Bulgogi

Here’s a nice BBQ beef recipe based on many internet sources. It can be made from almost any cut of beef that can be sliced thinly. Made with commonly found ingredients anyone can make this. Normally threaded on sticks and quickly grilled over a very hot bed of coals, it can be enjoyed stir fried or as in my case cooked using this American kitchen gadget called a George Foreman grill. Served with rice and the ubiquitous Kimchi a fine Korean meal can be had.

Here’s the goods.

2 pounds of thinly sliced beef. Here is bottom round sliced for stir fry

1/3 cup soy sauce. Because soy sauces vary greatly in salt content, stick to Kikkoman

5 tablespoons cream sherry

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 small onion, minced fine

2 cloves garlic, mashed and chopped fine

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped fine

¼ teaspoon kiwi fruit, mashed fine (not shown)

2 ½ tablespoons sesame seeds

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon of cornstarch

To a large bowl add the soy sauce, sherry, sugars, onion, garlic, ginger and kiwi. Stir it well to dissolve sugars.

Add the beef and mix it well with your hands, making sure all the beef surfaces are coated with the marinade. Place this mixture in a gallon zip bag, squeeze out the air, seal it and put it in the fridge for 12 hours. Flip it and work it in the bag half way through the time in the refrigerator.

You might be wondering about the 1/4 teaspoon of kiwi fruit. It is a very potent source of an enzyme called -Bromelain- Actinidin. (Sorry) This enzyme will tenderize the beef while it is in the refrigerator.

After 12 hours make some plain rice, fire up the grill, or heat up the wok or warm up the GF Grill.

Go! Go! Gadget! At the Franklin homestead.

Remove the beef from the refrigerator and put it in a strainer to remove excess marinade if there is any. 

Put the beef in a bowl. To the bowl add the sesame seeds and sesame oil and mix it well.

Thread beef on skewers and grill quickly, or stir fry in a screaming hot wok for a just a few minutes or lay it out on the GF Grill and let it go for 4 minutes.

Meanwhile take the strained marinade and reduce by 1/3. To the dregs of the bowl you transferred the strained beef to, add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and mix it well. Then put this with the reduced marinade an boil gently for a few minutes to create a nice sauce. Add the drippings from the grill and mix those in too.

Plate the beef with some plain white rice, a little sauce and some Kimchi if you have it. I had no Kimchi so I used some nice pickles. I've made this exact recipe at least 6 times, on the GF grill, wok and hibatchi, and it always satisfies. Just be mindful of the saltiness of the soy sauce you use. Using some types you might make this too salty to eat if you use the quantities given in this recipe.

Enjoy!