Best and Easiest Beef Bulgogi

by Asian Recipes At Home

This is the best and easiest Korean beef bulgogi recipe. It consists of thin slices of ribeye beef marinated in our own very special homemade marinade and then stir-fried to perfection. Bulgogi is a classic Korean dish and is a staple in many Korean households. 

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This is the best Korean beef bulgogi recipe. This bulgogi is made of thin slices of ribeye beef that is marinated in our own very special homemade marinade, and then stir-fried.

 

A brief history of Korean beef bulgogi

Pronounced “buul-GOH-ghee”, bulgogi is literally translated as “fire meat” in Korean (“bul” means “fire” and “gogi” means “meat”). According to the peer-reviewed Korean Journal, this dish’s origins date back to the Goguryeo dynasty (37 B.C. to 668 A.D.). It went through a few transitional periods, such as grilled beef that originated from neobiani, then to being boiled in a meat broth around the 1960s. Bulgogi was revived with full-force after the 1990s. It was then that bulgogi was adapted through various different cooking methods and collectively was regarded as the most popular food in Korea.

 

 

What makes this the best and easiest Korean beef bulgogi recipe

A lot of traditional recipes you may see tend to use Asian pear in their recipes. Today, we are sharing a super easy and more simplified bulgogi recipe with you. It can be hard to find Asian pears, especially when they are not in season. We use thinly sliced ribeye for this recipe due to its tenderness and fat content. However, sirloin and brisket are also popular cuts to use in bulgogi recipes. You should be able to find all of the ingredients needed for our Korean beef bulgogi recipe easily at the grocery store or Asian markets at any time of the year.

 

This is the best Korean beef bulgogi recipe. This bulgogi is made of thin slices of ribeye beef that is marinated in our own very special homemade marinade, and then stir-fried.

Thinly sliced beef

Thinly sliced beef is one of the most important components in making great bulgogi. It is possible for you to slice the meat thinly yourself at home too. If you decide to slice it yourself, many suggest freezing the beef for only about 20 minutes to make it easier to slice. You don’t want it completely frozen, you just want it frozen enough so that the knife can glide through a firmer, almost frozen piece of meat. However, it is even easier to have the grocery store, or butcher slice the meat for you. Many bigger grocery stores will happily slice it for you. We have asked Kroger’s meat counter to slice the ribeye paper-thin for us and most are happy to help. If you have a locally-owned Asian market or Korean supermarket nearby like an H Mart, they also usually have pre-sliced beef frozen and ready to go. 

 

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What to serve with this easy beef bulgogi

As you would probably expect, we recommend serving this delicious beef bulgogi with freshly steamed white rice. Traditionally, beef bulgogi is served accompanied by a variety of different side dishes (banchan). Try one, any or all of these great side dish (banchan) recipes that would go great with this beef bulgogi:

 

We hope you enjoy this best and easiest Korean beef bulgogi recipe! Please be sure to comment or tag us on Instagram or Facebook (@asianrecipesathome) if you make this recipe.

This is the best Korean beef bulgogi recipe. This bulgogi is made of thin slices of ribeye beef that is marinated in our own very special homemade marinade, and then stir-fried.

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Delicious Korean beef bulgogi recipe ready to eat.

Best and Easiest Beef Bulgogi

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Additional Time: 14 hours
Total Time: 14 hours 35 minutes

This is the best and easiest Korean beef bulgogi recipe. Thin slices of ribeye beef marinated in our own very homemade bulgogi marinade and then stir-fried to perfection.

Ingredients

  • 2lb Ribeye beef, sliced paper-thin
  • 1 Tbsp avocado oil
  • 1 medium/large-sized yellow onion (about 1 ½ cups), sliced about ¼” thickness
  • 1 medium-sized carrot (about 1 cup), cut like matchsticks
  • 2 green onions (about ½ cup), sliced on the diagonal
  • ½ Tbsp sesame seeds
  • 1 green onion (about ¼ cup), sliced on diagonal (optional, garnish)

For the marinade:

Instructions

  1. First, let’s prepare the beef. Rub the sugar into the beef and let it sit for about 2 hours in the fridge in a medium-sized bowl. 
  2. While the beef is marinating in just the sugar, let’s make the actual marinade. Mix together sesame oil, soy sauce, water, black pepper, salt, garlic cloves, and sesame seeds in a small bowl. Once mixed thoroughly, pour this mixture onto the beef and mix together well.  Let the beef marinate in the fridge for about 12 hours. The longer it marinates the better the flavor. 
  3. Place a cast-iron pan (or any frying pan) onto high heat and then add 1 Tbsp avocado oil to the pan.
  4. Stir-fry the beef for about 1 minute on the high heat. After a minute, turn the heat down to medium and continue stir-frying the beef to allow the liquid to evaporate/absorb into the beef.
  5. Once the liquid from the beef and marinade has evaporated about 80%, then add in the onions, carrot, and green onion. Stir-fry the beef and vegetables together until all of the liquid has evaporated. 
  6. Add the remaining sesame seeds and mix into the finished bulgogi. Top with freshly sliced green onions (optional), serve and enjoy!
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This is the best Korean beef bulgogi recipe. This bulgogi is made of thin slices of ribeye beef that is marinated in our own very special homemade marinade, and then stir-fried.


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14 comments

Mary May 12, 2022 - 10:08 pm

I have never made this before. I might have to try this out.

Reply
Asian Recipes At Home May 28, 2022 - 1:13 pm

We love making beef bulgogi and love eating it more. If you do try it, we hope you enjoy our bulgogi recipe!

Reply
Amber June 29, 2022 - 6:12 pm

Can olive or grapeseed oil be substituted or do you think the avocado oil is imperative to have?

Reply
Asian Recipes At Home June 30, 2022 - 10:38 am

Hi Amber! Any neutral-tasting oil will work. Out of the two you mentioned, we’d recommend grapeseed oil. Thanks for your question and hope you enjoy our recipe!

Reply
Gayle Hoffman August 26, 2022 - 7:21 am

Do you drain the meat before stir frying or add marinade and beef to the pan? Excited to make this as it’s one of my husband’s favorite meals at our Korean restaurant

Reply
Asian Recipes At Home September 2, 2022 - 4:17 pm

Hi Gayle! Apologies for the delay and thanks so much for your comment! If you’re having to cook the meat in batches, then split the marinade accordingly and add it to the pan with the beef. Make sure to cook it until the marinade/liquid is reduced by about 80%, then add in the onions, carrots, and green onions (step 5). We like it when the beef is slightly caramelized. Hope you and your husband enjoy this recipe!

Reply
Judit February 7, 2023 - 10:18 am

Can I use ground beef?

Reply
Asian Recipes At Home September 7, 2023 - 3:14 pm

Hi Judit! We are so late in responding to your question and we are sorry! We haven’t tried this recipe using ground beef, however, if you do try it, let us know how it turned out. We love it when our readers experiment with the recipe to fit their needs! Hope you enjoy our beef bulgogi recipe!

Reply
Rhonda Vercellino February 18, 2023 - 12:57 pm

I realize it’s been awhile since you posted this but I’m wondering if any other cut of meat can be used other than ribeye?

Reply
Asian Recipes At Home September 7, 2023 - 3:12 pm

Hi Rhonda! I apologize for the delayed response. We highly recommend ribeye for the best flavor, especially since ribeye has great marbling which contributes to the overall flavor. However, feel free to experiment and try any thinly sliced beef, and let us know what you think. The best results will still come from paper-thin slices of beef, so make sure it’s sliced as thin as possible.

Reply
Bunny Sewista March 14, 2023 - 9:47 am

Great recipe. I cut down to one Tbsp white sugar and one Tbsp brown sugar and it was great and just right sweetness. We had bulgogi at an authentic Korean restaurant the week before and my version was the same sweetness. I also shredded some Napa cabbage and added that. Will definitely make again.

Reply
Asian Recipes At Home September 7, 2023 - 3:03 pm

Hi Bunny! So glad you will make our easy beef bulgogi recipe again. Thanks for trying our recipe and sharing your experience!

Reply
Mimi February 7, 2024 - 8:41 am

This recipe was amazing everyone love it. I made it vegan with beyond steak and it turned out perfectly.

Reply
Asian Recipes At Home February 19, 2024 - 12:59 pm

We are thrilled you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for sharing that you made it vegan with Beyond steak! Love that you created it to fit your needs!

Reply

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