An easy Spicy Korean Pork Bulgogi recipe made with thin slices of pork belly and a sweet gochujang sauce that can be served with a side of rice, wrapped in a lettuce or used in tacos!
Korean food (along with Thai food and Indian food) is one of the most flavorful foods I have ever come across in my life and is something that I love to eat often, so naturally, I would learn to make it at home especially if it's simple to make and can be made in less than 30 minutes (minus marinading time).
Korean spicy pork bulgogi is loaded with spicy and savory flavors from the gochujang paste and fish sauce but also has a balance of sweet in it as well from the mirin and the sugars. It's intense in flavor from the garlic, ginger, and onion marinade and is absolutely delicious on top of some plain white rice to mop up that salty umami sauce. I also like to eat this with an easy-to-make Korean cucumber salad (Oi Muchim) that takes about 5 minutes to make.
If you're looking for another cozy and comforting Asian pork belly dish, you should definitely check out my Chinese braised pork belly recipe which is braised in beer!
INGREDIENTS FOR SPICY KOREAN PORK BULGOGI
- Pork - I like to use pork belly for this recipe, but this recipe also works with pork shoulder or pork butt as well.
- Gochujang (Korean Fermented Chili Paste) - There is no good substitute for this ingredient. So if it's possible, try to find this at a Korean/Asian grocery store or online since it is the main flavor for this dish. It also keeps very well in the fridge - just make sure that once you open it, seal it back up very well so that it doesn't dry out. (I like to use plastic wrap under the lid with an elastic, and then put the plastic lid back on top)
- Gochugaru (Korean Chili Flakes) - If you can't find this, you substitute it with cayenne pepper but in half the amount. You can also omit or use half the amount if you don't want your spicy Korean pork bulgogi to be too spicy.
- Cooking Wine (mirin) - Mirin is slightly different than Chinese cooking wine because it is sweet in flavor so it cannot be substituted with Chinese cooking wine. If you cannot find Mirin at your Asian grocery store, you can substitute it by mixing either dry sherry or sake with 1 teaspoon of sugar.
- Soy Sauce/Fish Sauce - Personally like using fish sauce for this recipe because I find it more flavorful but you can substitute it for soy sauce as well.
SLICE THE PORK THIN
To be able to slice the pork thinly, keep the pork belly in the freezer for 45 minutes to an hour. This will firm up the meat and make it a lot easier to slice the meat thinly. If your pork belly comes with skin, remove the skin before freezing it.
Once the pork has been sliced thinly, place it all in a bowl and marinate it for 2-3 hours in the fridge.
DIFFERENT WAYS TO ENJOY PORK BULGOGI
- The quickest way to enjoy this is to serve it with some white rice to mop up the spicy sauce from the pork belly.
- If you're feeling a bit fancy or you have guests, you can also enjoy this as a lettuce wrap as well! I like to use green leaf lettuce, and sometimes with a perilla leaf as the wrap. Once you have the lettuce laid out, you can add a bit of rice, green onions and a piece of Spicy Korean Pork Bulgogi and wrap it and then eat it!
- This spicy Korean pork also goes well in tacos! If you're having a taco night, use this as the protein instead and top it with your usual taco toppings! (I like to add lime pickled red onions, sour cream and a bit of cheese)
LOOKING FOR MORE KOREAN RECIPES? TRY THESE!
- Korean Corn Cheese (Elote Style)
- Korean Glass Noodles (Japchae / Chapchae)
- Spicy Soondubu Tofu Stew (Soondubu Jjigae)
- Stir-Fried Kimchi Rice Cakes
- Tteokbokki (Korean Spicy Rice Cakes)
- Tuna Mayo Deopbap (Korean Tuna Rice Bowl)
- Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim)
DID YOU MAKE THIS SPICY KOREAN PORK BULGOGI?
If you made this, I want to see! Follow Pups with Chopsticks on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag and hashtag it with @pupswithchopsticks and #pupswithchopsticks. I love to know what you are making!
Stay connected and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for all of my latest recipes!
Recipe Card
Spicy Korean Pork Bulgogi
Joyce's Recipe Notes
- I like to use pork belly for this recipe, but this recipe also works with pork shoulder or pork butt as well.
- If you can't find gochugaru (Korean Chili Flakes), you substitute it with cayenne pepper but in half the amount. You can also omit or use half the amount if you don't want your spicy Korean pork bulgogi to be too spicy.
- Mirin is slightly different than Chinese cooking wine because it is sweet in flavor so it cannot be substituted with Chinese cooking wine. If you cannot find Mirin at your Asian grocery store, you can substitute it by mixing either dry sherry or sake with 1 teaspoon of sugar.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb 650g pork belly (or pork shoulder/pork butt)
- 3 stalks green onions (cut into 1 ½ inch chunks, including the whites)
Marinade
- 2 tablespoons garlic (grated, approximately 5-6 cloves)
- 1 ½ tablespoon ginger (grated, approximately 1 inch of ginger)
- 1 medium onion
- 3 ½ tablespoons gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)
- 1 tablespoons soy sauce (or ½ tablespoons fish sauce)
- 2 tablespoons honey (or sugar)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons mirin cooking wine
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes) (Optional, if you like it spicy)
Instructions
Preparation
- Remove the root end of the green onion and cut them into 1 ½ inch long chunks (including the whites of the green onions). Slice the thicker, white ends length wise again so it that it is the same thickness as the greens.
- If your pork belly comes with skin, remove the skin and discard it.
- Freeze the pork belly for 1 hour. This will make it easier to slice thinly. If you are using a larger cut of meat like a pork shoulder, you may need to freeze it for a longer period of time.
Marinate the Pork Belly
- Peel the garlic, slice the ginger and cut the onion into 1 inch cubes.
- In a food processor, blend the garlic, ginger and onion together into a paste. (You can also grate it by hand if you don't have a food processor.) Place the blended garlic, ginger and onion in a large bowl.
- Add the ingredients under 'Marinade' into the bowl with the garlic, ginger and onion and mix everything together.
- Remove the pork belly from the freezer and thinly slice it. I like to slice it approximately ⅛ inch or thinner.
- Add the pork belly into the marinade and mix everything well. Marinade it in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour (the longer you marinade it, the more flavorful it will be).
Cooking the Spicy Korean Pork Bulgogi
- Set the stove on high heat and set a non-stick frying pan or a high walled pot (to prevent splatter) on the stove and add a bit of oil into it.
- Once the oil is hot, add the pork belly in the pan (including any extra marinade, this will be the sauce)
- Pan fry on high heat for 8-11 minutes. Pork belly splatters quite a bit, so be careful or wear an apron to prevent staining on your clothes.
- Once the pork belly is cooked, turn off heat, add green onions and mix the onions around to let the heat wilt it.
3 Different Ways to Serve This
- The quickest way to enjoy this is to serve it with white rice.
- You can also share this and have it as lettuce wraps! Set out a pile of green leaf lettuce, some white rice and if you can find it, some perilla leaves. You can add a bit of rice, green onions and a piece of Spicy Korean Pork Bulgogi to the lettuce and wrap it and then eat it!
- This spicy Korean pork also goes well in tacos! If you're having a taco night, use this as the protein instead and top it with your usual taco toppings! (I like to add lime pickled red onions, sour cream and a bit of cheese)
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is calculated using online tools and is an estimate*
Disclaimer: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. I always appreciate the support but please try to buy your items locally if possible to support your local shops (they would most likely be cheaper locally as well!)
Neil Jolly says
Made this last night using pork tenderloin. Turned out fantastic. Spicy pork bulgogi was one of my favourite dishes made in a japanese restaurant in my old home town. Since I moved three years ago I have been craving it. Now I can make it at home anytime I want.
Thanks for a great recipe!
Joyce Lee says
Hi Neil!
Yay! I'm so happy you liked it! I'm very happy to share! 🙂
I have never used pork tenderloin with this, so I am happy this worked out! I will need to start using pork tenderloin with this as well! 🙂
Julie Rooney says
Amazing made it for bbq with friends. Everyone loved it.
Joyce Lee says
Hi Julie!
I'm so happy everyone liked it!
Sue says
I love the flavor of this sauce however, the pork belly was mushy. I let it cook for a long time (20 min) to see if it would crisp up, but it did not. I may try with a different meat because I did like the flavor, just not the texture.
Joyce Lee says
Hi Sue,
Sorry the pork belly was mushy. If you want the pork belly crispier, you can slice them thinner next time and pat it dry before pan-frying it. Also, if you cook the pork belly in 1 layer with a large frying pan, and not over crowd the pan it will also help with the crispiness as well.
Josie says
Thanks Joyce for introducing this spicy Korean Bulgogi sauce. Easy to make, marinated w/ pork chops..... here I go, turned out very delicious & tempting. Honestly to tell you, my hubby kept saying during our dinner time how I made it so profesdionally tasty good 👍 ..Haha😀😀.
Joyce Lee says
Hi Josie,
I'm so happy everyone liked it! I never thought to make it with pork chops but that sounds like a really good idea!! I need to try this sometime!
Nadia says
I have already commented on this before and I've given it 5 stars but I have to say, it's been a hit every single time I've made it AND it has become my go to comfort food, so thank you for the recipe!!!
Joyce Lee says
Hi Nadia!
I'm so happy you're back and I'm super happy to be able to share this with you! Comfort foods are my fave types of food and I'm honored this has made it to your list!