Spicy Pork Bulgogi (Dwaeji Bulgogi) is a classic Korean pork dish that’s perfectly seasoned with gochujang, garlic, ginger and sweet flavors that makes this dish simply irresistible.
What is Pork Bulgogi
Pork Bulgogi or Dwaeji Bulgogi 돼지불고기 is a spicy, savory, sweet, gingery and mouthwatering Korean pork dish. Sometimes it also goes by Jeyuk Bokkeum (제육 볶음) – especially when it’s made from pork belly. Because Jeyuk 제육 means pork belly. Pork is marinated in gochujang, ginger and other seasonings then typically grilled on charcoal or on a grill pan.
What does Pork Bulgogi taste like?
Typical Korean pork bulgogi is quite spicy that comes from the gochujang and chili pepper (gochukaru). It’s also a bit sweet with lots of ginger and garlic flavor. But there is a version that’s mild too.
The first time I tasted Dwaeji Bulgogi/Dwaeji Bulgogi (돼지 불고기) was at my friend’s house when I was in 4th or 5th grade and I thought it was absolutely delicious. But it was also very very spicy! My friend’s mom cooked it right at the table on an electric grill for a group of us. It was really yummy but so spicy hot that I thought my lips and mouth were on fire! And yet, I simply could not stop eating it…
The recipe here is the closest I could get to that taste except it is probably not as spicy – or maybe I am just better at eating spicy foods now. You are welcome to increase the amount of red chili powder or gochujang if you want to add more kick to it. I will leave that up to you.
What pork cut is best for Pork Bulgogi
Use pork collar butt, shoulder, ham cuts for pork bulgogi or you can also use pork belly for a richer taste. Check out my Know your Pork Cut post to learn more about Korean pork cuts.
Tips for cooking and serving Pork Bulgogi
- Gochujang – this is a spicy Korean chili paste that’s fermented for many months. It is not just spicy but full of umami and a slight smoky flavor. I like to make my own gochujang at home (here’s my recipe) but you can pretty much buy it easily these days. Either online or at your local grocery store.
- Use fresh ginger – ginger is a very important part of the marinade so please use freshly grated or chopped ginger.
- Grilling & Pan-Frying – because the marinade is pretty thick and loaded with seasoning, one thing to note is that the marinade burns easily. Especially when you pan-fry, use a non-stick frying pan and wipe the burnt sauce in between batches. You do want to brown the meat but be careful not to burn it.
- Storage – freeze either cooked or uncooked pork bulgogi and reheat in a frying pan or in the microwave.
- Additions – add sliced onions, carrots and/or mushrooms for added flavor and texture.
- Garnish -Sprinkle some sesame seeds and sliced green onions on top before serving.
- Serve pork bulgogi with some rice, fresh vegetable side dishes or with some ssam and ssamjang and you can have a really deliciously hearty, quick and easy meal!
Koreans love eating ginger and pork together
You may notice that ginger is often used when Koreans cook pork. Ginger not only adds great flavor and gets rid of any “porky taste and smell” but is also known to neutralize the coldness of pork. In traditional Korean medicine, foods are divided into cold and warm foods. Pork is a cold food and ginger is a warm food. When used together ginger is said to help neutralize the coldness of the pork.
I also know from experience that having a freshly brewed ginger tea really helps to calm my stomach down when I have a bad stomachache. I’m sure you have also heard about drinking ginger tea to help heal the common cold. I have also read that the Japanese serve ginger with sashimi to aid digestion and kill any bacteria that can be in the fish. There’s definitely something to ginger..
In case you want to try Beef Bulgogi, here it is! A non-spicy version that is my most popular recipe!! You will regret it if you don’t make this one. 😝
How to make Spicy Pork Bulgogi – Korean Dwaeji Bulgogi
| Servings: 2-3 | Cook Time: 25 min + marinating time | Difficulty: Easy |
Ingredients
- 1lb Thinly sliced pork butt/shoulder/leg
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp Korean red chili paste (Gochujang 고추장)
- 2 Tbsp cooking rice wine or Korean mirim or Mirin
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp chopped garlic
- 1 Tbsp grated or chopped fresh ginger
- 1 Tbsp chopped green onions
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Korean red chili powder (Gochugaru 고추가루) + 1 tsp to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Step-by-Step Directions
1. Traditionally, thinly sliced pieces from the neck, shoulder or hind leg (ham area) are used for pork bulgogi. The cut I bought from my local market is from the neck (collar butt) and it’s called moksal (목살) in Korean.
2. Make the marinade by mixing all of the ingredients above.
3. Mix the pork slices and the sauce together and marinate for at least 15 min. or more the better. You can let it marinate in the fridge for up to a day.
4. The best way to cook pork bulgogi is to BBQ it over a grill. But it’s not easy to just directly cook them over the conventional American BBQ grill because the pieces can fall through. Koreans usually use a grill that have smaller openings like the one below:
If using a standard American style grill, you can put a piece of tin foil and poke holes into it with a fork so some direct heat can come through. Like so..
You can also use grill baskets made for grilling vegetables or fish instead.
The other method is to buy a portable gas stove and a grill pan similar to shown here.
There are also other types of grill pans that have holes in them for the meat to get direct heat and these work great for bulgogi.
For everyday easy cooking, just heat a frying pan on medium high heat. The pan should be hot enough for the pork to sizzle as soon as it touches it. Cook the pork in the pan turning them over when it starts to brown. The pan should be really hot. Do not cook too much pork at once because that can lower the temperature. You want to cook the pork quickly and have a nice sear to them. If you end up with too much juice, the heat is probably not high enough or you added too much meat into the pan.
As a garnish, sprinkle some sesame seeds and sliced green onions. (optional)
Serve pork bulgogi with some rice, fresh vegetable side dishes or with some ssam and ssamjang and you can have a really deliciously hearty, quick and easy meal. It’s also a great dish to have with any jjigae or soup.
Spicy Pork Bulgogi
Ingredients
- 1 lb thinly sliced pork neck butt/leg/shoulder
Pork Bulgogi Marinade
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp Korean red pepper bean paste (고추장 gochujang)
- 2 Tbsp cooking rice wine or mirin
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp chopped garlic
- 1 Tbsp grated or chopped fresh ginger
- 1 Tbsp chopped green onions
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Korean red chili powder (고추가루 gochukaroo) +1 tsp to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Thinly sliced pieces from the neck, shoulder or hind leg (ham area) are used for pork bulgogi. The cut I bought from my local market is from the neck (collar butt) and it’s called moksal (목살) in Korean.
- Make the marinade by mixing all of the ingredients above.
- Mix the pork slices and the sauce together and marinate for at least 15 min. or more the better. You can marinate pork bulgogi in the fridge for up to a day.
- The best way to cook pork bulgogi is to BBQ it over a grill. But it’s not easy to just directly cook them over the conventional American BBQ grill because the pieces can fall through. Koreans usually use a grill that have smaller openings.
- If using a standard American style grill, you can put a piece of tin foil and poke holes into it with a fork so some direct heat can come through.
Tips & Notes:
Serve pork bulgogi with some rice, fresh vegetable side dishes or with some ssam and ssamjang and you can have a really deliciously hearty, quick and easy meal.
Another great recipe , thank you. I made it with some sliced onions and cooked them at same time because that is always the way I have had it on my visits to Korea. Thanks again
Yes, onions are often added! Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the 5 stars!! 😉
This recipe is easy to follow and so delicious! Thank you!
So happy to hear that!! Thank you!
Excellent m family loves this
Love this recipe. Perfect proportions of seasonings, right amount of sweet and spicy. Very flavorful and satisfying recipe and pretty easy to whip up when you’re looking for something fairly quick to make.
Wow thank you so much!! That’s what I want to hear – glad you enjoyed it. BTW, if you don’t mind, could you please give me the rating on the recipe card itself? – the star rating is on the top right, right above the photo. Google only looks at the recipe card rating.. Thanks again!
Made this tonight for my family, and everyone loved it! I cooked it indoors on a cast iron grill. My daughter said it tasted like it was from a restaurant!
Wonderful!! Awesome that your daughter said she thought it was from restaurant! But without the unhealthy corn syrup as many restaurants will use. Yes, it can even be cooked on just regular frying pan and it will still taste good. Thanks so much for leaving me a comment!