The difference between Bulgogi vs Kalbi vs Korean BBQ

Both Bulgogi and Kalbi are popular Korean BBQ dishes . Korean BBQ is often described as cooking marinated meat over a hot grill . You can experience cooking your own meat at a table in many Korean BBQ restaurants. Beef bulgogi is thinly sliced beef in soy sauce-based marinade. And Kalbi has a similar marinade but uses short ribs. In fact, kalbi 갈비 means rib in Korean.

Which cut of beef is used for bulgogi?

Thinly sliced ribeye is used in bulgogi. But you can use flank steak, sirloin steak, and/or New York strip steak to make bulgogi. Make sure to slice the meat thinly and adjust the marination time to make the meat more tender and juicy.

Do you have to use Korean/Asian pear?

The answer is NO. You can use apple, pineapple, kiwi, Korean plum syrup (매실청), mirin, and cola in place of pear.

How long to marinate the meat?

The marination time depends on the cuts and thickness of the meat you are using. If you are using thinly sliced ribeye, you can get away with quick marination (any time between 30 minutes to an hour). However, if you are using thicker cuts of flank steak or sirloin steak, I recommend marinating your meat overnight in the fridge.

There are many different types of bulgogi. The beef bulgogi is usually soy sauce-based marinade so they are NOT spicy. But bulgogi with gochujang (Korean pepper paste) based marinade that's used for making pork bulgogi or chicken bulgogi can be spicy.

Korean Beef Bulgogi (without pear)

Name: Korean Beef Bulgogi (without pear)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 1 pound sliced beef (ribeye, sirloin, flank, or New York strip steak, thinly sliced against its grain), cut into large bite-size (about 2 to 3-inch pieces); 2 tablespoons unsweetened plain applesauce; 4 tablespoons soy sauce; 2 to 3 tablespoons brown sugar, depending on how sweet you like the meat to be; 1 tablespoon minced garlic; 2 green onions, thinly sliced/minced; 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 1/8 large onion, sliced; 1 small carrot, thinly sliced; 2 green onions, sliced at a biased angle; Cooked rice and other side dishes, for serving

Korean Beef Bulgogi (without pear)

Over-head shot of Korean BBQ beef bulgogi, lettuce, steamed egg, rice, cucumber kimchi, and vegetables.

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Korean Beef bulgogi (Korean BBQ beef) is easy to make. Enjoy this sweet soy-marinated beef dish with everyday ingredients at home!

Author: George
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x
Category: Main
Method: Pan frying
Cuisine: Korean

Ingredients

Scale

1 pound sliced beef (ribeye, sirloin, flank, or New York strip steak, thinly sliced against its grain), cut into large bite-size (about 2 to 3-inch pieces)
2 tablespoons unsweetened plain applesauce
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 to 3 tablespoons brown sugar, depending on how sweet you like the meat to be
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 green onions, thinly sliced/minced
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 large onion, sliced
1 small carrot, thinly sliced
2 green onions, sliced at a biased angle
Cooked rice and other side dishes, for serving

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Instructions

Cut your meat to be large bite-size pieces, about 2 to 3- inch pieces. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together applesauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, minced green onions, sesame oil, and black pepper.
Add the sliced beef. Mix well until all the meat is coated with the marinade. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes up to 24 hours.
Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add a little bit of oil. Add the marinated beef. Cook until most beef is cooked.
Add the sliced onion, carrot, and green onion. Cook until the vegetables are heated through.
Serve with cooked rice and other side dishes of your choice.

Notes

I recommend buying the sliced meat but if you were to slice them yourself, place the meat in the freezer for 20 minutes before slicing. Slice the meat against the grain.
Adjust the marination time depending on the cuts of meat and the thickness of the meat. Very thin sliced ribeye won't need to be marinated long but if you sliced sirloin yourself, marinate the meat overnight to tenderize the meat.
If you like your bulgogi to be saucy, cook all the meat at once in a pan. But if you like more caramelization on the meat, cook the meat in batches and omit to add the vegetables. You can also cook this on a grill. Cooking them for 2 minutes per side is more than enough time. Since they are sliced meat, I recommend using a grilled basket to cook the meat on the grill.
The Prep Time does NOT include marination time since it can vary depending on the cuts of meat and the thickness of the meat.

Find it online: https://www.myeclecticbites.com/korean-beef-bulgogi/