Korean bulgogi sauce is a great marinade for grilled beef. It’s also absolutely awesome brushed on burgers, on chops or as a stir fry sauce. Or even just drizzled on rice.
Beef bulgogi is probably the most famous Korean meal. Before you say it – bibimbap is arguably the other. But bibimbap just means stuff on rice. Bulgogi counts as stuff so bulgogi on rice is bibimbap as far as I can tell.
Bulgogi sauce is easy to make
Best thing about this recipe is you can get all the at the grocery store. That’s unusual for this blog. I know. I am a pain. But for once that’s true.
There is really nothing to this recipe. Mix some soy, apple juice and sugar in a sauce pan. Heat until the sugar melts. Mix in some ginger, garlic, green onions and sesame oil. Literally that’s it.
Slice some beef, toss it with bulgogi sauce and grill. Or stir fry the beef and stir the sauce in at the end. Either way, it makes a great topping for bibimbap.
Use it in burgers too
Burgers is another place this bulgogi sauce shines. Bulgogi burgers – what could possibly be better than that. Mix 2/3 ground beef, 1/3 ground pork. Mix in a bit of gochujang for the ultimate umami bomb. Grill, brushing with bulgogi sauce. Toss that on a brioche bun with some gochu mayo and maybe some pickled onions.
Or how about a Korean cheesesteak. Move over Philly. Here comes Seoul. Stir fry your beef bulgogi with some sliced onions. Load it up on a hoagie. Top with some grated mozzarella and broil quickly. How good would that be?
Or maybe go in another direction. Bulgogi sauce with a little bit of gochujang. Add a bit of kick. Use sliced pork shoulder instead of beef. Korean spicy pork bulgogi. If that doesn’t exist it really should.
I’m drooling into my keyboard here…
Korean bulgogi sauce
Ingredients
simple bulgogi style sauce
- 3/4 cup soy sauce
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 5 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 inch piece of fresh ginger grated on a microplane
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 3/4 cup apple juice or pear juice
- 2 green onions finely chopped
Instructions
- Mix the soy, brown sugar and apple or pear juice in a small sauce pan. Warm over low heat until the sugar melts. Allow to cool and stir in the remaining ingredients.
Notes
Nutrition
Korean bulgogi sauce
Ingredients
simple bulgogi style sauce
- 3/4 cup soy sauce
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 5 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 inch piece of fresh ginger grated on a microplane
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 3/4 cup apple juice or pear juice
- 2 green onions finely chopped
Instructions
- Mix the soy, brown sugar and apple or pear juice in a small sauce pan. Warm over low heat until the sugar melts. Allow to cool and stir in the remaining ingredients.
Notes
Nutrition
Korean braised pork ribs will make you forget you have a grill. Meltingly tender. Slightly sweet gochujang sauce. Just pork rib goodness. With a Korean twist.
Korean braised pork ribs for when you need a fix
If you live in the North you know rib withdrawal. You’re at the grocery store. You see beautiful spare ribs on sale for pretty much free. Your grill is buried under 3 feet of snow. It’s freezing out.
It’s a conspiracy to make you crazy. Torture. Some grocery store exec is sitting sipping margaritas on a private island laughing. Just. Not. Fair.
I say screw that. You don’t need a grill to make ribs great. Pork ribs are about low and slow. Braising is about low and slow. See where I am going here? Korean braised pork ribs.
Braising makes for tasty Korean pork ribs
Ribs are a braising natural. I don’t understand why you don’t see more people doing it. Think about it. A little bit fatty? Check. Needs long, slow cooking to tenderize. Check. Meltingly tender when done right. Check. See where I’m going here?
And the best part is the sauce. I am violently opposed to boiling ribs. That’s crazy talk. Seriously crazy talk. All that pork goodness down the drain.
But here it gets concentrated in the sauce. Not down the drain. Every bit of flavour winds up in your mouth. Where it belongs.
Don’t be intimidated by a few Korean ingredients
You need some Korean ingredients to make these. You need to get to know these ingredients anyway so make the trip to your local Asian specialty shop.
Gochujang is a red chili paste. It’s not super spicy. But it is super tasty. Gochugaru is Korean red chili flake. Tasty. Not too spicy. It’s what they use to make kimchi.
Pretty sure gochugaru goes into gochujang. Has me thinking about putting some gochugaru in miso. Watch for that soon.
Korean braised pork ribs. Maybe they won’t make you forget you have a grill. But they will make waiting for snow to melt a whole lot more bearable.
