Korean BBQ Beef

When we eat at Kaju Tofu in Irvine, our fave Korean restaurant, three of us order beef tofu soup and my 6 year old orders kalbi, marinated shortribs. That stuff is SO good! He doesn't care for tofu soup as he can't get over the mental block that he's no longer allergic to soy. His brain still tells him to avoid it (weird, I know) but that's ok because he's a great eater aside from the tofu hang-up. 

Then, we heard about Zion Market in Tustin that sells marinated shortribs. I like their marinade more than the restaurant's. :) I also love that we can barbeque our own kalbi at home.  Oh, yeah...yummy stuff! 

I knew I could make my own kalbi marinade, and after searching and searching and searching some more...I finally found the recipe! Thanks, Week of Menus! 

I used flank steak instead of shortribs so I believe this is considered "Korean BBQ Beef" and not "Kalbi." I'll just call it... "DELICIOUS!"

I cut the ginormous flank steak from Costco into quarters because I wanted it to fit nicely in the rectangular dish.

Hubby kept as much garlic on the beef as possible. :)

OH MY! This was TASTY!!!

Fresh, organic lettuce from South Coast Farms in San Juan Capistrano.

I signed up for bi-weekly CSA baskets again.

My boys call this Korean "burritos" and inhale these wraps. They're SUPER delicious!

Wrap it up!

Lettuce leaf, 1/2 sheet of laver (Korean seaweed), rice, beef and red chili paste. 

I prefer a lot of chili, but since I wanted a picture of the sliced beef, I had to hold back. :)

Korean BBQ Beef

Yield: 4-5 servings

Ingredients:

• 1-2 lb flank steak, rinsed, dried and cut in half across the grain
• 1 bunch green onions, washed and rinsed well.

Sauce:

• 1/4 c soy sauce (my soy is light as it's infused with garlic and kombu)
• 1/4 c cane sugar
• 1/4 c water (I forgot to add this)
• 1 1/2 tbs sesame oil
• 1 1/2 tbs sake (or mirin or sherry)
• 2-4 tbs chopped garlic
• 2 tbs sesame seeds, toasted
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. In medium-sized mixing bowl, add sauce ingredients, mix well and set aside.
2. Rinse and dry meat and cut in half into a smaller, more manageable/barbequeable-piece. :)
3. Submerge steak into marinade and place steak into container/ziploc bag.
4. Layer in green onions and place on top of steak. Continue with steak/onion layers until all steak has been sauced. Pour remaining marinade on top.
5. Marinate overnight for best flavor or a 6-8 hr marinade period will taste great, too.
6. Grill on BBQ or broil in oven for 12-15 mins depending on meat preference.
7. Let flank steak sit for 5 mins before slicing. Slice AGAINST the grain and at a slight angle.
8. To make wraps, layer lettuce, seaweed, rice, beef and chili paste for a fab dinner or place beef on top of bowl of rice for a beef bowl.

Notes: You can double the amount for flank steak and sauce ingredients. If you don't grill both flanks, freeze the leftover portion with the sauce. You just may end up cooking the second one, too. It's THAT good!

Source: Week of Menus