This Korean BBQ Beef Skewers is so simple to throw together and the flavor is out of this world delicious with the sweet tastes of Aisan pear and a little bit of spice.
It only has a few simple ingredients, and we get the most tender meat every time with this delicious sauce for the best dinner recipe.
This version of bulgogi beef is some of the most flavorful beef we have ever grilled for a great summer recipe without having to go to your local Asian grocery stores to get the delicious Korean pear sauce Korean beef is known for!
Enjoy this Korean beef bulgogi recipe when you want tender and juicy authentic Korean BBQ. It is so simple and so delicious with all the flavors of summer grilling.
Recipe Ingredients:
- Steak: For the best results, use sirloin steak that has been cut against the grain into thin slices of meat
- Vinegar: In the Asian aisle of the grocery store,e you can find rice vinegar for the best flavor (or a bottle of pear juice from the baby food aisle is perfect and cheap as a great alternative)
- Soy sauce: Using low-sodium soy sauce is the best for this homemade bulgogi marinade
- Sugar: Adding brown sugar to this easy bulgogi recipe is a great way to get the sweetness this dish is known for
- Seasoning: Combine minced garlic and sriracha chili sauce for the savory sauce
- Oil: Sesame oil is a stable for this Korean beef bulgogi
Recommended Equipment
How To Make Korean BBQ Beef Skewers:
Make Korean Sauce:
- Combine rice vinegar or pear juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, chili sauce, and sesame oil in a large bowl.
Marinate beef:
- Add sliced steak. Marinate at room temperature for 1 hour or up to 8 hours in the refrigerator.
Cook marinated meat:
- Preheat the grill. While the grill is heating, thread the steak pieces onto bamboo skewers.
- Cook over medium-high heat for about 3-4 minutes per side, being careful not to let the meat get too cooked.
- Serve immediately with sticky rice!
Expert Tips:
- Add some heat with red pepper flakes to the marinade recipe.
- Thinly sliced beef, marinate, and then sauté the meat to make a simple Korean beef bowl and top it with sesame seeds and green onions.
- Prep the small pieces of meat in the sauce up to 12 hours in advance for the best flavor. This is a great recipe to meal prep.
Frequently Asked Questions for Making Korean Beef:
Top sirloin steak, flank steak, and skirt steak would be great options for this beef recipe. You could also try using this with some short ribs for a delicious Korean ribs recipe.
For this recipe, we have never made it as a freezer meal, but you could easily turn it into one. We recommend adding the steak to a marinade in a freezer bag, then placing it right into the freezer.
The day before you plan to grill, remove it from the freezer and let it thaw and take in the flavor for 24 hours.
Skewer, then grill.
For this recipe, we used a little bit of brown sugar, just for the marinade. You won’t be able to tell much of a difference without it, but it does add the perfect sweetness.
If you are trying to make this recipe healthier, Coconut sugar could be a great alternative to the brown sugar or you could replace it with honey or pure maple syrup.
If you don’t have a grill, or want to make this recipe when it’s cold and a blizzard outside, no worries. You can easily cook it other ways. Here is what we recommend:
Broil: Broil the steak on low for about 2-3 minutes on each side. I usually do this on a cookie sheet.
Bake: Bake at 325℉ for about 10-15 minutes on each side, or until you reach desired doneness.
Sauté: I like to make mine in a grill pan, because I can see a little better, how well they are done. I don’t usually keep them on the skewers, instead, I take them off, and move the little pieces around the pan for about 7 minutes, flipping back and forth.
Storing Instructions:
Fridge: Put the leftover beef into an airtight container and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
More grilling recipes:
- Grilled Hawaiian Pineapple Pork Chops Recipe
- Spicy Honey Glazed Chicken
- Pineapple Teriyaki Grilled Chicken
- Grilled Teriyaki Burgers
Korean BBQ Beef Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds sirloin steak, cut against the grain into thin (about ¼") slices
- ½ cup rice vinegar, or pear juice (1) 4 oz. bottle of pear juice from the baby food aisle is perfect and cheap
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce, (regular soy sauce makes it taste vaguely like beef jerky)
- 2 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon sriracha chili sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Combine rice vinegar or pear juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, chili sauce, and sesame oil in a large bowl.
- Add sliced steak. Marinate at room temperature for 1 hour or up to 8 hours in the refrigerator.
- Preheat the grill. While the grill is heating, thread the steak pieces onto bamboo skewers.
- Cook over medium-high heat for about 3-4 minutes per side, being careful not to let the meat get too cooked.
- Serve immediately; serves 4-6.
Notes
- Broil: Broil the steak on low for about 2-3 minutes on each side. I usually do this on a cookie sheet.
- Bake: Bake at 325℉ degrees for about 10-15 minutes on each side, or until you reach desired doneness.
- Saute: I like to make mine in a pan, because I can see a little better, how well they are done. I don’t usually keep them on the skewers, instead, I take them off, and move the little pieces around the pan for about 7 minutes, flipping back and forth.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
Seriously… I cannot stop looking at all these amazing recipes!!! YUM!! 🙂
looks delicious. i wonder if i could saute the strips in a frying pan as i don’t use the grill very ofter?
I have tried this a time or two so yummy come see what I shared at http://shopannies.blogspot.com
Looks delicious. It is going on the menu for next week. Thanks for sharing!
Did you ever try adding peppers & onions to the skewers? Do you think that would change cooking time?
@Jess,
We’ve never tried it with peppers and onions but I think it would work fine! They might need to go just a few minutes longer for the vegetables to get cooked through.
Can’t wait to try this! Bought the steak and making it tonight 🙂
http://www.skinnysouthernfoods.com
This recipe sounds AMAZING!
http://awalkinmyflipflops.com
I think anytime I’ve clicked a pin lately 50% of the time it’s you ladies! I guess it’s time for me to become a regular reader here. Thanks for all the wonderful!
How hot is it? We don’t do a lot heat at our house.
How hot is it? We don’t do a lot heat at our house.
We are the same way in our house and didn’t think it was spicy. Good luck. You could even leave out the teaspoon of chili sauce in necessary. -The Six Sisters
I made this tonight after my husband requested that I try a new Asian-inspired dish. I had pinned it months ago. It was a HUGE hit! My husband spent a year in Korea with the Army and he said it tastes like true Korean food!
My husband could not stop talking about how delicious this tasted – I am making it the 2nd time in a week tonight! So so good.
How do you think it would work to skewer it and put it in baggies with the marinade and freeze? Then pull out day of to grill…..I am searching through your recipes to do freezer meals and LOVING THEM ALL!!!
Sounds like it would work. We haven’t tried that so not absolutely sure….but sounds like a great plan. Let us know how it goes! Have a fun and safe 4th of July!
We don’t have a grill. How else can I make this. Baked or broiled? How long do you think? Thanks
You could try baking or broiling. Might even work it a crock pot on low. We don’t have exact directions because we have only grilled it. Best of luck to you. Let us know how it works out. 🙂
Does the rice wine mean rice wine vinegar?
It isn’t rice wine vinegar. It’s just called rice wine. It’s often hard to find so the pear juice on the baby aisle works just as well.
We loved the marinade, and we cook this on the grill all the time. I would give this a 10.
I just made this for dinner tonight. I was nervous because I wasn’t sure if I used the right ingredient. I had rice vinegar, not rice wine so that was what I used. It was fantastic! Even hubby who normally say it’s ok, said it’s good!! Definitely a keeper! Thanks for the recipe!
The ingredients say rice wine vinegar. Which is it? I’d like to try this recipe.
It’s rice vinegar.