Korean Spicy Pork Barbeque (Daeji Bulgogi)

I'm starting to think that most street food, no matter what culture it's from, can be replicated at home.  I'm not talking about that certain special something that years of experience grants to these road warriors, but I am convinced that certain staple foods you can get in ethnic restaurants are easy to duplicate.  Hot on the heels of my pho experience, I attempted to make pork bulgogi - a Korean barbeque dish served in restaurants all over the country, and becoming popular here.  Restaurants are popular because either you cook the food yourself, or the food is cooked right in front of you.  And unlike the pho recipe from last time, I was able to cook this cheaper and faster than the restaurant alternative, and escaped being gouged for what is, if nothing else, just a glorified marinated pork dish.  The experience started me thinking: what other foods am I overpaying for, that I could make on my own?  So now what?  Cuban sandwiches?  Gyros?  Wait and see, I guess.

Cooking Korean bbq at home - you won't believe how easy this is

Korean Spicy Pork Barbeque (Daeji Bulgogi)

adapted from Allrecipes

• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4 cup gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)
• 1.5 tbsp minced fresh garlic
• 1.5 tbsp minced fresh ginger root
• 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1.5 tbsp white sugar
• 2 green onions, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1/4 yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch thick rings
• 1 pound boneless pork (loin, pork chop, pork belly, shoulder, etc.), cut into 1/4" thick slices
• X tbsp canola oil (no, not ten.  Read on to find out how much)

The ingredient list is fairly short, and the steps are easy - stir everything together, cook.

Gochujang - hot pepper paste.  Extremely common in Asian grocery stores

To slice the pork, place in freezer for 15-20 minutes to firm up and help get even slices.  While chilling, prepare marinade.  Stir together the vinegar, soy sauce, hot pepper paste, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, black pepper, sugar, green onions, and yellow onion in a large bowl.  It's going to smell like you've got too much red pepper flake, but trust me, it's fine.  Now, as for the oil issue - the amount you use depends on two things - how you're going to cook this, and what cut of meat you have.  I used lean pork from pork chops, and cooked on a nonstick electric skillet.  So I would add a little more because I have lean meat, and a little less because the cooking surface doesn't need much oil.  I ended up with one tablespoon.  Cooking in cast iron?  Maybe a little more.  Stainless?  Double up, at least.  Using pork belly?  Whoa, hoss, put the brakes on with the oil, you're probably good with about a tablespoon no matter what you're cooking on.  Add the oil to the marinade, which is going to coat the meat and make for an easy cooking process.

Stir together with the pepper paste and oil

Add in the pork slices, mixing well until completely coated in marinade. Place into a resealable plastic bag, squeeze out any excess air, seal, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 3 hours.  I started mine in the morning, and cooked it after work.

I once bought pre-marinated pork.  Looked a lot like this.  I thought it was black magic once upon a time, now I know what's involved

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork slices in batches if you have a small cooking surface, or throw everything on if you have a large skillet.  Cook until no longer pink in the center, stirring and turning occasionally.  You're looking for some char on the meat, about 5 minutes per batch.  If you cook it a little more than you meant to, you're just going to add more char flavor, which isn't so bad.

Spread out on a skillet such as this electric griddle, or cook in a pan or on a grill

Serve over steamed rice with pickled vegetables, seaweed, and other traditional Korean garnishes found at the Asian market.