Spicy Pork Bulgogi (Dwaeji bulgogi) – Quick + Easy (VIDEO)
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Spicy Pork Bulgogi (Dwaejibulgogi) is a popular Korean BBQ dish – thinly sliced pork belly is marinated in a delicious and spicy gochujang based marinade! It’s so easy to prep and cooks quickly over high heat- making it perfect for any meal!
Watch the Spicy Pork Bulgogi Recipe Video!
A Note from CJ
Make Korean BBQ at home with Spicy Pork Bulgogi!
You don’t need to go out for Korean barbeque when you can make it at home – I like to serve Spicy Pork Bulgogi with Beef Bulgogi and Korean Marinated Short Ribs (LA Galbi)! You can’t forget the Korean sides (banchan) – make Korean Cucumber Salad, Korean Bean Sprout Salad, Korean Broccoli Salad, Korean Stir-Fried Fish Cakes, Korean Cheese Corn, and Korean Spinach Side Dish!
This recipe is amazing!!! I love Korean food and this is better than what you would get in a Korean restaurant!! The flavor is so dang good!!
Ingredient Tips
Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements!
- pork belly – I buy pork belly that has been sliced into 1/8″ (3mm) pieces at the Korean grocery; it marinates quickly, cooks fast, and is the perfect size. You can use thicker slices but I recommend marinating/cooking it for longer. You can also buy pork and slice it yourself – freeze for 10 minutes before doing so. If you can’t find pork belly, you can also use pork shoulder/butt.
- gochujang – gochujang is a Korean pepper paste that is spicy, sweet, with a hint of umami. A little goes a long way – if you are sensitive to spice, I would halve the amount.
- gochugaru – gochugaru is Korean chili flakes or powder; for for this recipe, you want to use the chili flakes. Gochugaru is spicy and intense in flavor – if you are sensitive to spice, I would recommend you halve the amount.
How to Make Spicy Pork Bulgogi
Marinate the Pork Belly – In a large bowl add gochujang, light soy sauce, sugar, gochugaru, black pepper, salt, chopped garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. Mix until this becomes a loose paste. Add in the pork belly along with thinly sliced onions and scallions. Mix well until the pork is thoroughly coating in the marinade. Marinate for at least 15 minutes.
Cook the Pork and Enjoy! – Heat the neutral oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the pork and cook for 4-5 minutes until the fat from the pork has rendered and crisped up, stirring occassionally. Serve over freshly steamed rice and enjoy!
PRO TIPS
CJ’s Recipe & Storage Tips
How do I know the Spicy Pork Belly is Cooked Properly? – Due to the color of the marinade, it can be difficult to gauge when the pork is properly cooked. If using 1/8″ thin slices, it should cook in about 4-5 minutes. Over medium high heat, you should also see the sugar in the marinade start to caramelize (which will add to the delicious flavors) and the fat get rendered out, which will help the pork crisp up nicely.
Storing Cooked Spicy Pork Bulgogi – Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Storing Marinated Spicy Pork Bulgogi (not cooked)
- Refrigerator: 4-5 days in an air tight container in the refrigerator
- Freezer: 2-3 weeks in an air tight container or freezer safe bag in the freezer; I recommend portioning out your meat BEFORE freezing it; otherwise you will need to defrost all of it at once.
Reheating – I like to reheat my leftover Spicy Pork Bulgogi in a hot pan to warm everything quickly and also add a nice char to the meat. Because pork is a fattier meat, I think it holds up nicely to this method of reheating. You can also reheat this in the microwave.
If you tried this Spicy Pork Bulgogi or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Spicy Pork Bulgogi (VIDEO)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup gochujang
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1.5 tbsp gochugaru
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger, chopped
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1.5 lbs pork belly, thinly sliced
- 1 small white onion, thinly sliced
- 4 scallions, cut into 2" pieces
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl add gochujang, light soy sauce, sugar, gochugaru, black pepper, salt, chopped garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. Mix until this becomes a loose paste.
- Add in the pork belly along with thinly sliced onions and scallions. Mix well until the pork is thoroughly coating in the marinade. Marinate for at least 15 minutes.
- Heat the neutral oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the pork and cook for 4-5 minutes until the fat from the pork has rendered and crisped up, stirring occassionally. Serve over freshly steamed rice and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- pork belly – I buy pork belly that has been sliced into 1/8″ (3mm) pieces at the Korean grocery; it marinates quickly, cooks fast, and is the perfect size. You can use thicker slices but I recommend marinating/cooking it for longer. You can also buy pork and slice it yourself – freeze for 10 minutes before doing so. If you can’t find pork belly, you can also use pork shoulder/butt.
- gochujang – gochujang is a Korean pepper paste that is spicy, sweet, with a hint of umami. A little goes a long way – if you are sensitive to spice, I would halve the amount.
- gochugaru – gochugaru is Korean chili flakes or powder; for for this recipe, you want to use the chili flakes. Gochugaru is spicy and intense in flavor – if you are sensitive to spice, I would recommend you halve the amount.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This Spicy Pork Bulgogi recipe was originally published in May 2023, and updated in December 2025.
This recipe is amazing!!! I love Korean food and this is better than what you would get in a Korean restaurant!! The flavor is so dang good!!
This is a household favorite. Will be making again!
I don’t typically like pork, but I made this for kbbq and I liked it. I did make it with thicker slices of pork so I did have to cook it for a little bit longer.
Admittedly, I’m here for the Thanksgiving giveaway. Normally, I don’t participate bc liking something or tagging another unrelated person for a prize is uncomfortable but sharing how my experience with your amazing recipes? Super easy! I have so many recipes I’ve done, and others saved for the future :), but spicy pork bulgogi was the first I tried and absolutely loved.
As an American-born Vietnamese, I enjoy Korean food but always found the ingredient list or prep to be less straightforward than typical Asian food. This pork bulgogi was so simple to make, had a nice spicy kick, and deep umami taste that’s oh so satisfying. I make this dish quite frequently, sometimes subbing the pork for tofu for even higher protein content.
Thanks so much for making traditional Asian cooking so accessible especially for those of us who want to reconnect with our roots (or our cousins’)!
Thank you so much, Michelle! I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying the recipes and I appreciate you support 🙂
We loved this recipe! Flavors are so good
I’m impressed!
Great recipe spicy pork is soo good and so versatile. Make this all the time
delicious!
So gooooood!!! Saving this recipe for sure
I’m so glad you and the family enjoyed it, Ruth! Thanks for the wonderful review 🙂