Easy Weeknight Korean BBQ Beef Bulgogi

Tender, glossy beef that cooks in minutes! If you love Korean BBQ, you’ll love this incredibly easy Korean beef bulgogi recipe with slivers of carrot and shiitake mushrooms for the perfect weeknight dinner.

Why We Love This

The perfect balance of sweet and savoury flavour in this effortless Korean beef bulgogi marinade will leave you with the most tender, juicy BBQ beef ever. Cook it on the grill, or on a frying pan in the comfort of your own kitchen.

Serve your freshly cooked bulgogi beef with kimchi, pickled onions or pickled garlic for extra flavour (with even more serving ideas below!).

And if it’s not completely devoured in one sitting, any leftovers are amazing for lunch the next day.

Related: Chicken Bulgogi / Homemade Gochujang Sauce

What is Bulgogi? 

Bulgogi (불고기) literally means ‘fire meat’ in Korean. It usually refers to meats (such as beef, chicken or pork) cooked over a grill or open flame. While it’s often associated with Korean BBQ, there are a few main differences:

• Bulgogi is a traditional Korean dish where thin slices of beef and vegetables are marinated in a blend of soy sauce, ginger, garlic and sesame oil. Pear juice is added for a hint of sweetness and to tenderise the meat. It’s usually pan fried or cooked over a special mesh grill so that the smaller slices of vegetables don’t fall through into the flame. 
• Korean BBQ, on the other hand, is usually not marinated, and the meat and vegetables are cooked separately over an open charcoal grill. 

Where We Learned This

Ellie at F&C Korean Food & Culture Academy first taught us how to make beef bulgogi. She runs a series of cooking classes where we also learned how to make traditional homemade kimchi and Korean seafood pancakes.

What You’ll Need

• Bulgogi Sauce / Korean Beef Marinade – Make your own homemade bulgogi sauce or sub with store-bough sauce. Note that some brands will be spicy and others won’t, so choose the best one to suit your tastes.
• Beef – You can use any cut you like, but for the best texture and flavour aim for the highest quality you can afford. Try it with thin slices of marbled beef sirloin, tenderloin, skirt steak, flank steak or scotch fillet/ribeye. If you’re lucky, you might find pre-sliced beef at your local butcher or Asian grocery. If not, you can always ask them to slice it for you, or slice it yourself at home. Sub with pre-sliced supermarket stir fry steak to save time, or swap for pork, lamb or chicken if you prefer. 
• Shiitake Mushrooms – Sliced shiitake mushrooms not only add a depth of umami flavour, they soak up all the incredible marinade flavours too, adding a juicy chewiness to the dish. We used fresh shiitake mushrooms from our nearby Asian grocer. Sub with dried shiitake mushrooms that have been soaked in boiling water for around 20 minutes.
• Veggies – We use thinly sliced carrots, onion and leek, but you can use just about anything you have on hand. Spinach, bok choy, capsicum/bell pepper and bean sprouts would also make great additions.

For the Bulgogi Sauce / Korean Beef Marinade: 

In addition to sesame oil, raw sugar, garlic, ginger and black pepper, you’ll also need:

• Korean Soy Sauce – This is different to Chinese style soy sauces. Since it’s made from soybeans, salt and water (no wheat) it has an earthier, saltier flavour. The best substitute would be Japanese tamari (which is usually gluten-free), otherwise, just use whatever soy sauce you have on hand.
• Pear Juice – The secret ingredient to bulgogi’s deliciously soft and melt-in-your-mouth texture. The enzymes in Asian pears help to tenderise the meat while adding a touch of sweetness. You can often find it at Asian groceries, or buy it online. Otherwise, substitute with grated fresh nashi pear, grated apple, apple juice, pureed kiwifruit, minced onion or even a splash of coca-cola. They’ll all have this magic effect when added to a tasty marinade. We’ve also seen people use apple cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar in a pinch, although the flavour will be different, either will get you through.

How to make Beef Bulgogi:

1. Mix the water, soy sauce, pear juice, sesame oil, sugar, garlic, ginger and black pepper in a large mixing bowl. Add in the thinly sliced beef, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, leek, onions and spring onions and stir through to coat evenly in the marinade. Pop the marinated bulgogi in the fridge for a minimum of 10 minutes (or even better, overnight).
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan, skillet or wok over high heat. Separate the bulgogi into two batches and stir fry each for a few minutes until beef is cooked through.

Wandercook’s Tips

• Slicing the Meat – It’s so much easier to slice meat thinly when it’s partially frozen first. Wrap in clingfilm, lay on a baking tray and pop in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. When you’re ready to slice, remove the cling film and slice thinly across the grain. Aim for 2mm to 3mm (1/8 inch) slices. 
• Use a Hot Pan – For the best flavour and caramelisation, cook on a super hot cast iron skillet. This will help to sear the meat and lock in the juices. Otherwise, a non stick wok or frying pan will work just fine. 
• Marinate Overnight – While you can start cooking after the minimum 10 minutes, the flavours will be so much richer if you allow it to marinate overnight. 
• Cook in Batches + Avoid Adding Excess Marinade to the Pan – This will prevent the meat from boiling in the pan, which would cause it to become chewy rather than tender.
• Leftover mushrooms? Make a mushroom pate dip for the appetiser!

FAQs

Variations

• Make It Vegetarian – Swap the beef for extra veggies such as bok choy or capsicum/bell pepper. Throw in extra shiitake mushrooms, button mushrooms, enoki mushrooms or any of your other favourite mushroom varieties.
• Make It Extra Spicy – Add a tsp of gochujang to the marinade.
• Even More Flavour – Try it with a splash of homemade umami sauce.
• Beef Bulgogi Bowl – Serve it on top of a rice bowl or noodle bowl, with sliced tomato, cucumber, julienne carrot, or traditional Korean sides like namul, and a soft or hard boiled egg on top.
• Optional Garnishes – Top with fresh slices of spring onion / green onions, sesame seeds, fresh kimchi, gochugaru (red pepper flakes) or shichimi chilli powder. Add pickled onions or pickled garlic for even more flavour!
• Add Toasted Ground Sesame Seeds – Into the marinade for an extra depth of nutty, earthy flavour.
• Cook on the BBQ – Try it alongside these amazing BBQ recipes from around the world.

Serve your beef bulgogi with these Korean favourites:

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