The result? Beef that’s caramelized at the edges, juicy in every bite, and bursting with complex flavor. Served over rice and topped with fresh green onions, it’s the perfect combination of elegance and comfort food, ready in minutes after marinating.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE — Korean Barbecue Beef Bulgogi
- Blending the marinade into one smooth base: Pureeing the Asian pear, onion, garlic, and sugar together coats every slice of beef evenly, instead of leaving chunky pieces of aromatics that only touch the meat they happen to land on.
- Using Asian pear instead of just sugar for sweetness: The pear's natural enzymes tenderize the beef as it marinates, doing double duty that a straight sugar or honey marinade can't match.
- Slicing the ribeye thin before marinating: Thin slices soak up the marinade fully in just 4-8 hours and cook through in minutes on the griddle, staying tender at well-done instead of turning tough the way a thick-cut steak would if cooked all the way through.
- Spreading the beef in a single layer on the griddle: Giving every piece direct contact with the hot surface lets the edges actually sear and caramelize, instead of trapping steam in a pile and leaving the beef gray and boiled-tasting.
Korean Barbecue Beef Bulgogi
Tom Jackson
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Entree
Cuisine
Korean
Servings
12
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
4 minutes
Calories
526
Beef that’s caramelized at the edges, juicy in every bite, and bursting with complex flavor. Served over rice and topped with fresh green onions, it’s the perfect combination of elegance and comfort food, ready in minutes after marinating.
Ingredients
-
3 lb Creekstone Farms Natural Prime Boneless Ribeye Steaks, thin sliced
- Rice, for serving
- 6 green onions, sliced, whites and greens separated
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
-
1/2 cup Noble Saltworks Smoked Turbinado Sugar
- 1/4 cup mirin
-
1 tsp Jacobsen Salt Co. Tellicherry Black Peppercorns, fresh ground
- 2 cups Asian pear (or Bosc pear), diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
-
1 tbsp Heat Maverick’s Where Did the Mango Hot Sauce
For the marinade:
Directions
- Combine all marinade ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Place the thin sliced ribeye in a small Briner Bucket or other marinating container. Pour the marinade over the beef. Toss to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator 4-8 hours.
Preheat your Fusion Stainless Steel Teppanyaki Griddle, high heat.
Remove the beef from the marinade directly transfer to the griddle. Spread evenly in a single layer to form the best crust. Add the white parts of the green onions, and half of the green parts. Toss occasionally until browned around the edges and cooked through. There is no finishing temperature. The meat will quickly cook through and be “well done”, but the marinade and thin slicing will yield very tender beef.
- Serve the Bulgogi over rice, topped with sliced green parts of the green onions.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why blend the marinade instead of just mixing it by hand?
Blending breaks down the Asian pear, onion, and garlic completely, turning them into a smooth base that coats every slice of beef evenly, instead of leaving chunky pieces that only touch the meat they happen to land on.
Why use Asian pear in the marinade instead of just sugar for sweetness?
Asian pear brings natural enzymes along with its sweetness, which help tenderize the beef as it marinates — something a straight sugar or honey marinade can't do on its own.
Why slice the ribeye thin before marinating instead of cooking it as a whole steak?
Thin slices soak up the marinade fully in just 4-8 hours and cook through in minutes on the griddle, so the beef ends up tender at well-done instead of tough the way a thick-cut steak would if fully cooked through.
Why spread the beef in a single layer on the griddle instead of piling it on?
A single layer gives every piece direct contact with the hot surface, so the edges actually sear and caramelize. Piling the beef up traps steam and moisture instead, leaving it gray and boiled-tasting rather than browned.
Why add only the white parts of the green onions during cooking and save the greens for garnish?
The whites hold up to heat and take on a mild savory sweetness as they cook alongside the beef, while the greens stay raw and are added at the end for a fresh, sharp bite — cooking them all together would wilt away that contrast.
What internal temperature should the bulgogi actually reach?
This recipe doesn't call out one, since thin-sliced beef cooks through almost immediately over high heat and ends up well-done by design. That's expected and safe here — there's no rare or medium option with slices this thin.
Can I marinate the beef longer than 8 hours for more flavor?
It's not recommended — the Asian pear's enzymes that tenderize the meat can start breaking down its texture too much past 8 hours, leaving the beef mushy instead of tender.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
3 out of 5 — a large cast iron skillet or flat-top on the stovetop can handle the high-heat searing just fine; the Teppanyaki griddle mainly adds convenience for cooking a large batch at once.
Recipe Highlights
Blended marinade: Smooths the pear, onion, and garlic into one base that coats every slice evenly.
Asian pear as tenderizer: Its natural enzymes soften the beef as it marinates, not just sweeten it.
Thin slicing: Lets the beef stay tender even though it cooks all the way through to well-done.
Single-layer searing: Builds real caramelized edges instead of steaming the meat in a pile.
Split green onions: Whites cook into the dish for sweetness; raw greens add a sharp finish on top.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 8.73 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 526
- Carbs
- 58 grams
- Protein
- 22 grams
- Fat
- 21 grams
- Sodium
- 321 milligrams
