In the best examples I’ve had of beef bulgogi in Korean restaurants, the meat, while tender, still had a little bit of chewiness to it. You can control texture by the thickness or thinness of the slices and how long you marinate them. But this Korean-style BBQ recipe has a fairly fast-acting marinade, so I go with an hour or two.

Ingredients

Original recipe (1X) yields 2 servings

  • 1 ¼ pounds boneless beef short ribs, sliced across the grain in 1/8-inch thick slices
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely crushed
  • ¼ cup grated yellow onion
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated gingerroot
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, or to taste
  • ⅓ cup freshly grated Asian pear
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for brushing skillet
  • 2 cups hot steamed rice, or as needed
  • 2 sliced green onion tops for garnish

Directions

  1. Mix garlic, grated onion, grated ginger, toasted sesame oil, and brown sugar together in a mixing bowl. Stir in grated pear, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes.

  2. Transfer meat to marinade and toss to coat on all sides. Cover and refrigerate, 1 to 2 hours.

  3. Season meat with salt and a drizzle of vegetable oil. Toss.

  4. Brush a cast iron skillet with a little vegetable oil and place over high heat. When the skillet is very hot, add beef in a single layer and cook until meat begins to caramelize around the edges and moisture begins to evaporate, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Serve over hot rice and top with green onion slices.

    close up view of Bulgogi Beef over white rice, garnished with green onions in a bowl
    Chef John

Chef’s Note

You can marinate the beef for up to 12 hours, but I have good results with a 1- to 2-hour marination time.