Korean-Style Grilled Pork (Daeji Bulgogi)

Yum! But first a disclaimer :)  ~ 

As far as I know, I don't possess a drop of Korean blood in my body and I am no expert on preparing Korean cuisine . . . but that doesn't stop me from enjoying it, and attempting to make it at home.  Particularly Korean BBQ (it's actually grilled, even though it is called BBQ.)

For this version I scouted around the internet and combined a few recipes that I came across.  It was a huge success at my house, and I was pleased with the outcome.

Gochujang

I discovered a key ingredient, a mystery to me prior to this time.  It's called gochujang; a fermented red pepper paste.  Vaguely sweet, with just a bit of a spicy "bite".  The paste comes in different levels of 'heat',  the one I chose is level 3 - medium hot. I don't like the feeling of my mouth on fire, and this intensity was perfect for me ~ 
 Mr. OUaP doesn't like much heat at all, he had nothing but compliments.  

You can find this at any well stocked Asian/Korean market ~ but I couldn't source any locally.  


However, amazon.com came through again!  Here's the one I ordered:

If you happen to like your dishes more spicy, I would recommend you use this one and simply add more red pepper flakes to increase the heat to your liking.  

And gochujang is not just for Korean food, you can stir a spoonful or two into regular American style BBQ sauce,  Pasta sauce, swirl a little on pizza, or anytime you want to add a bit of interesting heat to a dish.

Pork Tenderloin (cut into 1/8-inch slices)

I put the 1 pound pork tenderloin in the freezer for about an hour, after it firmed up, I sliced it into 1/8-inch slices. Then marinated it for 3 to 24 hours (you can marinate it for as little as 1 hour, but I recommend at least 3 if possible.)  

Tip: It's best to use natural pork (the kind without the water and salt solution added).  I always double check the label for ingredients ~ I really don't care for the kind with salt & water added as I like to control the sodium content myself.

In the marinade for 3 to 24 hours.

I actually marinated it in a resealable plastic freezer bag, this is what it looked like before I put it in the bag and refrigerated it.

The marinade consists of soy sauce, minced garlic a little brown sugar, mirin (or sherry), the gochujang, dark sesame oil, fresh ginger root, red pepper flakes (you can increase or decrease the amount of red pepper flakes to your taste ~ I used a very scant 1/2 teaspoonful, though many recipes call for 1 teaspoon or more.), a couple of green onions, minced, and an onion, thinly sliced.

The meat pieces are grilled over a charcoal (or gas) grill, for only a minute per side.  You can serve the Bulgogi with rice, or wrapped in a lettuce leaf with some kimchi (spicy fermented cabbage), and some quick pickled vegetables. 

I made the quick pickles with carrots, radishes, daikon radish, and a hot house (or English) cucumber, and a serrano chile for a little heat.  It only takes a few minutes to put these together, and they store well in the fridge for a few days  ~ a refreshing condiment to go along with the pork.

We liked this so much, it's coming up on the menu again this week. Yay, success!

If you would like a printable copy of the recipes for the pork marinade, and for the quick and easy veggie pickles, you'll find them on my recipe blog ~ here's the link.

Thanks for stopping by to visit!