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?
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Recipe Card
Spicy Korean Pork Bulgogi
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*
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K. Rod says
This was a hit with my daughter, who never really likes anything. I didn’t want to bring out the food processor for the onions,garlic, and ginger but I did have a well-seasoned molcajete (mortar and pestle) which worked out nicely. Served on top of fluffy jasmine rice and the taste was amazing. No leftovers!
Joyce Lee says
Hi K!
Woohoo I feel super happy she liked it! This really made my day! You have a molcajete! I think it's a brilliant idea to use that instead of a food processor (I hate washing them as well). I have been searching for a good one for a while, I just have a normal mortar and pestle and I'm not loving the smooth walls from it haha
Cat says
I’ve wanted to make pork bulgogi for ages and finally got round to making it! I used two slices of pork belly for 2 of us and only wish I’d made more! The flavour was spicy and delicious and so easy. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks for mentioning that the pork spits! I was armed with my apron ready.
Joyce Lee says
Hi Cat,
I'm so happy you liked this! haha, I'm happy that tip helped! I know every time I make this I get splattered to death and need to use a lid as a shield like Captain America to save my arms!
Danni Eldred says
Superb! Very similar flavor to what I have had in Korean restaurants. I couldn't find pork belly, used pork shoulder. It didn't get as crispy on the edges as I would have preferred, but the flavor was great and not too sweet. We wrapped the pork and steamed rice in lettuce, as in your photos, but also added sliced cucumbers, shredded carrots, and Thai sweet chili sauce. Would have been even better if I had had kimchi available! Thanks for sharing a great recipe idea. We enjoyed it, and it was fun to wrap and eat.
Danni Eldred says
Whole Foods carries an expensive but delicious version of gochujang if you don't have a large supermarket or Asian grocer nearby. It's called Mother In Law's gochujang (I used the sesame version). I just happened to have that one in my fridge and have used it for other recipes. The standard brands in the red tubs are also good if you have them available.
Joyce Lee says
Hi Danni,
I'm very happy to share and that you enjoyed it! I definitely have a lot of fun doing lettuce wraps too, makes dinner a bit different! 😊
Arja says
Am not Korean and have never had this before, but I have a small Korean store just across the street and needed bacon. Thought I bought bacon, but no, it was thinly slices pork belly. Ok, what to do? I searched for recipes and found this. Next problem, I could not find gochujang or gochugaru. But found spicy bulgogi marinade., maybe a shortcut. So I made it with that, added a bit of garlic and ginger. It’s delicious, not too spicy,. I will want to try it from scratch, as per your recipe next time, so am hunting for those Korean ingredients.
Joyce Lee says
Hi again Arja!
I'm so glad the bulgogi marinade worked out for you! It's strange that a Korean store wouldn't have gochujang, it's a staple in their cuisine. They are usually in red plastic tubs. Gochugaru is also a staple as well and looks like red chili flakes...but like what Danni said above, you can find gochujang at Whole Foods as well. 😊
Arja Sokkanen says
I could not find gochujang nor gochugary, but I found Korean Spicy Bulgogi Marinade, will that do? And do I have to add anything else? Other than the green onions in the end?
Joyce Lee says
Hi Arja,
I am not sure how the Korean Spicy Bulgogi Marinade tastes so I'm not 100% sure if it can be substituted with it. Danni who commented above had found gochujang at Whole Foods if you have one around your area.
As for toppings, I usually like to eat toasted sesame seeds and green onions in the end.
Sorry I couldn't be more help!
Nadia says
Made this yesterday as part of my meal plan, served it with some thai sticky rice on lettuce leaves and it was incredible. Had leftovers today and it was even more spicy and invredicbly delicious. I also made a "mistake" and prepared it too early, so it marinated in the fridge for 24 hours. It's just sooo beautiful! Thank you for the recipe!
Joyce Lee says
Hi Nadia!
I'm so happy you liked it! I love how you used sticky rice with the wraps! That chewiness must have made it so satisfying! 😊
Joe says
I made this tonight it was really good. However I had to use two pans as putting all the pork belly and sauce in one pan just made it cooking in its own sauce and wasn’t sautéing it at all. So I used a nonstick pan on the side to crisp them up before returning them to the pan. Served it along kimchi cucumber I made as well. It was delish. Thanks for the recipe.
Joyce Lee says
Hi Joe,
So happy you liked this! The kimchi cucumber sounds like a fantastic addition to the meal! I'm very happy to share