Spicy Pork Bulgogi (VIDEO)

Korean spicy pork bulgogi on top of white rice in a bowl next to a small bowl of kimchi.

5 from 20 votes

This Spicy Pork Bulgogi only takes about 20 minutes to make and is such an easy and delicious way to make Korean BBQ at home!

Prep Time15

Cook Time5

Total Time20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Korean

Servings:

Author: Chris Joe

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

US Customary - Metric

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.

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.

What if I can't eat Pork? - The star of this recipe is the spicy and savory marinade - therefore, if you can't eat pork, that is totally okay! I would substitute with thinly sliced boneless, skinless chicken thighs.

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.

Nutrition