Make Ahead

The Best Bulgogi You've Ever Tasted!!

by:
July 10, 2013
4
2 Ratings
  • Prep time 24 hours
  • Cook time 7 minutes
  • Makes 4 to 6
Author Notes

This recipe is the same marinade for my grandmother's famous Korean bbq. When I was young, I used to help her make all sorts of delicious Korean food, and this (and kalbi) is one of my favorites! Unlike other Korean bulgogi recipes, I've used grated Fuji apple, grated Asian pear, AND its juices, which all tenderize the meat. Korean bbq is always fun for family gatherings, or any time you want to have a barbecue! —Sarah D

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 3 pounds beef ribeye, sliced thin
  • 1 cup soy sauce
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 large Fuji apple (if you can't find a large one, use two medium sized Fuji apples)
  • 1 large Asian pear (if you can't find a large one, use two medium sized Asian pears)
  • 1/2 onion, roughly chopped
  • 6 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 3 green onions, chopped
  • 1.5 tablespoons ginger, minced
  • 1/4 cup sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Directions
  1. Pat dry the thin slices of ribeye using paper towels. Make sure all the blood is absorbed by the paper towels.
  2. For the marinade, start off by grating the Fuji apple and Asian pear in a large bowl so you can keep the juice.
  3. Thoroughly mix the soy sauce, sugar, onion, garlic, green onions, ginger, sesame seeds, and sesame oil in the same bowl as the grated apple and pear juice mixture.
  4. Add the slices of beef and mix everything well by hand, ensuring that all the beef slices are thoroughly coated with the marinade. Allow the beef to marinade for 24 hours. The longer you marinate the meat, the better it tastes! You could even have the meat for longer if you'd like.
  5. After the meat is done marinading, heat a pan to medium-high heat and cook beef until done. Grilling instructions - you can also grill the meat on a grill pan for about 3 to 5 minutes on medium-high heat. Take tongs and make sure meat is evenly cooked by flipping over once. Plating suggestions - you can place the bulgogi on a separate plate and serve, or place the bulgogi over a bowl of rice. The juices from the beef trickle down to the rice and is simply amazing when you take your first bite!
  6. If you wish to save the meat for later, place in plastic freezer bags after marinating for 24 hours, and freeze. When you wish to cook the meat, remove from freezer and have it defrost overnight in the refrigerator.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • creamtea
    creamtea
  • Audrey
    Audrey
  • Sarah D
    Sarah D

3 Reviews

creamtea October 6, 2018
This was delicious! Since I was making it for 2, I cut the marinade in half in order to use up the whole Asian pear (didn't add the apple, but I hope to next time). I used the food processor to speed up preparation. I cooked the steaks whole (because I like medium rare) and sliced before serving. It was super delicious (my husband snagged half of mine when I wasn't looking and hasn't stopped raving about how good it was--I obviously have to make this again).

I didn't have time to marinate overnight only about an hour or so--it was still great!
 
Audrey October 24, 2016
This was easy to make and the results were delicious! My husband and I are looking forward to the portion we froze.
 
Sarah D. October 25, 2016
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it!