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Korea, Asia · Bulgogi (Korean Marinated Beef)

Cast-Iron Sirloin Bulgogi with Scallion Salad

Korean BBQ-house style: half-frozen sirloin sliced paper-thin at home, marinated in blended pear and onion, seared in cast iron and glazed with the reduced marinade.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time35 min
Partial freezing + marinating+ 1 h 30 min
DifficultyHard

Method

  1. Wrap the beef in cling film and freeze for 30–40 minutes until firm on the outside. Slice it 2–3 mm thick against the grain, then cut into 5 cm lengths. Half-frozen meat does not slip under the knife, so even beginners get even slices.

    Add in this stepBeef sirloin or ribeye (in one piece) 320 g

  2. Blend the pear, onion, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, mirin and pepper until smooth. Pour over the beef and massage it in, then drizzle with the sesame oil to coat and marinate in the fridge for 1 hour.

    Add in this stepAsian pear (peeled) 80 gOnion (for the marinade) 40 gGarlic (cloves) 5Fresh ginger (grated) 1 tspSoy sauce 2½ tbspBrown sugar 1 tbspHoney 1 tspMirin (sweet rice wine) 1½ tbspBlack pepper 1 pinchToasted sesame oil 1 tbsp

  3. Lift out the beef, squeezing it lightly, and pour the leftover marinade into a 14 cm small pot. Once it comes to a lively boil, reduce it over medium heat for . Turn off the heat when it has halved and coats a spoon like syrup. Raw meat has been in it, so it must boil fully.

    medium heat

  4. Heat a little oil in a 26 cm cast-iron pan and fry the shiitake, sliced 5 mm thick, over medium-high heat for . When the edges turn golden, move them to a plate.

    Add in this stepCooking oil 1 tbspFresh shiitake mushrooms 80 g

    medium-high heat

  5. Heat the pan over high heat until it just starts to smoke. Lay the beef in a single layer and leave it untouched for 40 seconds until the edges char brown, then flip and cook 30 seconds more. Work in 2 batch(es) to fit your pan, in total. If sugar burns black on the bottom, wipe it out with kitchen paper before the next batch.

    high heat

  6. Return all the beef and mushrooms to the pan, pour over the reduced marinade and toss over medium heat for until the meat is glossy.

    medium heat

  7. Cut the scallions into 5 cm lengths, shred them finely and soak in cold water for 5 minutes to tame their bite. Shake dry and toss lightly with the chili flakes, vinegar, sugar and sesame oil. Plate the bulgogi, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve the scallion salad alongside.

    Add in this stepScallions (spring onions) 2Korean chili flakes (gochugaru) ½ tspRice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar) 1 tspSugar (for the salad) ½ tspToasted sesame oil (for the salad) ½ tspToasted sesame seeds ½ tsp

Cook's tip

Too much meat in the pan drops the temperature, so the juices run out and the beef turns tough and boiled. If you have time, marinate overnight for even more tender meat, but the pear's enzymes are strong, so do not go past 24 hours. Dress the scallion salad just before serving so it stays crisp.

Cooking it at camp

Slice and marinate the beef at home and pack it in a zip-lock bag, with the reduced marinade in a small jar, in the cool box. Cooking on a bulgogi grill plate or grate over charcoal adds a real smoky flavour.