Cycle 16 – Item 43

17 (Mon) February 2025

Post 5,522

Fire Meat, Literally

3.0

by me

at home

-Changgok, Sujeong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea-

with W and IZ

Whereas “bulgogi” means “fire (bul) meat (gogi),” it’s typically cooked in a vessel through indirect heat, not directly over or under flames, and marinated in lots of sauce that turns into a thickish soup.  The exception is Gwangyang-style bulgogi (never been featured on GMTD): lightly marinated and roasted over live coals, resulting in crispy meat with loads of charred smokiness – some would say that this is the OG, where the dish got its name.

Tonight, while stir-frying standard bulgogi in a skillet, I also scorched it from the top with a hand-torch, the way I do certain Chinese dishes.

It turned out quite nice.  The bulgogi itself – hanwoo, marinated, from Costco – was nicely seasoned with rich beef flavor.  The torching added wisps of smoke, though not as much as I would’ve hoped, mostly undetectable once mixed with the fried egg and smothered into rice.  But a fine meal overall.

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