Korean Pork Bulgogi

Korean Pork Bulgogi is thinly sliced, marinated pork, which has been pan-seared to perfection.  Tender, moist, spicy, and full of flavour.  Pork never tasted this good! Load up on both dried chili flakes and whole dried chilies if you can handle the heat!

Many, many moons ago, I posted a recipe to my blog for a vegetarian version of this dish using textured vegetable protein. Bulgogi commonly used beef, so I mimicked that. Korean Vegetarian Beef was been one of the most popular recipes.

It was so good, in fact, that I wanted to mimic the flavours in a pork dish as well.  Although similar in flavour, this pork version is much spicier.  My two vegetarians weren’t going to partake in the feast of the pork bulgogi, obviously, so I knew I could up the spice level to suit my particular tastes.  I can handle a little more spice than both John.e and McKenna.

WHAT IS BULGOGI?

For those of you who don’t know, bulgogi is made from thin slices of beef or pork.  Before cooking, the meat is marinated to enhance its flavour and tenderness with a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, etc.  It’s a great dish to serve with steamed rice or noodles!

Bulgogi is traditionally grilled, but pan frying or searing has become popular as well.  And, that’s exactly the cooking method I used for this particular dish.  

MARINATING IS KEY!

I don’t often marinate meats, but this dish really needs it.  In fact, if you can leave the pork in the marinade for up to eight hours, please do so.  The longer the pork sits, the more tender the meat will remain during the frying process. This is essential if you’re using a lean cut of pork such as a pork loin.

I used pork butt. To be completely honest, I’m rather fond of pork that has marbling – much like steak.  I don’t care much for leaner cuts of meat, such as a pork loin or a chicken breast.  In my humble opinion, fat is always better!

ADAPT TO SUIT YOUR PREFERENCES

This recipe is certainly adaptable to almost any taste.  For example, you could use beef instead of pork.  You could lower the amount of heat by omitting the whole dried chilies and the dried red chili flakes as well.  

Maybe omit would be a mistake; after all, this is a bulgogi recipe and the heat factor is completely necessary!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Pork – Cut the pork into very thin slices across the grain. This will ensure the pork is tender once cooked.
• Garlic – Fresh minced garlic is always best.
• Soy Sauce – Use low-sodium soy sauce to prevent the pork from becoming too salty.
• Chili Flakes – Bulgogi isn’t bulgogi without spice and heat!
• Ginger – Use fresh ginger. Peel it and grate it using a box grater. This is certainly very easy to do if you use frozen ginger!
• Brown Sugar
• Sesame Oil
• Vegetable Oil – You can use any light-tasting cooking oil here.
• Green Onions – Add green onion while cooking to infuse flavour, but save some green onions for garnish as well.
• Chilies – We’ve already used chili flakes, but I like to add whole dried red chilies too. This is optional.
• Sesame Seeds – For garnish and flavour.

HOW TO MAKE KOREAN PORK BULGOGI

First, prepare the pork. Next, in a large bowl, whisk together the garlic, soy sauce, dried red chili flakes, ginger, brown sugar, sesame oil and vegetable oil. Add the sliced pork to the bowl and toss well to combine, being sure to coat all of the pork with the marinade. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes. Easy so far, right?

Once ready, use a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear each slice of pork on both sides until slightly charred. Remove from skillet and transfer to a platter. Continue to fry pork in batches until done. Using a clean skillet, over medium heat, add the already seared pork, green onions, sesame seeds, and whole dried chilies. Toss to combine.

Cook for five minutes until green onions are wilted and chilies have partially rehydrated. Plate and garnish with freshly sliced green onions and sesame seeds. Now, dig in!

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

If you’re much like me, you can be easily satisfied with just a big bowl of Korean Pulgogi Bulgogi all on its own! But, I’m so used to preparing recipes for Lord Byron’s Kitchen and just eating them standing over the kitchen sink once the photographs are taken! If, however, I were serving this as a meal, I would want to serve it with a few sides.

I’d certainly want the pork to be the star of the meal, so I would serve it with something rather plain. Plain!? I can’t think of another word! What I mean is something with a subtle flavour – like steamed rice! That’s a great option with this dish. Veggies will certainly help to cool the tongue if the pork is too hot for you. Pickled Radish is the perfect accompaniment! Koreans love pickled radish.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down to follow me and never miss another recipe!