Korean Grilling Recipes

Filed in archive Korean grilling , Korean Recipes on June 4, 2010

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The secret of Korean grilling is in the marinades. Korean grill marinades are lighter and healthier, containing less salt and sugar. Beef or pork is often the meat of choice for grilling, sliced into thin bite-size pieces.

Take note also that Korean grilling is served with healthy "banchan" (side dishes) like kimchi or a kicky salad of shaved radish.

For some classic Korean grill recipes, read on (found via):

GRILLED BEEF SHORT RIBS (GALBI)

Way to grill: Direct high heat, 450 to 550 F

Ingredients

1 Asian pear (baseball size), peeled, cored, and roughly chopped
3 scallions, trimmed and roughly chopped
6 large garlic cloves
2 cups water
Three-fourths cup soy sauce
One-third cup granulated sugar
One-fourth cup rice vinegar
12 flanken-style beef ribs, about 4 pounds total and one-half inch thick
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Cooking Directions

In bowl of food processor, finely chop pear, scallions and garlic. Add water, soy sauce, sugar and vinegar. Process until well combined. Put ribs in large bowl and pour in marinade. Mix well to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours.

Prepare grill for direct cooking over high heat.

Brush cooking grates clean. One at a time, lift ribs and let liquid and solid bits fall back into bowl. Discard marinade. Grill ribs over direct high heat, with lid open, until nicely charred on both sides and cooked to medium or medium-rare doneness, 3 to 5 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove from grill and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serves 4 to 6.

BARBECUED PORK SPARERIBS WITH KOREAN CHILI PASTE

Ingredients

1 rack pork spareribs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons oil
1 cup ketchup
One-half cup gochujang (Korean red chili paste)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce

Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 400 F. Season spareribs with salt and pepper, then rub with oil. Place on hot grill and mark both sides. Remove, cut into individual ribs, then toss in container with remaining ingredients.

Place ribs in baking dish in 1 layer and cover with foil. Bake 35 minutes, then remove foil and bake 15 minutes more, until well glazed. Serves 3 to 4.

GRILLED BEEF (BULGOGI) WITH ASIAN PEAR DIPPING SAUCE

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless sirloin
One-half cup soy sauce
One-third cup sugar
3 tablespoons sake, rice wine or sherry
2 tablespoons Asian (dark) sesame oil
8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 scallions, both white and green parts, trimmed and minced
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
One-half teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 head romaine lettuce or red leaf lettuce, separated into leaves, rinsed and spun dry
Asian pear dipping sauce or gochujang (Korean red chili paste)

Cooking Directions

Cut sirloin across grain into one-fourth-inch slices. Using rolling pin or side of cleaver, pound meat between sheets of plastic wrap to thickness of one-eighth inch. Place meat in large glass baking dish and set aside while preparing marinade.

Combine soy sauce, sugar, sake, sesame oil, garlic, scallions, sesame seeds and pepper in small bowl and whisk until sugar dissolves. Pour marinade over meat in dish and toss thoroughly to coat. Let marinate in refrigerator, covered, 1 to 2 hours.

Prepare grill for direct grilling and preheat to high.

When ready to cook, brush and oil grill grate, then arrange pieces of meat on grate and grill, turning with tongs, until nicely browned on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer meat to platter when done.

Pour Asian pear dipping sauce into 6 small bowls, 1 for each diner. To eat, take piece of meat, wrap in lettuce leaf, then dip in sauce. Or, add meat to lettuce leaf, dab on a bit of chili paste, wrap and eat. Serves 6.

ASIAN PEAR DIPPING SAUCE

Ingredients

One-half cup soy sauce
One-half cup sake OR dry sherry
One-fourth cup sugar
1 small Asian pear, peeled, cored and finely chopped
4 scallions, both white and green parts, trimmed and finely chopped
One-fourth cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Cooking Directions

Combine soy sauce, sake, sugar, pear, scallions, onion and sesame seeds in medium bowl and stir until thoroughly mixed and sugar dissolves. Serve at once. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

GRILLED HANGER STEAKS WITH KOREAN FLAVORS

4 (6-ounce) hanger steaks, cleaned and trimmed
One-fourth cup soy sauce
One-fourth cup sugar
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped white part of scallion
One-half teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt
Vegetable oil

Cooking Directions

Place hanger steaks in baking dish. Mix together soy sauce, sugar, garlic, scallion, sesame seeds and pepper, then pour over steaks, coating evenly. Marinate, covered, in refrigerator, at least 4 hours, turning once halfway through, up to 8 hours.

Remove steaks from marinade, scraping off any excess. Season with pepper and little bit of salt. Rub both sides with a little vegetable oil and grill over hot fire to desired doneness. Let steaks rest 5 to 10 minutes, then slice against grain. Serves 4.

GRILLED BABY OCTOPUS (JJUKKUMI)

2 pounds baby octopus (16 to 25 pieces), fresh or thawed if frozen, cleaned
Salt
One-half onion, minced
One-half red bell pepper, minced
3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon red chili powder
One-half teaspoon black pepper

Cooking Directions

Sprinkle octopus with salt, to taste, and rub on about 1 minute. Rinse in cold water. Drain. Repeat. Pat dry with paper towels.

Combine onion, bell pepper, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, chili powder and pepper in bowl. Coat octopus generously with seasoning. Grill over medium-high heat, moving around grill so octopus cooks evenly, 3 to 4 minutes. Serves 5 to 6.

FRESH KIMCHI

5 pounds napa cabbage
One-half cup coarse salt
One-half tablespoon crushed garlic
One-fourth tablespoon freshly grated ginger
One-fourth cup Korean red chili powder
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
One-half carrot, julienned
One-half bundle green onions, sliced into 2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
One-fourth Korean pear, julienned

Cooking Directions

Wash cabbage, chop coarsely, then toss in large bowl with salt and let sit 5 to 6 hours. After that, rinse cabbage well to remove excess salt, then place in colander to drain. Once drained, add to same large bowl after rinsing it and wiping clean.

In separate bowl, mix together garlic, ginger, red pepper, sugar and fish sauce. Add this mixture to cabbage, along with carrot, green onion and sesame seeds; toss well. Add pear last and toss gently, ensuring pear is not broken into pieces. Serve with grilled meats. Store in refrigerator. Makes about a half-gallon kimchi.