Korean barbecue is a complete culinary experience, one that I have missed dearly since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. From the hot grill built into your table to the cornucopia of side dishes, eating Korean barbecue is one pleasure for all the senses. Instead of going out to eat Korean barbecue, making it at home can be equally delicious! You don’t have to include all the bells and whistles, but you can have a few simple side dishes and one or two meats. To make an easy Korean barbecue meal at home, simply use thinly sliced beef brisket and/or thinly sliced pork belly.
What is Korean Barbecue?
Korean barbecue involves having both marinated and unmarinated meats to cook on a hot grill. Usually this grill is powered by gas, but you can use charcoal if you are cooking outdoors and feel like adding that smokiness. Koreans like to eat as they cook. A full Korean barbecue meals typically comes with a stew, steamed egg, rice, rice noodles, and a bunch of kimchis (fermented pickled vegetable) and other vegetables.
To make an easy Korean barbecue meal at home, you can simplify the menu and include just a few side dishes with your meat of choice.
Banchan-Korean Side Dishes
Banchan are small Korean side dishes that are served with most meals. They come in huge varieties and typically consist of vegetables that are pickled or marinated in some way. Kiimchi, for example, can be part of the banchan set.
How to Make the Perfect White Rice
Always wash your rice. There may be impurities or dirt mixed in with your rice, so please always wash it thoroughly in water 2-3 times before cooking.
For white jasmine rice, if you are cooking it in a ricecooker, you want the ratio of rice:water to be 1:1. Equal parts rice to water. That is for a nice firm texture. If you like your rice a little more fluffy or soft, then add in an extra tablespoon or 2 of water, but no more. Adding too much water will make your rice overly mushy and unpleasant to eat. Then it’s just a matter of using your ricecooker and following settings for white rice. Do not peek before it is ready. Doing so will release the steam and potentially ruin the cooking of your rice.
Ingredients/Spices for Korean Cooking
Many Korean dishes feature the following flavors:
- soy sauce
- garlic
- onion
- sesame oil
- sesame seeds
- gochujang (fermented red pepper paste)
- dried kombu kelp
- dried anchovy
- Korean red chili flake/powder
For other Asian dishes, check out my recipes for Thai Green Papaya Salad and Vietnamese Vermicelli Salad.
Korean Barbecue Sliced Brisket with Sides
Ingredients
Rice
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup jasmine rice
Beef
- 1 lb brisket or ribeye thinly sliced
Garlic Sesame Spinach
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 bunch spinach
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 1 pinch pepper
Soy Sauce Pickled Jalapeno and Onion
- 1 tbsp soy sauce low sodium
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 jalapeno sliced
- 1 slice onion roughly chopped
Spicy Cucumber Pickles
- 1 tbsp gochujang
- 2 Persian cucumbers sliced
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp hot water
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp sugar
Sesame Oil Dipping Sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 pinch ground pepper
Instructions
Rice
- Wash rice thoroughly. Then add equal parts rice and water and place in a rice cooker. Follow cooking instructions for white rice for rice cooker.
Garlic Sesame Spinach
- Heat a large pot of water on high. When water is boiled, add in spinach. Allow to boil for 30 seconds. Then rinse in cold water and drain. Squeeze excess liquid out.
- Mix together sesame oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Then mix thoroughly with cooked spinach. Set aside. Optional: Top with toasted white sesame seed.
Soy Sauce Pickled Jalapeno and Onion
- Turn oven on to broil or highest setting. Place jalapeno onto a baking sheet and roast for 10-12 minutes, until skin is blistered. Then place into a covered bowl and allow to steam for 5 minutes.
- Cut roasted jalapeno into slices. Rough chop onion.
- Mix together sauce: soy sauce, sugar, water, and vinegar. Place jalapenos and onion into the sauce. Set aside at least 30 minutes, but overnight would be best.
Spicy Cucumber Pickles
- Mix together gochujang, vinegar, hot water, garlic, and sugar. Set aside.
- Thinly slice cucumbers. Then mix thoroughly with spicy gochujang sauce. Set aside for at least 30 minutes, but overnight would be best.
Beef Brisket
- Heat a frying pan on high until it begins to almost smoke. Place sliced beef onto the pan in a single layer. Sear beef in a hot pan until just cooked 2-3 minutes each side. Do not move unless you are flipping.
Sesame Oil Dipping Sauce
- Place salt and pepper into sesame oil.
Putting it all together
- Serve seared beef with hot steamed jasmine rice, garlic sesame spinach, soy sauce pickled jalapeno, and spicy cucumber pickles. Dip your beef into the sesame oil dipping sauce or the sauce from the soy sauce pickled jalapeno and onion.
