Easy Beef Bulgogi with Paper-Thin Ribeye and Caramelized Marinade
By Ethan Parker
Prep
15 min
Cook
20 min
Total
875 min
Servings
4
Level
Easy
Ribeye steak cut into thin slices works well for beef bulgogi because of its tenderness‚ thinly sliced steak is less likely to dry out when cooked․ Beef bulgogi is a Korean dish prepared with a soy and sesame oil marinade and sautéed onions‚ carrots‚ and green onions․ Most of the liquid should be cooked off before serving․
The beef is coated with white sugar and marinated with sesame oil‚ soy sauce‚ water‚ garlic‚ sesame seeds‚ pepper‚ and salt․ Coating and marinating the beef helps it absorb the marinade's flavors․ Yellow onion and carrot and green onion sticks cut on the diagonal are added at the end of cooking and only partially cooked with the beef to keep their texture․
Preheat a cast-iron pan or other pan and avocado oil․ Quickly stir-fry marinated beef on high in the pan․ Reduce the heat to medium․ A good indicator that your pan is preheated is if the marinade reduces by 80 percent or more before adding vegetables․ The two biggest reasons bulgogi may turn out soggy are not preheating the pan and adding too many ingredients to the pan at once‚ which produce steam instead of caramelization during cooking․
Serve cooked beef with steamed white rice and sesame and green onion toppings․ Other Korean dishes‚ such as kimchi‚ cucumber salad‚ spinach‚ and sautéed zucchini‚ may be served as complements to the meal․
Why you'll love this recipe
- Very thin ribeye is very tender and has enough fat to flavor the meat while cooking in a pan with the marinade․
- A pantry marinade including sesame oil‚ soy sauce‚ garlic‚ and sugar does not include Asian pear‚ an ingredient in some traditional recipes․
- Yellow onion‚ carrot‚ and green onion increase the volume to feed two pounds of beef for a bigger meal without changing the flavor of the beef․
- Two marination steps are used to season a ribeye with white sugar and then fully marinate it with a savory sesame mixture for an extended period of time․
- Cooking vegetables until they are mostly dry helps preserve their bright appearance and texture alongside browned strips of beef․
- Sesame seeds are included in the marinade and topping for a toasty flavor in small amounts․
Ingredients
- •2 lb ribeye beef (sliced paper-thin)
- •1 Tbsp avocado oil
- •1 yellow onion (medium/large-sized, about 1 1/2 cups, sliced about 1/4-inch thick)
- •1 carrot (medium-sized, about 1 cup, cut like matchsticks)
- •2 green onions (about 1/2 cup, sliced on the diagonal)
- •½ Tbsp sesame seeds
- •1 green onion (about 1/4 cup, sliced on the diagonal, optional garnish)
- •2 Tbsp sesame oil
- •½ Tbsp sesame seeds
- •6 Tbsp white sugar
- •1 tsp brown sugar
- •4 Tbsp soy sauce
- •½ tsp black pepper
- •¼ tsp salt
- •¼ cup water
- •6 cloves garlic (minced fine)
Instructions
- 1
Rub the sugar into the beef and let it sit in the refrigerator for about 2 hours in a medium-sized bowl.
- 2
Mix together the sesame oil, soy sauce, water, black pepper, salt, garlic cloves, and sesame seeds in a small bowl.
- 3
Pour the marinade onto the beef and mix well.
- 4
Let the beef marinate in the refrigerator for about 12 hours.
- 5
Place a cast-iron pan, or any frying pan, over high heat and add the avocado oil.
- 6
Stir-fry the beef over high heat for about 1 minute.
- 7
Turn the heat down to medium and continue stir-frying the beef to allow the liquid to evaporate or absorb into the beef.
- 8
When the liquid from the beef and marinade has evaporated about 80 percent, add the onion, carrot, and green onion.
- 9
Stir-fry the beef and vegetables until all of the liquid has evaporated.
- 10
Add the remaining sesame seeds and mix them into the finished bulgogi.
- 11
Top with freshly sliced green onion, if using, then serve.
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