Bul Kogi
Enjoy an easy and delicious Korean meat dish that the whole family will love.
- Prep Time10 min
- Cook Time7 min
- Total Time17 min
- Serves5-7 People
Ingredients
- 2 LBS Pork loin, shoulder or roast
- 3 TBS Sesame Oil
- 1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
- 1/2 Cup Sugar
- 2 Inches of Ginger
- 4 Green Onions
- 2 TBS Gochujang (Optional)
Method
Prepare the Meat
Slice the pork into the thinnest slices possible and put into a bowl. Set aside.
Prepare the Sauce
In a blender add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.
Pour the sauce over the prepared pork and stir together until all the meat is covered.
You can use immediately or place it in the fridge for up to 2 days.
When ready to use, heat up a frying pan on high heat and sear the meat on one side until golden brown. Flip over as best as you can and do the same until it’s cooked through. Since the meat is so thin it should only take a few minutes to cook.
Serve over rice and add your favorite side veggie. Try our family favorite here – Fast Bok Choy.
This meal has a small kick to it, but if it’s still too much you can add only 1 TBS of the gochujong or none. Delicious!
If you’re looking for something different to do to liven up that pork loin, roast, or pile of meat look no further! This is a family favorite, not just with my husband and kiddos, but with my entire extended family. It’s a Korean dish that my sisters taught me. Both of their husbands served LDS missions in Korea, and came back with the recipe where we have all died and gone to heaven eating it. Ever since then this dish has been served at family reunions, holiday celebrations, and big family get togethers. The best part is it only takes about 20 minutes to make and it’s so flavorful!
Ok, LEt's talk about GOchujang...Gesundheit!
Before we get into the creation of this dish, let’s talk about gochujang. If foreign ingredients freak you out…soaking chill already! If you’re wondering what the heck that means, it means to calm the heck down, it’s just an ingredient! It’s actually a very common ingredient and would be very easy to find in an asian grocery store. There are even some American stores that carry it.
All it is are fermented red peppers that are ground down into a paste. That’s not that scary right?! Gochujang gives the dish a bit of a spicy kick, but it’s not so overpowering that you’re miserable for the rest of the meal. It’s just the right amount of spice, and paired with rice it’s perfect. If you’re still not sold, then ditch the gochujang and carry on. It’s still delicious and worth your time.
It's cookin' time!
All right people let’s get onto the nitty gritty. First off, let’s talk about preparing the pork. You’re going to be “shaving” it into as thin of slices as you can manage. It’s easiest if the meat is still a little bit frozen, then you can carve super thin slices without wrestling with the pig. Think, Mongolian BBQ. I like to set my hunk of meat out onto the counter a few hours before using it, and this usually makes it about right. If you are smart, before you buy the meat, you can actually have the butcher cut it super thin for you. Just take it back to him, ask him to cut it as thin as it will go. He’ll say, “It’ll be falling apart.”, which you’ll then say, “Perfect!”. This will save you a ton of time as this is the most time consuming part. If not, then it’s time to muscle up and to ta crackin’.
In a blender or a food processor, blend the ginger, green onions, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and the optional but recommended gochujang until it turns into a sauce.
Add the sauce to the shaved meat and make sure to stir it until it’s well combined and covering all the different slices of meat. It can be used immediately or marinated for up to 2 days before. The longer you marinate the better. I usually remember to infuse it the same morning I cook it, giving it about 4 – 6 hours of marinating time. This has always been long enough for tasty food but even using it right away is great and will taste delicious.
Once you are ready to cook, heat up a large shallow pan, or wok. I like to use my cast iron skillet to give the meat a bit of caramelization. Mmmmmm….. You want the pan to be smoking hot. This gives the outside a nice crust and really brings out the flavor. Once the pan is hot put the meat in with all of the sauce. The great thing about this meat is that because it’s so thin it cooks super fast, like 3 minutes fast. When you place it in the pan let it sit and sear. It may be temping to quickly stir the meat but please refrain! As MC Hammer says, “Can’t touch this.” I try to cook it in one layer, flipping the meat over after a few minutes of caramelization, and then doing the same to the other side.
Once the meat is cooked, serve it up with rice and your favorite side veggies. Most Koreans eat this with kimchi, which is fermented cabbage . If that’s not your jam or if you want to try something a bit more substantial, we love this fast bok choy recipe that’s so freaking simple and yummy it will blow your mind!
