Prep Ahead: Korean Beef Bulgogi

Weeknights are busy at my house. Some time between working, shuttling the kids to and from school, errands, dinner still needs to happen. The key to avoiding take out on the weekends is a certain amount of planning ahead. This caramelized beef dish marinates overnight and cooks in a flash for next day's dinner. Serve it with steaming hot white or brown rice, vegetables, and a fried egg for a full meal, or in lettuce cups for a low carb option. If you don't know what a bibimbap is, Google it. You're welcome!

The key to a great bulgogi dish is the thickness of your meat. Be sure to request your butcher at your grocery store to slice the meat extra thin. This allows for quick cooking time and tender meaty goodness. You can use top sirloin, tenderloin, or even flank steak. Meat with more marbling tend to work better for this recipe. Asian pear puree also acts as a meat tenderizer so be sure to not leave it out of the marinade, but if it's difficult to find where you are, pureed kiwi works well also. In a pinch, pureed onions is an acceptable substitute. The marinade recipe is for 2lbs of meat but can be halved or doubled as needed. I like to make 2 batches and freezing half of the uncooked, marinated meat for a different day.

To ensure your bulgogi ends up gorgeously caramelized, cook it in small batches. Crowding the meat will create steam and will result in watery bulgogi. Not so great, and believe me, I learned this the hard way. The marinade has sugar so it does have a tendency to burn so rinse or wipe your pan clean between batches, otherwise the later batches will have that bitter burnt aftertaste.

Ingredients

2 lbs top sirloin, sliced thin

1/2 large white onion, sliced thin

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar (white granulated sugar works too)

2 tbsp honey

1/4 cup mirin

2 tbsp toasted sesame oil and another 2 tbsp for frying

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 cup Asian pear puree (or kiwi puree)

3 scallions, sliced thin (reserve some for garnish)

Sesame seeds for garnish

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, mirin, sesame oil, garlic, pepper, pear puree, and scallions. Mix well.

Place meat and onions in a large Ziploc bag, pour marinade into bag, and make sure meat is well coated. Refrigerate overnight.

When ready to cook, heat up sesame oil over medium high heat. Cook the meat in batches until caramelized and well done. Wipe or clean pan in between batches to get rid of burnt bits.

Serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from: Kimchimari