Spicy Korean pork bulgogi marinated in a gochujang based sauce with lots of fresh garlic and ginger! A perfect dish for spicy food lovers!
Spicy pork bulgogi (called jeyuk bokkeum or dweji bulgogi) is another highly popular Korean BBQ dish. Jeyuk means pork, and bokkeum means stir-fry. It’s my son’s absolute favorite! He loves fatty pork and spicy food, which makes this dish perfect for him.
Unlike its beef counterpart, which is traditionally marinated in a soy sauce based sauce, pork is typically marinated in a spicy chili pepper paste (gochujang, 고추장) based sauce with lots of fresh garlic and ginger. For an authentic Korean dish, there is simply no substitute for gochujang. The recipe also uses gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes). You can omit it if you like it less spicy or add more to make it spicier.
I also use grated apple to add an acidic sweet flavor to the marinade. The apple works really well with the pork.
Although any cut of pork can be used for this dish, pork shoulder or loin with some fat works best. I sometimes add sliced pork belly to intensify the pork flavor. You can normally find pre-sliced pork at Korean markets. If cutting the meat at home, partially freeze it for about an hour before slicing.
The marinated pork can be either grilled over open fire or pan-fried.
Serve with red or green leaf lettuce in which to wrap the meat, along with ssamjang (쌈장) or simply gochujang. Perilla leaves (kkaennip, 깻잎) and crown daisy (ssukgat, 쑥갓) are great vegetables to add to your wraps, if available.
- 2 pounds thinly sliced pork shoulder see bulgogi recipe for slicing tips
- 1 small onion thinly sliced
- 3 scallions cut into 2-inch pieces
- 6 tablespoons gochujang Korean chili pepper paste
- 1 tablespoon gochugaru Korean chili pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons rice wine or mirin
- 2 tablespoons sugar or brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup or honey
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1/2 small apple grated about 4 tablespoons
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Thinly slice the meat, if not pre-sliced.
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Mix all marinade ingredients well. Combine the meat, onion, and scallions with the marinade and mix well.
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Marinate for about an hour.
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Grill over charcoal or pan fry in a skillet over medium high heat until slightly caramelized. (Preheat and lightly oil with sesame oil before adding the meat. If pan frying, do not crowd the skillet. Adjust the heat as necessary.)
I just came across to your blog and so thrilled to see your recipes. I am also Korean food blogger as well (I am a newbie in blogging though).
It is nice to see more and more people enjoying Korean food and searching for the recipes these days. Thanks for sharing these recipes and hope to communicate with you through our blog. I am following you.
Thank you for visiting! Your blog looks amazing, so I added to the list of blogs I am following. I am very happy to meet a Korean food blogger and share the experience.
Your pictures look great! They really pop and the color is perfect.
Thank you, Soyeon!
Hi Hyosun, This dish looks delicious! All of your dishes look so much better than what I see at the Korean restaurants in my neighborhood. 🙂
Thank you, Judy! You’re so kind. This was good. My family enjoyed it.
Hi Hyosun! You have a really wonderful blog. Your photos are incredible and bring your meals to life. Dweji bulgogi is my favorite Korean dish – my husband and I order it every time we go to our friend’s family’s Korean restaurant in Fairfax.
Keep it up – I’m really looking forward to reading more posts from you. How great that our paths crossed tonight 🙂
Hello! I came across your blog and I really love your recipes. It’s nice to have pictures too! It’s so hard to find korean recipes with the correct measurements . . so thanks for posting ! I’m trying your jeyuk bokkeum tonight and I can’t wait . . . I know my family is going to love it!
Thank you, Sophia! Hope you had a great dinner with your family.
This is absolutely delicious! We had it two days in a row, couldn’t stop.
Excuse me now, while I try every recipe on this blog!
:))
Have been using this recipe for a while now…….everyone that eats it loves it…..absolute crowd pleaser, so just want to thank you and share some love….
Can I use this recipe with chicken?
Yes you can.
This is great, I’ve been making it regularly. Easy for me to get the ingredients, I live in Seoul. I sometimes add mushrooms and/or bell pepper to the recipe. I am learning to cook Korean food thanks to your great recipes!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy to hear you’re using my recipes and learning Korean cooking. It’s great that you are in Seoul and have access to all Korean ingredients. Although we have pretty good selections here in the DC area, we still have much more limited Korean ingredients here. Happy Korean cooking!
this is my go-to korean spicy pork recipe. love the apple and the ratios (minus the gochujang/gochugaru to tame down the heat). thanks hyosun!
You’re welcome, Harvey! Thanks for coming by!
HELLO Hyosun, what is the other non-lettuce leaf wrapped around the pork? thank you, David
Perilla leaf! Enjoy!
Found your wonderful blog today. Have loved Korean food since 1971 when we adopted the first of our beloved Korean daughters. Then it was difficult to find Korean food in Sweden, but today I saw both kimchi and gochujang even in our local supermarket….Thank you for sharing all your recipies, it will be great fun to try them!
That’s nice to hear! I recently had a trip to Europe and was surprised to see Korean foods/ingredients where I didn’t expect to run into any Korean food. Hope you find many recipes on my blog to try and enjoy with your daughters.
Thanks for all the wonderful recipes! I made this tonight and I loved it but my husband wanted it a bit spicer. What can I do to increase the heat? Is it gochugaru or adding some chili peppers?
This is so good!
I am so happy I found your blog and your Facebook page. I find your recipes very easy to follow and I have tried quite a few of them already. My boys and I love them. I am beginning to learn about Korean food and it is so delicious.
Thank you from your fan in Brisbane Australia.
Thank you, Gladys! I’m so delighted to hear all that. Hello to your boys and family in Australia! I hope to visit there one day.
Is it alright to use minced pork?