Bulgogi

I was SO excited to dive into a few Korean recipes I have been wanting to try.  The first, is Bulgogi.  It is Korean BBQ made with rib-eye steak (or sirloin).  The marinade has a million ingredients in it.  To the point where I made many extreme approximations when measuring.  I kept thinking it couldn't matter that much with so many ingredients.  However, all the ingredients are easily accessible and I love that.  But I am also kind of in love with going to the Asian market in town, so I don't mind having an excuse to go ever.

I marinated overnight.  The marinade was super cool looking because some sort of chemical reaction happens when you add in the Sprite.

The meat was very tender and had tons of flavor.  I really liked it.  The meat is difficult to grill, because it is sliced so thinly.  The recipe says to grill but when I watched the video (linked in recipe reference), Jen Lee said the meat should be cooked in a pan and boiled in the marinade.  I tried both ways and both taste great.

We ate this with some white rice, kimchi (bought at asian market), and some gochuchang paste (gochuchang, sugar, and sesame oil).

We also ate with some friends who made some yummy spring rolls.

Some people prefer their spring rolls as squares.

Some people prefer to put bratwurst in spring rolls.  That's fine.

Bulgogi

by Jen Lee via Food Network

1 pound rib-eye

Marinade:

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 Korean pear or Asian pear, grated with juices

2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

1/2 small white onion, grated or sliced

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon ground red pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 (20-ounce) bottle lemon-lime soda, optional (recommended: Sprite or 7-Up)

Place rib-eye in freezer for about 30 minutes so that it is easier to thinly slice. When partially frozen, remove from freezer and thinly slice. Set aside.

Whisk together all the marinade ingredients in a large baking dish. Add the thinly sliced beef and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight; it is best if marinated overnight.

Heat grill to high. Remove beef from marinade and grill for 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to compile Bibimbap.

(Servings: 4 servings, Prep time: 2 hrs-overnight, Cook time: 15 min., Difficulty: Easy)

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