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This dwaeji bulgogi is SO SO good and takes less than 15 minutes to make! It’s so easy- I consider this a super lazy dinner but it tastes amazing and my husband LOVES when I make it.
You NEED to try this! Dwaeji bulgogi is spicy grilled pork. “Bul” means fire and “gogi” means meat. It’s the Korean equivalent of Mexican asada- meaning grilled meat. Beef bulgogi is a more well known Korean dish and is probably the first thing people try when venturing into Korean cuisine, but I personally prefer dwaeji bulgogi! It has much more flavor, plus I always prefer pork anyway, and best of all- it’s SPICY!
If you have a low spice tolerance, don’t worry- you can make it less spicy simply by using a mild gochujang instead of the extra spicy one like I do. If your spice tolerance is even lower than that, just reduce the amount of gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes).
Ingredients
- Thinly sliced pork shoulder – I can usually find this at Hmart already sliced. It says right on the package that it’s for bulgogi. If you don’t have that option, you can just slice some pork shoulder thinly yourself. Slightly freeze your pork shoulder so that it is easier to slice. You can also use pork belly!
- Marinade- Since the pork is thinly sliced, you do not need to marinate this over night or anything like that- you can grill or pan fry right away. The marinade is a simple mix of gochugaru, gochujang, soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and black pepper. I use extra spicy gochujang for mine, but you can use the mild one if your spice tolerance is low. The brands that I use are pictured above. For the gochugaru, just make sure you get the coarse flakes, not fine.
- Garnish- these are not super important, but I do think they serve a greater purpose than just aesthetic. Add some sesame seeds and chopped green onion for added flavor.
How to cook dwaeji bulgogi
Dwaeji bulgogi is traditionally grilled over direct fire and eaten at the table while grilling. If you have a table top grill, I definitely recommend this method. Just grill each side until it develops a nice char, no more than 10 minutes total.
If you don’t have a grill, pan frying is perfectly fine and yields great results. Just add a little oil to a large frying pan and cook the pork until slightly charred.
No matter which method you choose, it should not take a long time to cook. The pork is thin, and it has a good amount of marbling so you don’t have to worry about it being tough.
How to eat dwaeji bulgogi
- Ssam– my favorite way to enjoy dwaeji bulgogi is with lettuce wraps. The fresh greens help to cut the fatty meat, and its a healthier option than eating with rice. I like mine with ref leaf lettuce, perilla leaves (깻잎), jalapenos, and ssamjang.
- With rice– go with this option for a heartier meal. Sometimes I even eat it with both rice and lettuce wraps.
15 Minute Dwaeji Bulgogi 돼지불고기 (Spicy Pork)
Ingredients
- 1 lb thinly sliced pork shoulder, or pork belly
- 1/2 small onion, sliced
- 1 tbsp oil
Marinade
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp gochugaru
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 3 tbsp extra spicy gochujang, or mild gochujang
- 2-3 tbsp brown sugar, adjust sweetness to your liking
- 4 crushed garlic cloves
- 1 tsp crushed ginger, optional
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Garnish
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 chopped green onion
For lettuce wraps (ssam)
- red leaf lettuce
- perilla leaves
- jalapenos
- ssamjang
Instructions
- If you're going to eat the dwaeji bulgogi as lettuce wraps (highly recommend), wash and prepare all your veggies first. You can find my ssamjang recipe here
- Mix together all of the marinade ingredients
- Add the thinly sliced pork shoulder and sliced onions and mix thoroughly with the marinade. Since the pork shoulder is thin, you do not need to wait. You can start grilling or pan frying it right away.
- On medium high heat, add oil to a large non stick pan. Add the pork and spread evenly. Keep the heat on medium high and turn the pork over after 2-3 minutes.
- Continue cooking the other side, making sure it develops a nice glaze and slight char but do not burn it. Adjust the heat if needed.
- Continuously stir/toss the pork around so that it doesn't burn, cooking until it is shiny and slightly charred all over. Total cooking time should be less than 10 minutes.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.
- Enjoy with a bowl of rice, or make lettuce wraps. I like mine with red leaf lettuce, perilla leaves, jalapenos slices, and a little ssamjang.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this yesterday and it was FANTASTIC. Thank you for the recipe. You do like your food spicy. I served it with 6 different banchan and rice. Just great.
Whoops, sorry, in my last new comment I meant to say I made this with chicken tenders and they were so good! I’m gonna try this with chicken breast next!! Again, thank you for the recipe, it is a lifesaver when I am really craving KBBQ!
I made this again tonight but with chicken breast and I just wanted to say it tasted just as good! I was really craving KBBQ so seriously, your recipe is a lifesaver! lol
I’ve just done it and it was so delicious! Your blog is always go-to when I want to cook sth incredible. I’ve felt in love in Korean cuisine thanks to your blog. Thank you so much for an amazing content!
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you so much for your comment, Klaudia <3
I just made this today but with chicken thigh meat and it was absolutely amazing. i even threw in some broccoli. def gonna be a staple for me!!
Hi Ming! Thank you so much for your comment. I’m happy to hear that it is great with chicken as well. I may have to upload a separate recipe for all of my halal friends.
This was absolutely delicious and the best part is that is was done with little effort. I used a pork butt roast and asked the butcher to slice to 1/8 inch. My family said it’s a keeper! Thank you for sharing your recipes!
Thank you so much for your comment! That is one of my favorite things about this recipe- super delicious and VERY easy to make! I’m so happy to hear your family enjoyed it 🙂
This such a great, quick recipe! My husband and boys LOVED it!
Thank you for letting us know! So glad you guys enjoyed it 🙂
Hi, how many people does this recipe serve??
It depends on what you are serving it with. Just as lettuce wraps, I would say 2 people. If you are serving with rice, I think you could stretch it to 3 people. General rule of thumb is 1/2 lb meat per person 🙂
Tiktok brought me here and I’m so glad it did! This recipe is delicious! I followed the recipe exactly and also made ssamjang to garnish, and it was delicious! Will definitely be making this again.
Hello,
Can you let the pork marinate overnight or for a few hours? Or does it need to be cooked right away?
Hi! Only let it marinate over night if you are using thicker cuts of meat. Since this is thinly sliced, you don’t need to marinate at all. You can if you want to but I don’t recommend anything longer than a couple hours 🙂
Hi, 2 questions. How much onion do you add? It’s not in the ingredient list or directions. Also, what is the serving size for the recipe? I’m excited to try this!
Hi! I used half of a small onion but you can add more if you really like onions, there’s really no set amount 🙂 This was enough to feed three people, possibly 1 more if you are eating it with rice.