Beef Bulgogi, Korean BBQ Beef at Home

Korean beef bulgogi with a classic nashi pear marinade, seared in small batches until the edges caramelise. Sweet, savoury and not spicy, so it suits the whole family. 25 minutes of work plus 30 minutes marinating, with every ingredient costed for Australian kitchens.

Ingredients for 4

Australian tablespoons are 20 ml. Weights are given for the ingredients where it matters.

Method

1. Step 1Prep everything

   Thaw the beef in the fridge. Peel and grate the pear and half the onion; slice the other half thinly. Mince the garlic, grate the ginger and cut the spring onions.

   

2. Step 2Mix the marinade

   In a large bowl, mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, grated pear and onion, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and pepper until the sugar dissolves.

   

3. Step 3Marinate the beef

   Separate the beef slices into the bowl and massage the marinade in with your hands. Add the sliced onion and spring onion whites. Marinate for 30 minutes, or up to overnight in the fridge.

   

4. Step 4Heat the pan

   Heat a cast-iron pan or wok over high heat until it just starts to smoke, then add the oil.

   

5. Step 5Sear in batches

   Lay in a third of the beef in a single layer. Leave it for 1 minute to brown, then toss for 1–2 minutes until just cooked with caramelised edges. Repeat with the rest.

   

6. Step 6Add the greens

   Return all the beef to the pan, add the spring onion greens and toss for 30 seconds.

   

7. Step 7Finish

   Take off the heat, drizzle with a little sesame oil and scatter over the sesame seeds.

   

8. Step 8Serve

   Serve with rice, kimchi, and lettuce leaves and ssamjang for wrapping.

   

Watch it in 45 seconds

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Why this version works

• Nashi pear in the marinade. It is the traditional Korean trick: the pear tenderises the beef and adds a clean natural sweetness.
• Slice the beef thin, 2–3 mm. Frozen Korean BBQ beef slices are the easy shortcut; thaw them in the fridge and they separate on their own.
• Half the onion is grated into the marinade for depth; the other half is sliced and caramelises with the beef.
• A very hot pan and small batches. Bulgogi means fire meat: the beef should sizzle and brown at the edges. A crowded pan steams it grey.
• Not spicy. Bulgogi is a family dish; add heat at the table with kimchi or ssamjang.
• Eat it the Korean way: with rice, kimchi, and lettuce leaves to wrap each bite.

Swaps and variations

• Pork bulgogi: use thinly sliced pork shoulder (frozen BBQ pork slices work well; thaw them in the fridge and they separate on their own) and cook it a minute longer, until no pink remains.
• No nashi pear: use half a grated apple. It tenderises a little less but gives the same gentle sweetness.
• Bulgogi rice bowl: spoon the beef and its juices over rice and top with a fried egg, kimchi, sesame seeds and a few drops of sesame oil.
• Add mushrooms: sliced shiitake or a pack of enoki go into the pan with the sliced onion and soak up the marinade.

Nutrition per serve

Calculated by Umall from the ingredient weights, using the Australian Food Composition Database (FSANZ). Figures are per serve without rice; with 75 g uncooked rice per serve it is about 703 kcal (2,940 kJ). All the marinade is counted, so real sodium is a little lower; ssamjang is optional and not counted. Values are estimates and vary with the brands you use. Energy bands are a guide to portion size, not a health claim.

Questions about Beef Bulgogi

Sources and credit

Method adapted by the Umall recipe team from Maangchi's bulgogi, cross-checked against Hyosun Ro's Korean Bapsang, Sue Pressey's My Korean Kitchen and a popular 만개의레시피 home recipe (listed below). Quantities are our own, scaled for Australian kitchens and Umall products.

• Maangchi, Bulgogi
• Korean Bapsang (Hyosun Ro), Bulgogi (Korean BBQ Beef)
• My Korean Kitchen (Sue Pressey), Bulgogi (Korean BBQ Beef)
• 요리하는아내, 만개의레시피 (10000recipe), 소불고기 만드는 법 실패 없는 황금 레시피

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