooking. Hope I answered your question. 🙂
This was so tasty just like i had in restaurant! Thank You!
Hi Nancy! Glad to hear you liked this recipe! Thank you for trying my recipe! 🙂
I love Bulgogi! Thank you for sharing your experience using Korean vs Japanese soy sauces….I traditionally use japanese but will acquire korean for Korean dishes. Thank you. Now can you share a “okonomyaki” recipe? We were introduced to it in Osaka….delicious! Ours had pork, cabbage and corn.
Hi Karen! It’s good to have Korean soy sauce. I don’t use it often but when I make Japchae (recipe on the blog), I use Korean soy sauce too. 🙂
Here’s my Okonnomiyaki recipe: https://www.justonecookbook.com/okonomiyaki/
Thanks for posting this Bulgogi recipe. Looks simple easy to make and healthy.!
Thank you for checking this post, J! 🙂
looks delicious
Thank you Nicole!
Hi! I bought Korean soy sauce yesterday so that I can try this bulgogi recipe. Looks delicious! Just one question. You put the veggies in the marinade but don’t mention cooking them. Do they just get put in with the meat slices or do you cook them afterwards? Maybe you throw all the marinade and veggies in the hot skillet after the meat and toss it together? I want the veggies, like you said, for a more complete meal. Love your recipes. Thanks!
Hi Camille! So sorry for my late response. Oh the veggies are there for flavor and color. And you can’t easily separate them when marinated. Since the meat is thinly slice, it cooks very fast and you can pick up veggies when they are done. You can add more veggies too if you like. When grilling, don’t overcrowd the pan, so the meat cook faster. 🙂
Just made this today for dinner. Family loved it!
Keep doing what you’re doing! Love the recipes!
Thank you so much for trying this recipe and writing your kind feedback, Brian! I’m happy your family liked this recipe! 🙂
I made this marinate for BBQ lamb chops and it tastes delicious. Thank you very much for showing us this simple way to make this sauce.
I used to buy a premixed Bulgogi in the jar but not very fond with the added preservatives, now I can make it myself and freeze in the ice cubes (due to a freshly grated Nashi pears). Thanks again Nami!
Hi Yvonne! Glad to know lamb chop works great with this marinade!
I love the freeze in ice cube method. I had never tried that with the Bulgogi marinade before. Some premix is easy and convenient, but I find this marinade so easy to make. Happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for your kind feedback!
I love to make Bulgogi because it is easy to cook and everyone in my household loves it. If there are any leftovers, the grandchildren love to have it for breakfast along with scrambled eggs.
For the meat, I buy flap-meat (3 1/2 – 4 pounds) from Sam’s Club. Cut the meat into strips along the grain. Marinate the meat for 24 hours, and grill them in the broiler.
I serve the Bulgogi over a bed of Vegetable Rice Medley. As customary in my household, I always serve Miso soup. A healthy meal that for sure satisfies a hungry person.
Nami, thank you for all the wonderful recipes that I have adapted from you.
Hi Steve! Thank you for sharing your tip! I’m reading this comment at 11 pm and I am so hungry…. Your grandchildren are so lucky to eat this with scramble eggs. I definitely need to wake up in your house in the morning. 😉 Thank you for your kind words!
hurrah for bulgogi~!
you can’t go wrong with this recipe. 🙂
I think I’ve never seen anyone not liking the dish, and you could make so many variations with different ingredients.
Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Hayan! I totally agree with you! 🙂
Make sure you slice across the grain of the meat or it will be tough, not tender.
That’s correct! Thanks for pointing that out.
For those who need to slice meat on your own, please see this page.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/how_to/how-to-slice-meat/