Jeyuk Bokkeum (Korean Spicy Pork Bulgogi)
KOREAN · KOREA

Jeyuk Bokkeum (Korean Spicy Pork Bulgogi)

제육볶음Main

Thin slices of pork shoulder bathed in a fiery gochujang marinade, then seared hard until the edges caramelise and the sauce clings like lacquer. Sweet, garlicky, smoky — the smell alone empties the rice cooker.

Total
37 min
Heat
4/5
Serves
4

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Flavour profile

Heat
Funk
Acid
Richness
Umami
  • Garlicky
  • Smoky
  • Spicy
  • Sweet

The real deal

Region
Korea. Jeyuk bokkeum is the pork sibling of beef bulgogi, a staple of Korean home tables and lunch joints.
Technique
Thin-sliced pork marinated in gochujang and aromatics, then stir-fried over high heat so the marinade caramelises instead of stewing.
We kept
Gochujang- and gochugaru-based marinade, grated Asian pear for sweetness and tenderising, onion and carrot, finished with sesame oil and sesame seeds.

Ingredients

4 Serves

Marinade

  • 700 g · boneless, sliced paper-thin
  • 3 tbsp
  • 2 tbsp
  • 2 tbsp
  • 1 tbsp
  • 1½ tbsp · or honey
  • 2 tbsp · or mirin
  • 1 tbsp
  • 1 · peeled, grated
  • 5 cloves · grated
  • 3 cm · grated
  • ½ tsp

Wok

  • 1 · cut into thick wedges
  • 4 · cut into batons
  • 1 · sliced into thin half-moons
  • 2 · optional · sliced on the diagonal
  • 1 tbsp

Garnish

  • 1 tbsp
  • 1 · optional · washed, separated into leaves

Method

  1. Peel and grate , then grate and into the same bowl. Put in the freezer for 30 min — firm, not frozen — then slice it as thin as you can against the grain, about 0.3 cm thick. If your butcher will shave it for you, even better.

    Cold, firm pork slices cleanly; warm pork shreds and turns to mince.

  2. In a big bowl, stir together 3 tbsp , 2 tbsp , 2 tbsp , 1 tbsp , 1½ tbsp , 2 tbsp , 1 tbsp and ½ tsp with the grated pear, garlic and ginger. Taste it: it should be sweet first, then hot, with a savoury backbone.

    Gochujang brands differ wildly in heat and sweetness. Taste and adjust — this is the whole dish.

  3. Add the sliced pork to gochujang marinade and massage it in with your hands until every piece is coated and the bowl smells sweet and sharp. Cover and rest for 30 min at room temperature, or up to overnight in the fridge.

    Fridge-cold pork cooks unevenly; let it sit out for 15 min before it hits the pan.

  4. Cut into thick wedges so it keeps some bite. Slice into thin half-moons. Cut into batons, keeping the white and green parts separate. Slice on the diagonal.

  5. Get a wide heavy pan properly hot. Add 1 tbsp , then lay the marinated pork in a single layer. Leave it for 1 min to catch colour before you start tossing. Cook in two batches if your pan is small. Stir-fry hard for another 2 min until the pork is cooked through and the marinade darkens and sticks to the meat.

    Crowding steams the pork grey. Colour on the pork is where the flavour lives.

  6. Add the onion, carrot and the white parts of the spring onion along with the chilli. Toss for 1 min 30 sec — the onion should soften at the edges but still snap.

  7. Kill the heat and fold in the green spring onion tops and 1 tbsp . Serve straight from the pan, with rice and leaves of to wrap it in.

    The dish keeps cooking in a hot pan — get it out fast or the pork tightens.

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