Bulgogi - Korean marinated meat

[Badger Matt]

I had a pretty good deal with one of my NCO's a little over a decade ago when we were stationed at Charleston AFB; I killed hogs and he cooked 'em up for the both of us. Eventually I PCS'd and he consented to share the recipe. This sauce/marinade will take care of several pounds of meat (I've used beef, wild boar, deer, moose, and all worked just fine) and you can adjust ingredients as your taste demands...

1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sesame oil
1 cup sugar
1 bunch sliced green onions
3 cloves of minced garlic (I use more)
1/4 sesame seeds (I prefer roasted)
Crushed red pepper to suit you

Marinate thinly sliced meat for several hours. Grill meat, then dip back in marinade and reheat on the grill or in a pan. Heat marinade in a pot to use as sauce.

Lay meat over rice and cover with sauce. A little kimchee on the side is great and beer certainly doesn't hurt.

[richhodg66]

I enjoy Bulgogi and will try this.

I think I'm the only guy who finished a career in the Army and never PCS'd to Korea. I had been in 23 years before I ever set foot on the penninsula and then it was TDY, loved the place. We have a few very nice family run Korean restaraunts around here and I like the food.

[w5pv]

In the early 60's we were discouraged from eating any where except on the compound.I would like to see the country now.

[Dale in Louisiana]

In the early 60's we were discouraged from eating any where except on the compound.I would like to see the country now.
I was there 1969-70, and despite the warning "don't eat in the vil" I had several forays with my KATUSA loader, ate some great food, had some interesting conversations (with SGT Lee interpreting) because Koreans didn't know Cajuns and our propensity to a) eat ANYTHING and b) eat it HOT.

Nothing cuts through a chill on the banks of the Injim River like swapping a box of C-rations for a pot of steaming hot ramen from the local and enterprising mama-san.

dale in Louisiana
(1/72d Armor, 2nd ID, 1969-70, Camp rose, Korea)

[Changeling]

Dale I've heard a lot of stories like that, and really liking Korean food. I am going to try it as soon as I can find a good Korean restaurant in Frederick Maryland.

Mean while I will look up some recipes and try what Badger Matt posted.


HOWEVER, There is no way in Hell I plan on eating any kimshee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:holysheep

[oscarflytyer]

Friend of mine's Korean wife taught me to make homemade kimchee. Love it. And I like stuff HOT too! Lots hotter than any of my family will eat. So I have to add extra after the fact.

Now I have a Bulgogi recipe! Thanx! And the wife loves Bulgogi too!

[gbrown]

Thanks for the recipe. I am like everyone else on the thread--love Korean food. Ate a ton of it in Killeen. Not at the big places, but the little mom and pop spots. Love kimchee and have a recipe for it, also. I think my favorite dish was Hoedeopbap, which is a layer of steamed rice covered with vegetables and raw fish. It's served with a spicy sauce which is poured over it and mixed by the diner. I gotta clean the drool off the keyboard now, dang it.

[Badger Matt]

Hope you enjoy the recipe guys. For those who haven't been all that impressed with kimchee in the past, try and find a small Korean restaurant and try something other than the typical cabbage kimchee. I like cucumber and whatever else they make.

If you make any mods to the recipe, please share them. I love Korean food and would love a little variety.

[gbrown]

The little mom and pop places I was talking about always had interesting kimchee. A couple of them I recognized, like daikon, carrot, cucumber and turnip. A couple of others I have no idea--one looked like twigs! It was all good, though.

[William Yanda]

What? no mokli?
In 1971 I was stationed at Yong San Garrison, Hqs Co, EUSA. One of the guys in the barracks went on a picnic with some Korean acquaintances. When he returned we asked him what he had eaten. He told us that they called it cow. Another GI who was studying Korean said: "You dummy-that's the word for dog!"
He instantly barfed.
Oh the good old days......
Frozen Chosun-the Army's best kept secret

[gbrown]

What? no mokli?
In 1971 I was stationed at Yong San Garrison, Hqs Co, EUSA. One of the guys in the barracks went on a picnic with some Korean acquaintances. When he returned we asked him what he had eaten. He told us that they called it cow. Another GI who was studying Korean said: "You dummy-that's the word for dog!"
He instantly barfed.
Oh the good old days......
Frozen Chosun-the Army's best kept secret

DOG--Native American MRE. You gotta do what you gotta do.

[Lance Boyle]

Mmmm, I'll have to try your bulgogi recipe. I usually buy the jarred sauce which is ok but not as good as the restaurants.

I love kimchee, the trick to a good one is have a good dash of nuc maam fish sauce in it for the rich edgy bite to it. I love all the other ones especially the dichon radish ones and the soy and sesame bean sprouts.


ETA- cabbage will keep your innards in good working order too. [smilie=1:

[Mallard57]

The little mom and pop places I was talking about always had interesting kimchee. A couple of them I recognized, like daikon, carrot, cucumber and turnip. A couple of others I have no idea--one looked like twigs! It was all good, though.
I was at Kunsan, I liked the cabbage kimchee but I can't say that about the twig looking stuff.
Jeff

[bhn22]

Okay, my favorite kimchee story. A friend of mine and I worked for two different branches of the same large company. Ol' Walt got stuck at the corporate headquarters, and I was one of the lesser branch managers. For Walt, this meant work, work, work. He'd go get lunch and eat it at his desk while working. He had to do this every day. One day, he ran out real quick and got a burger, fries and a Coke and drug it back to his desk to consume. Later in the day, he called me to say that the receptionist complained bitterly because she could smell the onions on his burger, that they were making he sick, and she may have to go home early (poor baby). I made the remark that she was lucky there wasn't a good Korean Restaurant nearby. THAT would really get her.

Now Walt was/is a mischievous sort of guy, and the next morning he went through the phone book, searching for the nearest Korean restaurant. You guessed it, when he dragged his lunch to his desk, it was kimchee, and jum bong soup (ugh). The smell permeated the building, and when people came in to see what died in his office, and maybe take pictures, the found Walt peacefully enjoying his lunch. The receptionist did go home that day, primarily because Walt made a big deal of eating a baby octopus tentacle in front of her, and asked her politely if she wanted to try some. Nobody ever messed with Walt over food again.

[Dale in Louisiana]

Reminds me of the time we did a maintenance halt outside a small village in Korea. I dispatched my loader, a KATUSA (Korean) named Lee with a pocketful of won to get us something to snack on.

We picked the convoy with me perched in the commander's hatch peeling and chewing strips of dried cuttlefish. Not bad at all.

dale in Louisiana

[Badger Matt]

...a KATUSA (Korean) named Lee with a pocketful of won to get us something to snack on.

We picked the convoy with me perched in the commander's hatch peeling and chewing strips of dried cuttlefish...

Worked in a shop where if you went TDY and didn't lock your desk, you might end up with a road killed squirrel in it when you returned. Our captain returned to a slowly growing odor and tore apart his office...finally finding a little bit of dried cuttlefish in a cup of water behind books in his bookcase[smilie=1:

[w5pv]

Reminds me of the time we did a maintenance halt outside a small village in Korea. I dispatched my loader, a KATUSA (Korean) named Lee with a pocketful of won to get us something to snack on.

We picked the convoy with me perched in the commander's hatch peeling and chewing strips of dried cuttlefish. Not bad at all.

dale in Louisiana
I was a jeep driver at Div Arty and would get $5.00 (script) worth of one won notes on payday, to give the children.They could buy candy and such with it and would look for the jeep and gather around for the freebies.They enjoyed it and I loved doing it for them.Probably one of the brighter spots in their little lives.This was in the early 60's.

[Shiloh]

Just talked to the butcher. He'll sell me flank steak or sirloin, (My Choice) and slice it as thin as he can for me. Gonna try this bulgogi thing this weekend. Probably with Udon noodles and other veggies. Looks great. Been reading up Bulgogi and it is VERY popular and tasty.

Shiloh

[jaysouth]

I thought it was OK the first time I ate it, but all the koreans were snickering behing their hands. I think it was buldogoi instead of bulgogi.

[wlc]

I've got a similar recipe. I love it. Mine replaces the sugar with a Coca-Cola (not a pepsi, gotta be the real thing) and adds pineapple and minced white onion in addition to the green onion. The rest is close. Nuthin better!! I'll have to try yours.

[Badger Matt]

I've got a similar recipe. I love it. Mine replaces the sugar with a Coca-Cola (not a pepsi, gotta be the real thing) and adds pineapple and minced white onion in addition to the green onion. The rest is close. Nuthin better!! I'll have to try yours. That sounds really good. I've got some wild boar backstrap in the freezer and will try your recipe.

[smokeywolf]

We mix up the Korean marinade with about:
1 cup lite soy sauce
1 to 2 tbs sesame oil
1 short tbs brown sugar
6+ cloves garlic

We usually double this recipe.

Cut tri-tip or some other well marbled beef into thin 1" wide, 2 to 4" long strips. Marinate 1 to 2 hrs.
Grill over Mesquite, Hickory or real lump charcoal at high heat to desired doneness.

Wrap 2 or 3 pieces of beef, spoonful of white sticky short-grained rice and a dollop of Korean hot pepper paste "Gochujang" in a leaf of Butter Lettuce and stuff it in your face.
A COLD mug of your favorite beer will enhance this experience.

This is almost too good for mere mortals and is absolutely verboten for those who voted for the worthless bass-turd in the White House.

smokeywolf

[bhn22]

I need to try your version smokeywolf. I'd like to try a version that's not quite as sweet as the OPs.

[RNT]

Fire grilled Hebrew National hot dog on a toasted bun with KimChi and mayo. Mmmmm...mmmm...mmmm

[Dean D.]

Kunsan AB, '78-'79. My Bulgogi recipe came from one of my friends Yobo's. My recipe calls for lots of onions and garlic along with the beef.

[w0fms]

Funny.. I didn't see this thread earlier. It just appeared after I posted the Spam and American cheese Kimbap for my favorite Spam recipe in another thread! ;)

I will second the Bulgogi recipes posted as being substantially correct. I will add a little Soju usually (yes the alcohol cooks off) usaully too, but that's exactly the recipe.

Occasionally I'll use Asian/Korean pear in the mix or use a very ripe Kiwifruit.. this is a very good idea if you have tough meat.
Cut red meat across the grain (opposite of how us Americans typically do it) with kitchen scissors and marinate for at least 4 hours, but overnight is better.

For pork and chicken, a Dwaji-bulgogi sauce is better. It's a Kochujang (Korean hot pepper paste) based sauce.

The pepper paste, rice, leaf lettuce (or sesame leaf if you can find it), clove of garlic, kimchi and the whole spread is the best way to eat it. Wrap it in the leaf and goodies and pop it into your mouth. Cooking the strips of meat (sized for chopsticks) at the table as you are eating is the best way, too.

My four kids (aged 9-13) are all adopted from South Korea and I managed to make it over twice. I highly recommend http://www.maangchi.com (Emily Kim) for technique and recipes.. most of them are spot on correct.