Best and Easiest Beef Bulgogi – Asian Recipes At Home (2024)

FAQs

How long should you marinate bulgogi? ›

marinade. Place all marinade ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour marinade over beef and onion mixture and mix together until all beef is well and evenly coated. Cover beef and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours.

In a perfect world, you'd want to marinate the steak—rib-eye or sirloin steak are the best cuts to use for this bulgogi recipe—a day before cooking. The marinade recipe varies by maker, but commonly features soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, black pepper, and sugar.

There are three types of bulgogi that are typically served at restaurants today – Gwangyang-style of South Jeolla Province, Eonyang-style of South Gyeongsang Province and last but not least, the Seoul-style.

Bulgogi is commonly served with rice and kimchi. It is also served as a wrap. To make a wrap, use whole, fluffy lettuce leave such as green leaf or romaine and add any of the following: rice, hot peppers, carrots, cucumbers, bean paste.

Information. Most recipes for marinating meat and poultry recommend six hours up to 24 hours. It is safe to keep the food in the marinade longer, but after two days it is possible that the marinade can start to break down the fibers of the meat, causing it to become mushy.

If using kiwi or pineapple, be sure to use only a small amount so you don't over-marinate the meat. They are very strong tenderizing agents and can break down the meat too much. All you need is about 30 minutes to an hour to marinate thinly sliced meat. It can be longer, up to overnight.

(But if you have access to a charcoal grill, that's even better!) I love serving the sweet and savory Korean Beef Bulgogi with freshly steamed rice, kimchi, or red leaf lettuce.

It typically consists of soy sauce, sugar, mirin (sweet rice wine), sesame oil, garlic, and green onions, along with other ingredients such as ginger, pear juice, or rice wine vinegar. The sauce is used to flavor and tenderize thinly sliced beef that is then grilled, pan-fried, or stir-fried.

Bulgogi is made from thin slices of sirloin or other prime cuts of beef. Ribeye is also commonly used due to its tenderness and easily cuttable texture.

Literally speaking, bulgogi (불고기) means “fire meat”. It is often made with tender parts of beef, pork or chicken. However, in general terms, unless specified, bulgogi is made with beef.

Why do Koreans eat bulgogi? ›

Bulgogi Etymology

The dish is believed to have entered South Korea as a result of refugees fleeing Pyongan Providence after the liberation of the Korean Peninsula from the Japanese in 1945. After its introduction into South Korea, bulgogi became popular in Seoul and many other cities.

The term 'bulgogi' comes from Korea and translates to 'fire meat' as it was originally cooked using skewers on a hwaro grill. This ubiquitous meal's early history and origin date back to the Goguryeo era (37 B.C. to 668 A.D.), when it was initially called maekjeok.

Yoon Sook-ja, director of the Institute of Traditional Korean Food, recommends pairing dwaeji bulgogi (marinated grilled pork) with soju (clear liquor). Soju, the clear traditional liquor that comes in the iconic green bottle, is widely known to soothe the sorrows of Koreans as shown in many films and TV dramas.

Beef Bulgogi is Simple to Prepare and Versatile

Korean beef bulgogi takes very little time to throw together and you can serve it over rice, on top of a salad, rolled up in lettuce leaves or in my Korean Bulgogi Sandwich with Spicy Cucumbers & Cheddar.

As meat marinates, the reason it becomes tender is because it's actually breaking down. It's possible to break down the meat too much by marinating it too long. I like to marinade beef bulgogi for 4 hours, but up to 8 hours is fine.

Generally tender cuts of meat need anything from 15 minutes to 2 hours and tougher cuts of meat will need longer (At least 6 hours). A longer marination time will provide more flavour and allows the acid or enzymes to tenderise the meat more.

Cooked bulgogi can be stored in the fridge for a few days. Any uncooked portion of the bulgogi (just marinated) can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 4 days or in the freezer for a few weeks.

How Long to Marinate Chicken. You can marinate chicken anywhere from 2 hours up to 24 hours, though marinating chicken for even 15 to 30 minutes can impart flavor and moisture into smaller pieces of meat.