Korean beef bulgogi can be made with any good quality cut of meat. Flank steak is full of beefy flavor, but somewhat tough. This marinade with some juice from a can of pineapple quickly tenderizes the flank steak.
I’m in NYC for a few days visiting my children! Before I left home on Saturday, I prepared some foods to bring to them, including this bulgogi made with flank steak. I quickly cut up 2 flank steaks, in a pack from Costco, and prepared this marinade that works really well with flank steak. While I was doing all that, it occurred to me that I should also share this recipe I’ve been enjoying for quite some time.
The classic bulgogi is typically made with thinly cut ribeye, but it can certainly be made with any good quality cut of meat. I find flank steak works really well!
Typically, flank steak is grilled whole and then sliced to be served. I also have a recipe here where I cooked the whole flank steak and then sliced to serve for my slow cooker bulgogi. For regular bulgogi, the meat is sliced before being marinated. Flank steak is full of beefy flavor, but somewhat tough, so it’s important to cut against the grain.
How to tenderize flank steak for bulgogi
This marinade with some juice from a can of pineapple does the nice trick tenderizing the flank steak. You can substitute it with a little bit of ground kiwi. Korean green plum extract (maesilcheong, 매실청) or grated Korean pear is also nice, but not as strong as pineapple or kiwi as a tenderizer.
I cooked some for our lunch within an hour of marinating, and the meat was tender but pleasantly chewy. It will be best to marinate up to a half day, but you can marinate longer if you like your meat very tender.
If you have made my all purpose marinade, you will simply need to add the pineapple juice, ginger, and sesame oil to 1 cup of the all purpose marinade to make a similar marinade as this one.
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Ingredients
- 1 flank steak about 1.5 to 2 pounds
- 2 scallions roughly chopped
Marinade
- 5 to 6 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons rice wine or mirin or white wine
- 4 tablespoons juice from a can of pineapple use 100% juice
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Slice the meat (about ⅓ to ¼-inch thick) against the grain at a steep angle.
- Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl, and mix well.
- Add the meat and scallions and mix well until evenly coated. Marinate at least for 1 hour.
- Heat a grill pan or a skillet over high heat and add the meat slices. Lower the heat as necessary. The marinade may burn if the heat is too high. Cook until the meat is cooked through and slightly caramelized, one to two minutes each side.
PYC says
I just made this for a family birthday meal with naengmyun and it was a HIT! 🙂 Definitely going to add it to our “keeper” recipes. Followed the recipe exactly and it was perfect and tender with the right amount of bite. We marinated for about 4 – 5 hrs before cooking. I actually like the leaner flank meat better than regular bulgogi — next time I’ll make extra and freeze some for a quick dinner! Thank you for the wonderful recipes as always!
Brit says
Exactly how many hours should I marinate the meat at a minimum? i know you said half a day can it be 4 hour or 12 hour?
Hyosun says
The recipe says “marinate it at least for an hour.” But a few hours or overnight is good. Really doesn’t have to be exact.
Joyce says
How much ground kiwi would I substitute for the pineapple juice?
Hyosun says
Maybe a half of a small one. Please let me know how it turns out.
Natalie says
How much Asian pear would you substitute instead of the pineapple juice? We have Asian pears but no canned pineapple. Thanks!
Hyosun says
You can use 1/2 of an Asian pear for this recipe. You may need to marinate longer as pear is not as strong as pineapple if using flank steak.
Mikel says
Great complex flavors. I made it with elk and turned out fantastic.
Thanks
Julie says
Hello Hyosun,
I’ve made your bulgogi recipe twice now.
The first time was amazing but the second time around, I used frozen sliced rib eye on sale and sadly, the meat was tough when cooked. I have a lot of left over – is there a trick to tenderizing the bulgogi after it’s been cooked?
Thank you sharing for so many great recipes!
Hyosun says
You can try to mix with a tenderizer such as kiwi and/or make bulgogi jeongol. The liquid in jeongol will add some moisture back into the meat, which can make the meat tenderer.
Judy says
Loved this recipe! Flavors are right on. Will make this again and again!
Dae Woo Son says
Thanks, Hyosun! You’re my go-to source for Korean recipes. They end up tasting the closest to what I remember eating growing up. You should consider writing a cook book. I would buy one.
Hyosun says
Oh thank you, Dae Woo! Such a compliment! I hope to write one in the future.
David Pollard says
As a kid growing up in Hawaii, my favorite Asian food was Korean. I love Bulgogi and have made it several times. I was looking for a new recipe and this one was excellent! I made a couple of mods to it. I used the shredded Asian pear, which was wonderful on the grill when the bits charred on the meat. I also doubled the recipe, but instead of doubling the sugar I used 3 Tablespoons of Gokujang paste instead. It gave it a nie sweet heat that was spectacular. Looking forward to trying some more recipes, Thanks!
Philla says
The flavor was amazing but the meat was so tough…. where did I go wrong?
Hyosun says
Great you like the flavor! Did you use any tenderizer, such as pineapple juice in this recipe? A little bit of kiwi is also great as tenderizer. How long did you marinate?
Michelle says
I made this last night, and it was fabulous. I only had time to marinade for 45 min, so I pushed the meat down into the marinade in a large glass measuring bowl with a fork. I pierced the meat slices as I pushed them down and around in the marinade; the meat was really flavorful. I only added red chili pepper flakes and chopped parsley, but otherwise made exactly as written. Recipe a fam favorite .
Hyosun says
Great! A little chili kick is always nice!
esther wong says
Hello,
If i use rib eye, do i still need to marinade with pineapple juice?
Also, I intend to broil the meat, is marinating with scallions necessary?
Thanks, Esther
Hyosun says
Oh dear Esther, so sorry I didn’t see your question until now. If you’re using rib eye, you can use my regular bulgogi recipe. You don’t need pineapple juice if your meat is tender. Scallions add flavor, but not absolutely necessary.
Claire says
This recipe is a bit diferent from my 93 year old Korean mothers’…. but it is so FUN to try different versions and this one is delicious! Thank you so much for sharing!!!
Hyosun says
Great to hear that! I’m sure your grandma’s is the best.
Ron says
Thanks for these great recipes. I spent several years in Osan and I can tell you that your recipes have taken me back to those wonderful times. Thank you
Would love to get a good Bi Bim Bap recipe from you
Hyosun says
Happy to hear my recipes help bring back memories. I have several bibimbap recipes on the blog. Simply search bibimbap in the search box.
Claire says
So I have all the ingredients I need for this and am so excited about making it! The only thing is I forgot to get canned pineapple juice, I do have a pineapple though and wondering if it will be the same if I use the Juice from that hoping I can get 4tbls out of it. Thanks!!!
Hyosun says
Of course it will work. Enjoy!
Yukirei says
Hi Hyosun!
Thanks for this recipe! Chuck eye roll steak was on sale at HMart today so we couldn’t resist buying a nice piece. The steak is only about 9 oz so I adjusted the ingredient amounts accordingly, and I don’t keep canned fruit at home so I used a grated slice of apple instead. OMG. The meat is so tender and delicious!
You’re definitely the Korean mama the rest of us non-Koreans need! ;p
Tina says
If I marinate the meat overnight will it fall apart and have a strange texture due to the enzymes from the pineapple juice? Is it best to just marinate a few hours before eating?
Hyosun says
I had kept the leftovers overnight before, and it was fine. But, use a little less pineapple juice if you’re concerned.
Denise says
Hello my name is Denise. I come from a british background which typically has a bit of a bland menu. I on the other hand love to experiment with all types of cooking. My friend Brian used to bring potluck in and it was bulgogi. OMG it was the best beef I have ever tasted. So today I will be trying your recipe! Wish me luck!
Hyosun says
Hi Denise! Sorry about the late reply, but hope it turned out well for you.
Wai says
Thank you for sharing such a delicious recipe!!
Carol says
LOVE,LOVE,LOVE your recipes! I have made many of them, they are easy to follow and very tasty ! THANK YOU
Hyosun says
Thank you, Carol! You just put a big smile on my face. Happy New Year!
Allie says
I honestly love this blog! there’s so many different recipes to try, even for someone who doesn’t entirely like to try new things. Going to be trying this tonight but I’ve already made the 닭불고기 and loved it.
Meghan says
I’m reading the book Pachinko, by Min Jin Lee, and have been wanting to create some of the foods described in the book for my family. So excited to try this- thank you!
Hyosun says
Oh Meghan so sorry I missed your comment. Hope you tried some recipes here. Pachinko is on my list to read.
Kunhi Lee says
You don’t put ginger in bulgogi. That’s teriyaki not bulgogi. You’re not a traditional Korean cook.
Hyosun says
I’m not sure what’s your basis for saying the use of one ingredient in a dish determines whether one is a traditional cook or not. Regardless, here’s my traditional bulgogi recipe if you’re interested:
https://www.koreanbapsang.com/bulgogi-korean-bbq-beef/
Seo Taiji says
Dear Kunhi,
My mother always put ginger in her bulgogi marinade. She is 75 and from North Korea originally. She is more Korean than you will ever be.
Hyosun says
Nice to know! Certainly a matter of personal preference.
Tawnya Sweeney says
I made this Bulgogi recipe, marinated 6 hours then cooked in a broiler (in a foil lined sheet pan) for 3 minutes each side. I served it over a white rice bowl with shredded carrot and cucumber and sliced scallions. I took the used marinade and boiled/reduced it for 10 minutes to kill bacteria then cooled it and added 1/4 cup mayo and 4-5 splashes sirachi to make a sauce I smeared over the top of my rice bowl. This is an amazing recipe even my15 year ikd snot liked.
Kerry says
This sounds great! I prefer broiling than frying (mainly because frying makes a mess!). Love your serving suggestion as well. I’m so inspired. Thanks!
Hyosun says
Yes frying does make a little mess. Thanks for coming by!
Julia says
Do you think you can marinate it whole and cook it whole if you marinate longer, maybe overnight?
Hyosun says
Oh yes definitely!
May says
I’ve actually used your usual bulgogi recipe with flank steak before, but didn’t add the grated pear and the meat was still tender and the flavour fantastic.
Hyosun says
That’s great to hear! Try this recipe when you feel like adding a slightly different twist to your bulgogi. Happy cooking!