Beef Bulgogi Kabobs

We absolutely love beef bulgogi but given it`s bbq season, we figured we might as well turn our traditional beef bulgogi into a handheld delight. Although, if you don`t have a grill available, there is an option to roast it in the oven and, if you don`t want to make it into a kabob, you can also go for the classic in this recipe. It`s an easy recipe regardless of how you make it.

For the Traditional Beef Bulgogi, slice the beef thinly instead of cubing it, and simply sear on a pan in high heat. Follow the recipe below to make the marinade and simply change the cooking to a high heat pan. You can serve this style with spiced rice, on a sushi/power bowl or even make a sandwich with it. The possibilities are endless.

Now for our main recipe with kabobs you will have to cut 1 Lb of steak into 1-inch cubes. Place them in a medium bowl.

To make the bulgogi sauce, cut a ½ Spanish onion into thin slices, chop 2 green onions, mince 2 garlic cloves and grate 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger, 1/3 cup of soy sauce (light preferred), 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, a ½ teaspoon of red chili flakes and a ½ teaspoon of black pepper, 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds and a ½ teaspoon of gochujang (Korean chili paste).

Pour the sauce over the cubed steak and massage it to make sure it is covering all of the steak. Place it in the fridge to marinate for at least one hour.

In the meantime, place 6-8 bamboo skewers in a large tray with cold water and soak them for 30 minutes or more, this should prevent the wood from burning on the grill or in the oven. If you decide to use metal skewers, you can skip this step, just remember the metal will be very hot.

Turn your grill on high to make it hot or pre-heat your oven to 400F.

Cut 1 sweet pepper and a ½ red onion into 1-inch squares (same size as the meat). Make sure to remove all seeds from peppers and any bad parts from the onion.

Skewer a cube of meat, pepper and red onion, repeat ‘till the end of the skewer. Do the same with the other skewers. There is no correct way to make them, if you like onions more than peppers, you can make one with more onions. In general, one of each all the way to the top is the classic. Reserve the remaining sauce/marinade.

If you`re making the kabobs in the oven, cover the exposed part of each skewer with a little bit of aluminum foil. Place the kabobs on the hot grill or oven with the skewers towards the outside of the grill and cook for 3-6 minutes a side (6 to 12 minutes total) depending on the temperature you like to eat your steak at. 3 minutes a side will give you more of a medium rare meat cube, while the whole 12 minutes should give you a well-done kabob. The vegetables will also cook more in that time.

Once the skewers are ready, cook the leftover sauce/marinade in a small pan on medium heat. As soon as the sauce starts to boil, turn it off and pour over the skewers or serve as a dip, this will make the bulgogi flavour much more apparent and delicious. Garnish with more green onions and sesame seeds.

Beef Bulgogi Kabobs

Servings: 6-8

Time: 20 minutes + marinating time

Ingredients

½ Spanish Onion, julienned

2+ Green Onions, more for serving

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

1/3 Cup Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp Sesame Oil

3 Tbsp Brown Sugar

½ tsp Red Chili Flakes

½ tsp Black Pepper

2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds

1 tsp Ginger, grated

½ tsp Gochujang (optional)

1 Sweet Pepper, Large Cubes

½ Red Onion, Large Cubes

1 Lb Steak, Large Cubes

Step-by-Step

1.       Mix sliced Spanish onion, chopped green onions, minced garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, chili flakes, black pepper, sesame seeds, ginger and gochujang to make the bulgogi sauce.

2.       Marinate 1 inch-cubes of meat in the sauce for at least 1 hour in the fridge.

3.       Soak 6-8 large bamboo skewers in cold water for at least 30 minutes, this will prevent the wood from burning when you grill it. If using metal ones, you can skip this step.

4.       Make Kabobs by placing a marinated beef cube, a red onion square and a sweet pepper square in the skewer, keep going until you`re satisfied with size of the skewer. Repeat until there is no more meat left and grill for about 3-6 minutes a side, until the meat is to your preferred doneness. You can also roast them at 400F for 10 minutes – or until your preferred doneness.

5.       Cook the remaining bulgogi marinade on a small pan on medium heat just until it boils. Turn it off and pour over the grilled kabobs before serving.