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

This is the best and easiest Korean beef bulgogi recipe. It consists of thin slices of ribeye beef marinated in our own very special homemade marinade and then stir-fried to perfection. Bulgogi is a classic Korean dish and is a staple in many Korean households.

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A brief history of Korean beef bulgogi

Pronounced “buul-GOH-ghee”, bulgogi is literally translated as “fire meat” in Korean (“bul” means “fire” and “gogi” means “meat”). According to the peer-reviewed Korean Journal, this dish’s origins date back to the Goguryeo dynasty (37 B.C. to 668 A.D.). It went through a few transitional periods, such as grilled beef that originated from neobiani, then to being boiled in a meat broth around the 1960s. Bulgogi was revived with full-force after the 1990s. It was then that bulgogi was adapted through various different cooking methods and collectively was regarded as the most popular food in Korea.

What makes this the best and easiest Korean beef bulgogi recipe

A lot of traditional recipes you may see tend to use Asian pear in their recipes. Today, we are sharing a super easy and more simplified bulgogi recipe with you. It can be hard to find Asian pears, especially when they are not in season. We use thinly sliced ribeye for this recipe due to its tenderness and fat content. However, sirloin and brisket are also popular cuts to use in bulgogi recipes. You should be able to find all of the ingredients needed for our Korean beef bulgogi recipe easily at the grocery store or Asian markets at any time of the year.

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Thinly sliced beef

Thinly sliced beef is one of the most important components in making great bulgogi. It is possible for you to slice the meat thinly yourself at home too. If you decide to slice it yourself, many suggest freezing the beef for only about 20 minutes to make it easier to slice. You don’t want it completely frozen, you just want it frozen enough so that the knife can glide through a firmer, almost frozen piece of meat. However, it is even easier to have the grocery store, or butcher slice the meat for you. Many bigger grocery stores will happily slice it for you. We have asked Kroger’s meat counter to slice the ribeye paper-thin for us and most are happy to help. If you have a locally-owned Asian market or Korean supermarket nearby like an H Mart, they also usually have pre-sliced beef frozen and ready to go.

What to serve with this easy beef bulgogi

As you would probably expect, we recommend serving this delicious beef bulgogi with freshly steamed white rice. Traditionally, beef bulgogi is served accompanied by a variety of different side dishes (banchan). Try one, any or all of these great side dish (banchan) recipes that would go great with this beef bulgogi:

  • Easy Napa Cabbage Korean Kimchi (Cut-Up Kimchi)
  • Crunchy Fried Spring Rolls
  • Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad
  • Easy Asian Pan-Fried Zucchini
  • Korean Seasoned Spinach Side Dish (Sigeumchi-namul)
  • Korean White Kimchi (Baek Kimchi)

We hope you enjoy this best and easiest Korean beef bulgogi recipe! Please be sure to comment or tag us on Instagram or Facebook (@asianrecipesathome) if you make this recipe.

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Yield: 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 14 hours

Total Time: 14 hours 35 minutes

This is the best and easiest Korean beef bulgogi recipe. Thin slices of ribeye beef marinated in our own very homemade bulgogi marinade and then stir-fried to perfection.

Ingredients

  • 2lb Ribeye beef, sliced paper-thin
  • 1 Tbsp avocado oil
  • 1 medium/large-sized yellow onion (about 1 ½ cups), sliced about ¼” thickness
  • 1 medium-sized carrot (about 1 cup), cut like matchsticks
  • 2 green onions (about ½ cup), sliced on the diagonal
  • ½ Tbsp sesame seeds
  • 1 green onion (about ¼ cup), sliced on diagonal (optional, garnish)

For the marinade:

Instructions

  1. First, let’s prepare the beef. Rub the sugar into the beef and let it sit for about 2 hours in the fridge in a medium-sized bowl.
  2. While the beef is marinating in just the sugar, let’s make the actual marinade. Mix together sesame oil, soy sauce, water, black pepper, salt, garlic cloves, and sesame seeds in a small bowl. Once mixed thoroughly, pour this mixture onto the beef and mix together well. Let the beef marinate in the fridge for about 12 hours. The longer it marinates the better the flavor.
  3. Place a cast-iron pan (or any frying pan) onto high heat and then add 1 Tbsp avocado oil to the pan.
  4. Stir-fry the beef for about 1 minute on the high heat. After a minute, turn the heat down to medium and continue stir-frying the beef to allow the liquid to evaporate/absorb into the beef.
  5. Once the liquid from the beef and marinade has evaporated about 80%, then add in the onions, carrot, and green onion. Stir-fry the beef and vegetables together until all of the liquid has evaporated.
  6. Add the remaining sesame seeds and mix into the finished bulgogi. Top with freshly sliced green onions (optional), serve and enjoy!

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

FAQs

What meat should I use for bulgogi? ›

Boneless ribeye steak is our cut of choice for this recipe and the most popular because it is tender and flavorful with nice marbling. Sirloin is also commonly used to make bulgogi and is slightly leaner that ribeye. You can also use flank steak in a pinch with good results, but the texture won't be quite as tender.

What are the three types of bulgogi? ›

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.

How to serve Korean beef bulgogi? ›

Serve the bulgogi with some steamed Korean rice and with other Korean side dishes. You can also use some lettuce leaves and perilla leaves to wrap the bulgogi. Don't forget to pair it with some Korean ssamjang (Korean bbq dipping sauce) and some kimchi (spicy or non-spicy) too!

How do Koreans eat bulgogi? ›

Bulgogi is often served over or with a side of rice and accompanied by various side dishes such as egg soup and kimchi (fermented cabbage).

How long should you marinate bulgogi? ›

Place the meat and vegetables in a large bowl. Add the marinade and toss gently to combine everything well. Marinate the meat for 30 minutes to an hour, up to overnight. Grilling: Grill the meat on a charcoal or gas grill or pan fry in a skillet over high heat until slightly caramelized.

What is bulgogi sauce made of? ›

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.

What part of the body is beef bulgogi? ›

If you're cooking your own bulgogi, it all starts with choosing the proper cut of beef and marinating it with the correct not-so-secret sauce. Ribeye is the most common choice because of its tenderness and fat content; however, sirloin and brisket cuts would also produce an exquisite flavor.

What does bulgogi mean in Korean? ›

Bulgogi (불고기) is the name of a Korean dish, literally translating to “fire meat.” This famous Korean dish has existed for thousands of years, and it is now gaining popularity in Western countries like the United States and Canada.

What is the difference between teriyaki and bulgogi sauce? ›

Bulgogi is a sweet, salty beef dish that is comparable to teriyaki but much more rich and flavorful. Whereas teriyaki is solely sweetened with sugar, bulgogi relies also on fruit sugar to add an extra depth of flavor.

What goes best with bulgogi? ›

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.

What do Koreans drink with bulgogi? ›

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.

Can you pan fry bulgogi? ›

Once it's done marinating, the hard part is over. Throw it onto a super hot cast iron skillet or grill pan and that smoky, sweet-savory charred bits of meat will simply put you over the edge. Serve with rice and maybe a side of kimchi for a full meal.

What vegetables go well with bulgogi? ›

Carrots and green onion - These two vegetables are optional and mostly added for color. Feel free to omit if you want. Soy sauce and brown sugar - These two are the base of our bulgogi marinade.

What cut of the cow is bulgogi? ›

Korean beef bulgogi is not hard to make, but—like any recipe that's all about the marinade—you've got to plan ahead. 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.

Is beef bulgogi good for you? ›

From a nutritional point of view, Bulgogi enjoys an excellent reputation: grilled or burned beef steak in a pan does not require the use of additional fat and is a source par excellence of noble proteins, vitamins PP and B12, while the ginger present in marination speeds up the digestion process as well as fighting ...

What kind of meat do you use for Korean BBQ? ›

Korean BBQ isn't always beef, but beef, like short rib, is the most common meat. Beef, pork, and chicken are the most popular KBBQ meats. Other popular meats to grill include: Gopchang (beef or pork intestines)

What cut of meat is used for Korean BBQ? ›

What Is The Best Beef Cut For Korean BBQ? Bulgogi (Sirloin Beef Strips) is the most well-known Korean BBQ beef cut. While others also like other cuts of beef for a Korean BBQ, there's no doubt that bulgogi the most popular not only in Korea but also in other countries like Australia.

What meat do they use at Korean BBQ? ›

Galbi (beef short ribs) and Bulgogi (thinly sliced sirloin, ribeye, or brisket) are the most representative form of the meat used in Korean barbeque. In the western world, Bulgogi, meaning “fire meat,” is the most popular type of Korean barbeque you'll come across.

What meat do they serve in Korean BBQ? ›

Korean barbecue commonly utilizes small, tender cuts like beef tongue, beef short ribs, pork belly, and chicken. In the US, barbecue might use big cuts of meat like brisket, whole chickens, pork butts, pork ribs, and big steaks like sirloin and rib-eye.

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