How to Enjoy Korean BBQ at Home, Just Like a Restaurant

by Sue Pressey (Author of My Korean Kitchen) Position A message from the author

Hi, It's Sue here, Thank you for subscribing to my e-mail newsletter. I really appreciate your interest in my recipes and also that you are a Korean food fan.

As a token of my appreciation, I prepared this short book on How to enjoy Korean BBQ at home, just like a restaurant.

I hope you can enjoy your next Korean BBQ even more after reading this book! Copyrights and Disclaimer

This book is for personal use only, it may not be distributed or republished without the prior written permission of the author. Requests to the author and publisher for permission should be addressed to the following email: [email protected]

Please note that much of this publication is based on personal experience and anecdotal evidence. Although the author and publisher have made every reasonable attempt to achieve complete accuracy of the content in this book, they assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Also, you should use this information as you see fit, and at your own risk. Your particular situation may not be exactly suited to the examples illustrated here; You should adjust your use of the information and recommendations accordingly. The author and publisher will not be held liable for the use or misuse of information in this book.

Any trademarks, service marks, product names or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if I use one of these terms.

Copyright © 2015 by Sue Pressey (Author of My Korean Kitchen). All rights reserved.

3 MyKoreanKitchen.com Intro

Everyone loves Korean BBQ. OK…maybe not everyone. But anyone who has encountered the beauty of Korean BBQ at some point in their lives, they can’t live without it after that first introduction. Agree?

In this book, I will show you how to enjoy Korean BBQ at home just like you would at a Korean restaurant. This information is compiled based on my own experience, observation, and the feedback received from other people in my life.

I also want to point out that some of this information is already published here and there on my website (http://mykoreankitchen.com). I wrote this book to collate all the useful and necessary information I have on Korean BBQ and use this book as a one stop resource when it comes to the ultimate home- style Korean BBQ.

I hope you can enjoy your next Korean BBQ even more after reading this book. If you have any questions regarding the contents of the book, please leave your questions on the Q&A section of My Korean Kitchen (http://mykoreankitchen.com/comments-and-questions/) so that other people can join in the conversation and we can build an even larger library of information on the topic - Korean BBQ.

4 MyKoreanKitchen.com Contents

Types of Korean BBQ meat 6

Choosing a Korean BBQ grill plate 8

How to prepare for Korean BBQ 10

How to cook Korean BBQ 12

Grilled companion food 14

Serving Korean BBQ meat 16

Korean BBQ manners 23

5 MyKoreanKitchen.com Types of Korean BBQ

There are several types of meat that are used for Korean BBQ. Mostly, it can be categorised as marinated or non-marinated. Wikipedia has a really good summary on this, so check it out here if you are interested.

Among these varieties of meat, I have highlighted the Korean BBQ meats that are commonly cooked at home in the table below:

You have probably heard of some of them, right? Even if you haven't, fear not, as I will point you in the right direction.

6 MyKoreanKitchen.com Marinated Korean BBQ

(If you click the image below, it will take to the respective recipe on My Korean Kitchen.)

Bulgogi BBQ Short LIbs Spicy Korean Pork Spicy Korean Chicken (LA )

Non- marinated Korean BBQ

There are no recipe links to non-marinated meat as all you need to do is literally grill the meat. I will cover more about how to grill these in a later chapter.

7 MyKoreanKitchen.com Choosing a Korean BBQ grill plate

Not all of the meat mentioned in the previous chapter needs to be cooked on a Korean BBQ grill plate. Most of them are typically cooked in a wok at home.

The most common meat that is cooked over a Korean BBQ grill plate is non- marinated meat; Korean () and Pork Neck Bone Meat (Moksal).

These non-marinated pork cuts need to be cooked on a BBQ grill plate because the fat from the meat has to be drained. (Of course, you can cook these in a frying pan, but just be aware that there will be a pool of melted fat in the pan and that can ruin the taste!)

8 MyKoreanKitchen.com These special BBQ grill plates have a channel where the oil from the meat can be drained out and caught easily. You just need to place a small empty bowl at the end of the channel.

Typical Korean BBQ grill plates come in square or round shapes. I used to own a square one but now I have a round shape grill plate.

You can purchase them from a local Korean grocery store. US Amazon also has an array of BBQ grill plates.

A good Korean BBQ grill plate should be not too heavy, should be easy to lift, fit well on the portable gas burner and be easy to clean.

Most of these plates are fairly similarly designed to each other so you can’t really go wrong. Nonetheless, if you want to find out more information on Korean BBQ grill plates, please check my article.I consulted with my mum, who owned a Korean restaurant for two decades before I wrote it.

9 MyKoreanKitchen.com How to prepare for Korean BBQ

*Prepare the marinated meat as per the recipe provided in the Types of Korean BBQ chapter.

*If you are cooking non-marinated meat, consider the following steps.

Step 1.

You can pre-cut the meat with a knife on a cutting board into bite sizes (5 to 6 cm, about 2 inches). This will save some time when you are grilling the meat. (Once the meat starts to cook, you will be busy and pre-occupied with turning them over and also eating them.)

10 MyKoreanKitchen.com For whatever reason, if you didn’t cut the meat before grilling, you will have to use tongs (to hold the meat) and scissors (to cut the meat). Cutting cooked meat is easier than cutting raw meat.

Step 2.

Place the (pre-cut or not) meat on to a large plate and put it near the BBQ grill plate in preparation for cooking.

Step 3.

If you are using a Korean BBQ grill plate, you will need a portable burner and a portable gas canister. Set them up. (Before that you might also want to put some newspaper on the table to absorb the splashed oil. I always do this.)

Step 4.

Place a small empty bowl near the end of the draining channel (of the BBQ grill plate) to catch any oil.

11 MyKoreanKitchen.com How to cook Korean BBQ

For health and food safety reasons, place the meat on a grill using a designated set of tongs. Do not use your own chopsticks for raw meat.

For non-marinated meat (e.g. Korean pork belly), it is important to spread some oil by rubbing around one piece of pork on the grill before you add the rest of the meat. That way the meat doesn’t stick to the plate. Don’t add any liquid oil. You will see plenty of natural oil drips from the meat.

12 MyKoreanKitchen.com Cook the meat on high heat for a short time then reduce the heat (to medium to low) to cook the meat thoroughly.

While the meat is cooking on the grill, don’t turn it over every so often. As with any other BBQ, the more you turn it over, the more it loses its flavour and it also becomes drier. Some experts say that only turning the meat ONCE is the best. This is also what I do.

You can also use an outdoor BBQ to cook Korean BBQ meat. In this case, follow your manufacturer’s instructions. On a side note, we cooked spicy Korean pork on a Weber BBQ once, and it was super delicious. It tasted as if I was eating it at a Korean charcoal BBQ restaurant. Even my mum was very impressed with the flavour and the texture. Though cleaning the BBQ afterwards was a bit of a hassle for my husband because the marinade stuck on the grill, but it was worth it! I will do it again and again!

13 MyKoreanKitchen.com Grilled companion food

When you cook Korean BBQ meat, it is very common to grill some vegetables with it as well. There are five items that are commonly served at a Korean restaurant. Grill these in one corner of the grill plate.

(Left) Thinly sliced raw : (Right) Thinly sliced raw onion: I don’t like eating raw garlic but I love grilled garlic with Korean BBQ. Savoury and aromatic garlic increases the I also love grilled onion as well. No further explanation is pleasure of having BBQ. I might even like this more than necessary. Just add to your list! the actual meat.

14 MyKoreanKitchen.com (Left) Thinly sliced spicy green chili: (Right) Enoki mushrooms:

Do you love chili? I do! Grilled green chili is also a popular I love grilled enoki mushroom. It gives a really nice option. Believe it or not I think spicy chili isn’t as spicy texture. Depending on how much oil it soaks up it can be once it’s grilled. juicy or crunchy. I like when it’s slightly crunchy like a hash brown.

Old :

When the old pungent Kimchi gets grilled it becomes a totally different beast. It’s addictively delicious! Some Korean restaurants even serve 1 year old Kimchi. Want to try?

15 MyKoreanKitchen.com Serving Korean BBQ meat

There are a couple of side dishes you can (or should I say M.U.S.T) serve with Korean BBQ. These are wraps, dipping , some salads and some steamed rice. Check below for details.

Wraps

Most Koreans eat their meat wrapped with some sort of green leaves. Listed below is what is typically served at a Korean restaurant, with the first and the second being the most common.

1) Korean lettuce (Sangchu, 상추)

This looks very similar to baby cos lettuce. Typically they are either completely green or have some shades of reddish purple over the green leaf. I don’t have much opportunity to get fresh Korean lettuce where I live, so I normally buy baby cos lettuce from a local grocery or at a farmer’s market.

(Left image: Korean lettuce, Right image: Baby cos lettuce)

16 MyKoreanKitchen.com 2) Korean perilla leaves (Ggaennip, 깻잎)

This is probably my favourite vegetable in the world. I LOVE perilla leaves. It has a distinctive herbal smell to it. It can be used in a stir fry dish as well.

3) Chicory

This is more of an extra spice herb rather than a wrapping leaf. Not all restaurants will serve this. You normally add this on top of meat and wrap it with Korean lettuce and/or Korean perilla leaves as above.

4) Bok choy leaves

Some fancy restaurants will give Bok choy leaves as well as Korean lettuce and perilla leaves. You can use it to make a wrap or just dip the leaf into the dipping and eat it raw, like a carrot stick.

17 MyKoreanKitchen.com Dipping sauces

There are several varieties of Korean . Of these, the three dipping sauces below most commonly accompany Korean BBQ meat.

Korean spicy dipping sauce (, 쌈장)

A thick and spicy paste typically made with Korean soybean paste (, 된장), Korean chili paste (, 고추장), minced garlic, minced onion, chopped green onion and .

This sauce can be easily purchased from a Korean grocery store. It’s usually under USD $5 for a small container.

For more information on Korean spicy dipping sauce, click here.

Wasabi and soy sauce

This is mainly made with wasabi, soy sauce, sugar and . As you can gather from this information, this sauce tastes slightly sweet and tangy. It goes very well with char-grilled marinated pork or beef (Sutbul Galbi, 숯불갈비).

This sauce isn’t sold at a grocery store, so you will have to make it on your own. But don’t worry. It only takes 1 minute or less. Click here to get the recipe.

18 MyKoreanKitchen.com Sesame oil, salt and pepper sauce

This sauce most commonly accompanies non- marinated meat (e.g. grilled Korean pork belly (Samgyeopsal, 삼겹살).

All you need is salt, pepper and sesame oil. If you need a more precise guideline, click here to get the recipe.

Again, you can’t buy this sauce at a grocery store. But it only takes 1 minute or less to make on your own.

Side dishes

Non-spicy Korean green chili (Put-gochu, 풋고추)

Koreans love chili. These are the non-spicy kind. You just dip them into a spicy dipping sauce and munch down like carrots or cucumber sticks. It doesn’t have a strong taste and I don’t really know why I like it, but I just do!

19 MyKoreanKitchen.com Cucumber sticks

Just fresh cucumber sticks. Like green chili above, just dip them into a spicy dipping sauce and munch down. It’s refreshing.

Korean pickled radish

This is more commonly paired with non- marinated meat (e.g. Korean pork belly, Samgyeopsal).

You can buy the pickled white radish from a Korean grocery store (in the fridge section) or you can make it on your own. It’s not too difficult.

Check my recipe where I used pink radishes for this. It’s crunchy and moreish!

20 MyKoreanKitchen.com Kimchi

No further explanation is necessary. Kimchi goes anywhere where Korean food goes.

Spicy Korean spring onion salad

This is commonly paired with non-marinated meat (e.g. Korean pork belly, Samgyeopsal). It’s slightly spicy but sweet and tangy as well.

21 MyKoreanKitchen.com Steamed Korean rice

You can’t omit the Korean staple food - steamed rice even when you just do the BBQ. Some people choose to eat it alongside the BBQ while others choose to eat it once they finish the BBQ.

At a restaurant, the rice is typically served with Korean soy bean paste soup (Doenjang ) but at an extra cost. However since you’re already paying for the BBQ, the soup is sold at a discounted price.

If you want to find out how to cook Korean steamed rice, check my article here.

How to put it together

Well, you really don't need me to explain how to put them all together. But here's what I normally do.

Layer the lettuce and perilla leaf on top of each other. Place a Korean pickled radish then stack the meat, green chili, enoki mushroom and spicy dipping sauce. Close the wrap by bringing all corners of the leaves together and put it into your mouth all at once. No bite marks! It just gets messy then.

Do you like my idea? Oh, yum. Just typing this is making my mouth water.

22 MyKoreanKitchen.com Korean BBQ manners

Strictly speaking there’s no specific table rules or manners regarding Korean BBQ. However I thought I might throw in some ideas based on my observation, experience and feedback from other people in my life.

#1. Don’t keep eating your way through. You need to learn the beauty of cooperation by joining in turning the meat when it is cooked. You are a mean spirited person if you keep eating while the others work together to turn the meat when one side is cooked.

#2. Before you eat the last bit of the lettuce leaf, ask around if anyone else would like some. You can even offer to halve the leaf if they really want some.

#3. It’s always good to be mindful of how much or how fast you’re eating the meat. Because each meat piece on the grill is cooked at a different time, you might be the only one who’s getting full. Sharing is caring. Pass around some cooked meat in case others haven’t had much.

#4. Don’t stretch out your hands to pick the meat from the opposite side. It is very possible that some other people who are sitting close by may have their eye on that meat as well. Ask before you grab it if you must.

23 MyKoreanKitchen.com Closing

This book is written to give you a general overview of Korean BBQ and how it can be enjoyed, just like at a restaurant, at your own home. I hope this book is able to assist you in enhancing your joy of having Korean BBQ.

If you have any questions regarding the contents of the book, please leave your questions on the Q&A section of My Korean Kitchen (http://mykoreankitchen.com/comments-and-questions/) so that other people can join in the conversation and we can build an even larger library of information on the topic - Korean BBQ.

Thank you for reading my first book and be sure to check out My Korean Kitchen regularly for new recipes!

Sue

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24 MyKoreanKitchen.com