Bulgogi Marinade (Sweet Soy Beef Marinade)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Box grater or fine rasp grater
• •Medium mixing bowl
• •Measuring spoons
• •Disposable glove or clean hand for mixing beef

Instructions

1. 1

   Grate the fruit

   Grate the pear and onion on the fine side of a box grater, catching all the juice. Do not chop them into pieces for this marinade. Grating releases their juice evenly, so the beef seasons quickly and the fruit can tenderize without leaving chunks that burn in the pan.

   If your pear is very watery, keep the pulp and juice together. The pulp carries sweetness and tenderizing strength, not just the liquid.
2. 2

   Build the base

   In a medium bowl, stir together the soy sauce, grated pear, grated onion, sesame oil, mirin, maesil-cheong or sugar, garlic, scallions, crushed sesame seeds, and black pepper. Stir until the sesame oil no longer sits in a slick layer on top. A marinade that separates in the bowl seasons unevenly on the beef.

3. 3

   Taste before meat

   Taste a small drop before raw beef goes in. It should be salty first, then gently sweet, with garlic and sesame behind it. If it tastes like dessert, add 1 teaspoon soy sauce. If it tastes sharp and thin, add 1 teaspoon pear juice or water. Make the correction now, when it is still clean.

4. 4

   Coat the beef

   Add 600g paper-thin beef and turn it through the marinade with your hands until every ribbon is coated. Do not knead it. Thin beef bruises and tears, and torn meat releases liquid instead of browning.

   For thicker slices, cut the meat thinner rather than marinating longer. This dish is built on thin cutting, not long soaking.
5. 5

   Marinate briefly

   Let the beef marinate 30 minutes at room temperature if cooking soon, or 2 to 4 hours in the refrigerator. Do not leave this thin beef overnight. Soy and fruit will make it too salty and soft, and then even a hot pan cannot save it.

6. 6

   Use or store

   Use the marinade at once with beef, or refrigerate the mixed marinade without meat for up to 2 days. Once raw meat has touched it, discard any leftover marinade unless you boil it hard for 2 full minutes and use it only as a cooking sauce.

Chef Tips

• •Korean pear is best in autumn, when it is crisp and heavy with juice. Cook the month you're standing in: outside pear season, use Asian pear if you can, or 3 tablespoons grated apple with 1 tablespoon water. Kiwi works, but only 1 teaspoon grated kiwi for 600g beef, because it tenderizes fiercely.
• •Use regular soy sauce if that is what your market has. If using very dark or low-salt soy sauce, taste before the meat goes in and adjust by teaspoons, not by splashes.
• •This is a marinade for thin beef. For short ribs, use the same flavor family but a stronger, longer marinade and a different cut. Technique first. The sauce cannot correct the wrong thickness.
• •A safe shortcut is blending the pear, onion, soy, and garlic for 10 seconds, then stirring in sesame oil, scallion, sesame seeds, and pepper by hand. Do not blend the sesame oil hard until it turns dull and bitter.

Advance Preparation

• •The marinade can be mixed up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated in a covered container. Stir well before using because the pear and onion settle at the bottom.
• •For dinner service, slice or buy the beef in the morning, keep it cold, and add the marinade 2 to 4 hours before cooking.
• •Do not freeze beef in this marinade. Freeze the sliced beef plain, thaw it in the refrigerator, then marinate after thawing so the texture stays clean.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 250g)