Korean bbq comes to mind when summer rolls around and barbecue gets top billing. I love Korean barbecue especially Kalbi and Bulgogi. Kalbi, cross-cut or flanken-style beef ribs, are marinated in a garlicky soy sauce mixture flavored with sesame oil, green onions, sugar to sweeten and fresh ground pepper. The ribs are marinated for at least a couple of hours before they’re thrown on the grill. Cut crosswise (genius), they cook in minutes, a good thing since the aroma the sizzling meat and marinade as it caramelizes makes me hungry. Bulgogi, thin strips of meat, marinaded in a similar manner, is cooked on the grill, wrapped in lettuce along with a bite of rice, a bit of kimchi and dollop of gochujang and then quickly STUFFED in your mouth…hot, sweet, salty, crunchy..so good.  Party in my mouth.

I came across a recipe for Bulgogi Meatballs, the perfect answer to when you are craving Korean bbq but don’t have the time to marinade the meat.  A combination of ground beef and pork seasoned like Bulgogi, then formed into meatballs and fried or baked is a spot-on stand-in for Korean bbq.  The Bulgogi meatballs can be served by themselves with various dipping sauces, wrapped in lettuce, served with rice or made into a slider topped with cheese and kimchi.  It’s simple, quick and delicious.

The recipe comes from Everyday Korean, yes, another cookbook I picked up recently.  Gorgeous photos and a fusion twist caught my eye.  A flatbread topped with a Gochujang Sour Cream and mozzarella will be my next foray in this book.  Intriguing, different. I’ll keep you posted.

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Beef Bulgogi Meatballs

This recipe, from Everyday Korean by Kim Sunée and Seung Hee Lee, is a tasty spin on a familiar dish. Shape these into meatballs and serve with the dipping sauces along with lettuce leaves or steamed rice. Or make them into sliders to serve on toasted mini buns with grated Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise and mustard.

Author Everyday Korean

Ingredients

• ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp dark brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp minced green onion
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• ¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ Asian pear or Bosc or Bartlett pear, grated
• 1 ⁄3 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 lb ground beef preferably chuck and short rib
• 1 lb ground pork or veal
• 1 large egg lightly beaten
• Toasted sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Ssamjang

• ½ cup doenjang fermented soybean paste or miso
• ¼ cup gochujang Korean fermented chile paste
• 2 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar or cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp minced green onion white parts only
• 1 Tbsp minced jalapeño serrano chile stems and seeds removed (optional)

Soy Vinegar Dipping Sauce

• ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
• ¼ cup rice vinegar or cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped green onion
• 1 tsp gochugaru Korean red pepper flakes, optional
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil optional
• Toasted sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Instructions

To make meatballs::

• In a large bowl, mix together first 8 ingredients. Add panko, ground meats and egg; mix just until combined (do not overmix). Cover; refrigerate 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Form meat mixture into 40-50 mini meatballs or about 18 slider patties; place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden and cooked through but still tender and moist, turning the pan halfway through cooking time.
• OR
• Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add meatballs or patties to pan, leaving space. Cook, shaking pan occasionally until meat begins to brown on one side (~3 minutes). Gently flip over and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Until just cooked thru.
• Garnish with sesame seeds, if desired. Serve with Ssamjang and Soy-Vinegar Dipping Sauce.

To make Ssamjang::

• In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 2 weeks. Makes about 1 cup.

To make Soy-Vinegar Dipping Sauce:

• In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, onion, and gochugaru and sesame oil, if desired. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds just before serving, if desired. Refrigerate in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Makes about ½ cup.