Beef Bulgogi (Korean Marinated Beef)
By Annie PetitoPublished on November 18, 2018
Time
1½ hours
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Pickles
1 cup rice vinegar 2 tablespoons sugar 1 ½ teaspoons table salt 1 pound daikon radish, peeled and cut into 1½-inch-long matchsticksChile Sauce (Ssamjang)
4 scallions, white and light green parts only, minced¼ cup doenjang 1 tablespoon gochujang 1 tablespoon water 2 teaspoons sugar 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil 1 garlic clove, mincedBeef
1 (1¼-pound) boneless rib-eye steak, cut crosswise into 1½-inch-wide pieces and trimmed1 tablespoon water ¼ teaspoon baking soda ¼ cup chopped onion ¼ cup sugar 3 tablespoons soy sauce 4 garlic cloves, peeled1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil ¼ teaspoon pepper 2 teaspoons vegetable oil 4 scallions, dark green parts only, cut into 1½-inch piecesBefore You Begin
To save time, prepare the pickles and chile sauce while the steak is in the freezer. For more information on daikon, visit this article. You can substitute 2 cups of bean sprouts and one cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise, seeded, and sliced thin on the bias, for the daikon, if desired. The fermented bean pastes doenjang and gochujang are sold in Korean markets and online. You can substitute red or white miso for the doenjang and sriracha for the gochujang, if desired. Serve the bulgogi as a plated meal with steamed rice and kimchi or wrap small portions of the beef in lettuce leaves with chile sauce and eat them with your hands.
Instructions
- For the pickles: Whisk vinegar, sugar, and salt together in medium bowl. Add daikon and toss to combine. Gently press on daikon to submerge. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- For the chile sauce: Combine all ingredients in small bowl. Cover and set aside. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
- For the beef: Place beef on large plate and freeze until very firm, 35 to 40 minutes. Once firm, stand each piece on 1 cut side on cutting board and, using sharp knife, shave beef against grain as thin as possible. (Slices needn't be perfectly intact.) Combine water and baking soda in medium bowl. Add beef and toss to coat. Let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, process onion, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, and pepper in food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add onion mixture to beef and toss to evenly coat.
- Heat vegetable oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add beef mixture in even layer and cook, without stirring, until browned on 1 side, about 1 minute. Stir and continue to cook until beef is no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Add scallion greens and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to platter. Serve with pickles and chile sauce.
Time
1½ hoursYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Pickles
Chile Sauce (Ssamjang)
Beef
Ingredients
Pickles
Chile Sauce (Ssamjang)
Beef
Ingredients
Pickles
Chile Sauce (Ssamjang)
Beef
Why This Recipe Works
For our version of bulgogi we first had to pick the best cut of beef. Rib-eye steak offered a nice combination of marbled interior and rich beef flavor. To shave the meat superthin, we froze it in pieces so it firmed up enough to cleanly slice into bite-size pieces. Treating the meat with baking soda helped it stay tender, and because the meat was so thin, we found that there was no need to coat it with a marinade until just before cooking. We paired the marinade's signature sweet flavor with soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, pepper, and chopped onion, which brought savory undertones but let the delicate flavor of the beef shine through. We cooked the beef in a moderately hot skillet before stirring it until it was fully cooked, which took just a few minutes. Ssamjang, a savory and spicy sauce, and daikon pickles offered flavor and textural contrast to the sweet beef. Lettuce leaves, steamed rice, and other sides rounded out the meal.
Want more? Read the whole storyBefore You Begin
To save time, prepare the pickles and chile sauce while the steak is in the freezer. For more information on daikon, visit this article. You can substitute 2 cups of bean sprouts and one cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise, seeded, and sliced thin on the bias, for the daikon, if desired. The fermented bean pastes doenjang and gochujang are sold in Korean markets and online. You can substitute red or white miso for the doenjang and sriracha for the gochujang, if desired. Serve the bulgogi as a plated meal with steamed rice and kimchi or wrap small portions of the beef in lettuce leaves with chile sauce and eat them with your hands.
Instructions
- For the pickles: Whisk vinegar, sugar, and salt together in medium bowl. Add daikon and toss to combine. Gently press on daikon to submerge. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- For the chile sauce: Combine all ingredients in small bowl. Cover and set aside. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
- For the beef: Place beef on large plate and freeze until very firm, 35 to 40 minutes. Once firm, stand each piece on 1 cut side on cutting board and, using sharp knife, shave beef against grain as thin as possible. (Slices needn't be perfectly intact.) Combine water and baking soda in medium bowl. Add beef and toss to coat. Let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, process onion, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, and pepper in food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add onion mixture to beef and toss to evenly coat.
- Heat vegetable oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add beef mixture in even layer and cook, without stirring, until browned on 1 side, about 1 minute. Stir and continue to cook until beef is no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Add scallion greens and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to platter. Serve with pickles and chile sauce.
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