Homemade Korean BBQ: Your Next Family Gathering Feast
For dinner this weekend, I invited my parents over for the ultimate Korean BBQ feast – AT HOME! Korean BBQ seems like a complex meal that only works in a restaurant, but it’s actually super easy to do at home. It’s easy to prep, great for large gatherings, and a great way to make ahead some extra food for the week! Today, I show you the must haves for a KBBQ dinner: equipments, side dishes, and most importantly – a simple KBBQ meat marinade!
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Korean BBQ: An Easy Feast For A Large Group
I love hosting Korean BBQ night because it’s such a fun way of sharing a meal. There’s just something about chatting around the table while grilling meat for each other that makes for such a close bonding experience for a group. A Korean BBQ feast consists of an array of side dishes (banchan) consisting of various pickles, kimchi, and veggies, rice, lettuce, and of course – different types of meats to grill.
I love wrapping the meat and sides in a piece of lettuce or rice paper to make the perfect bites, but you can really be creative about how you eat each bite!
To get your dining room ready for Korean BBQ, you’ll need the right grill setup. I set up 2 butane stoves, and put a Korean BBQ Grill on top. They’re easy to find at your local Asian supermarket. You can also order these Korean BBQ Grills online. If you don’t have one, you can also try a flat griddle, but these Korean BBQ Grills are made for ideal fat drainage during grilling.
Korean BBQ Isn’t Complete Without Side Dishes
Korean BBQ night starts with a variety of side dishes, or banchan. To start, I always have Kimchi. For today’s dinner, I’m also making 4 different types of other banchon: Korean Spinach Salad, Spicy Bean Sprouts, Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad, and Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad. I love to make huge batches of these side dishes for my family to take home after KBBQ, or to eat throughout the week.
If you’d like to add a little more carbs to your KBBQ spread, I also suggest bibimbap, kimbap, or Korean seafood pancakes. Tonight, we’re keeping it simple with just white rice.
Korean Spinach Salad Ingredients
- 1.5 lb of Fresh Spinach (with the stems on)
- 4 cloves of Garlic minced
- 3 tbsp of Soy Sauce
- 3.5 tbsp of Sesame Oil
- 1 stalk of Green Onion chopped
- 2 tbsp of Sesame Seeds crushed
- 1 tsp of Sugar
- 0.5 tbsp of Korean Red Chili Flakes
- 0.5 tbsp of Korean Chili Paste
Spicy Korean Bean Sprout Ingredients
- 1 Green Onion (chopped)
- 1-2 Garlic (minced)
- 1 tbsp of Sesame Oil
- 2-3 tsp of Gochugaru (Korean Red pepper Flakes)
- ¼ tsp of Sugar
- ¼ tsp of Black Pepper
- 1 tsp of Soy Sauce or Fish Sauce
- ½ tbsp of Crushed Roasted Sesame Seeds
Sweet & Sour Cucumber Ingredients
- 1 whole English Cucumber (cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 1 Tbsp of Sugar
- 1 Tsp of Salt
MARINADE:
- 3 Tbsp of Rice Vinegar or Sushi Seasoning
- 1 tsp of Sugar
- 1 tsp of Salt
- 1 tsp of Sesame Seeds
- 1 Tbsp of Cilantro
Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad Ingredients
- 2 whole Cucumbers
- 4 cloves of minced Garlic
- 1⁄2 thinly sliced Onion
- 2 tbsp of Korean Chilli Paste
- 0.5 tbsp of Korean Chilli Flakes
- 1.5 tbsp of Sesame Oil
- 1 tbsp of Ground Sesame Seeds
- 1.5 tbsp of Sugar
- 1 tsp of Salt
The Easiest Restaurant-Style Korean BBQ Marinade
Before dinner time, I make a KBBQ marinade to season the meat. This marinade is a recipe that we use all the time for BBQ dinner, and it really does taste like the restaurants. The key ingredients for this marinade is freshly grated apple, pear, onion, and ginger. This mix of natural fruit juices gives the meat a natural sweetness while tenderizing at the same time. I honestly get asked this recipe ALL THE TIME when I host with KBBQ.
This marinade is such a game changer! I use it not only for beef, but also for pork and chicken. My favorite types of meat for KBBQ are Beef Short Ribs, Pork Belly, and Beef Rib Eye. If we don’t finish all the meat tonight, I keep the leftovers in a resealable bag to eat throughout the week.
Korean BBQ Meat Marinade Ingredients
- 1 apple
- 1 onion white or yellow
- 1 Korean pear, if cannot find, double the apple
- 10-15 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup mirin
- 3 tablespoon honey
- 1 tsp black pepper – adjust to your own liking
- 1.5 tbsp sesame oil
- Grate the apple, pear, onion, and ginger.
- Strain everything in a cheesecloth so the juices become extra pure
- Add in the Garlic, Soy Sauce, Mirin, Sesame Oil, Black Pepper, and Honey. Mix well.
- Marinate the meat in the sauce for at least 30 minutes.
Here’s a few more easy Korean side dishes that go great during Korean BBQ Night:
Easy Korean BBQ Meat Marinade
By Tiffy Cooks
Ingredients
- 1 apple
- 1 onion white or yellow
- 1 Korean pear if cannot find, double the apple
- 10-15 cloves garlic minced
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup mirin
- 3 tablespoon honey can replace with brown sugar
- 1 tsp black pepper – adjust to your own liking
- 1.5 tbsp sesame oil
Instructions
- Grate the apple, pear, onion, and ginger.
- Strain everything in a cheesecloth so the juices become extra pure.
- Add in the Garlic, Soy Sauce, Mirin, Sesame Oil, Black Pepper, and Honey. Mix well.
- Marinate the meat in the sauce for at least 30 minutes.
