Korean BBQ

Korean BBQ is delicious. This is my variation of Korean BBQ, also known as bulgogi. Marinated in a Korean teriaki sauce, the beef comes out juicy and smoky with the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame, and onion flavors glazing the tender strips of beef. Typically, the cut of choice is the short rib, but for this recipe, I used "rib steaks." (Short ribs are hard to come by in Ireland).

Bulgogood!


Ingredients

STEP 1 - Prep the beef
I like to tenderize the rib steak before marinating. To do so, with the dull side of heavy blade (a Chinese meat cleaver works nicely), pound the meat across the grain until the meat expands and becomes loose. Do both sides 3 or 4 times.

Lemon and ginger



STEP 2 - Marinade
With my marinade, I'm going for a modified home-made terriyaki sauce. You want enough maridade to coat each side of the beef pieces, but they shouldn't swim in the marinade. Toss soy sauce with several slices of ginger, stalks of green onion, and cloves of garlic into a mixing bowl. Add a pinch of brown sugar to taste and the juice from half a lemon. A touch of sesame oil and some kimchi juice should finish it off nicely. Taste it and add more of each ingredient as you wish. Add beef to the mixture and marinate for 2-3 hours.

The coals look ready


STEP 3 - Fire up the grill
Fire up the grill. Once coals are very, very hot, begin searing the meat. Remember these pieces are thin, so don't overdo it. You want to find a balance between retaining the juiciness of the meat while creating a slight carmelization effect in order to bring out all of the full flavor of the sauce.

Flip once or twice. A bit charred is okay.


STEP 4 - Serving
I like to serve with some good sticky Korean white rice and pickled dishes. Kimchi and various pickled side dishes can be bought at any Asian store. Enjoy!

Delicious!