recipe redux

Growing up, my parents would often entertain friends on the weekend, when my mom would practice her fancy cooking. My brother and I would benefit greatly from those parties–we’d wake up early the next morning and scamper downstairs to feast on the scrumptious gourmet leftovers: caviar canapés, beef wellington, and chocolate covered cream puffs for dessert. But during the week, with two working parents, dinnertime was mostly comprised of quickly prepared meals (hamburger helper was a frequent offering), punctuated by a few dishes that were my mom’s signatures. Bul Kogi was one of those family favorites. I’ve mentioned before that Asian food was extremely popular in my household and this beef main course was one of the few ways my mom could easily incorporate that cuisine into our cuisine. With just a little forethought, this recipe is extremely simple to prepare and perfect for barbecue season. Sweet and savory at the same time, I’ve rehabbed my mom’s version a little bit by serving it up a new way–in lettuce leaves with rice, alongside lots of toppings so everyone can build their own…kind of like a Korean taco. After all these years, I can’t believe that I’ve never tried to recreate this one, but I’m pretty sure this new version will quickly become one of our family favorites, too.

Bul Kogi

 
 
You don’t need a fancy cut of beef to make this dish because the marinade will tenderize any ole slab of meat. My mom always used a london broil cut, so that works for me, but a marbled sirloin, skirt steak or even boneless ribeye will marinate well, too. I don’t agree with many authentic recipes for Bul Kogi (also known as Bulgogi) which call for slicing the beef before marinating and grilling–I find using the whole cut of meat makes it easier to cook and control doneness. 


Begin by mixing together the marinade ingredients: low sodium soy sauce, raw sugar, sesame oil, mirin, toasted sesame seeds, pressed garlic cloves, and scallions–white and about 3 inches of the green part thinly sliced. 


Place the steak in a casserole and pour the marinade over the meat, making sure to coat it well, cover and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour and up to 8 hours in advance. 


Prepare the grill. We strongly prefer to grill with charcoal around here because of the wonderful smokiness and flavor it imparts, but you can also grill over gas or even on a grill pan on top of the stove. Remove the steak from the refrigerator to allow it to come to room temperature.


Place the beef over the fire to grill. We basted the meat with the leftover marinade as it cooked, but next time I’ll put that marinade to better use by bringing it to a boil and reducing it slightly to make a sauce that can be drizzled over the cooked slices of steak. Grill the meat for about 10 minutes on each side, depending on thickness, for rare to medium rare. Cook a few minutes longer on each side if you prefer your meat more well done.


Allow the grilled beef to rest for about 10 minutes, then thinly slice against the grain. 

Top with more of the toasted sesame seeds and serve with rice, butter lettuce leaves to use for wraps, and any variety of toppings you like; of course, homemade kimchi (Korean pickled vegetables) would be great, but we also enjoyed sliced avocado, carrot ribbons, sliced scallions, sesame seeds, and Sriracha chili sauce to add a kick. 

The meat, so tender and juicy from the marinade, has a lovely savory bite and pairs beautifully with the lettuce and toppings–brings back sweet memories!


Serves 4:

1 1/2 pound steak: london broil, sirloin, skirt or ribeye

Marinade:

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons raw or granulated sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon mirin
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
3 garlic cloves, pressed
3 scallions, sliced

Accompaniments:

butter lettuce leaves
steamed rice
sliced avocado
carrot ribbons (made using a peeler)
sliced scallions
toasted sesame seeds
Sriracha sauce

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