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You are here: Home / All Recipes / Korean Grilled Beef Skewers

Korean Grilled Beef Skewers

Spicy, sweet with a richness that only the combination of doenjang and gochujang can impart. With a stovetop grill, you can enjoy these Korean grilled beef skewers any time of the year.

Korean grilled beef skewers with pickled cucumber and ginger on the side

It goes without saying, of course, that it won’t be a Korean dish unless the flavors are authentic. And that means using the correct seasonings for the marinade.

What is doenjang? Is it the same as miso paste?

Doenjang is Korean fermented soybean paste made with meju (dried soybean bricks) and brine. That might sound like a description of miso paste but doenjang is coarser, has a stronger flavor and isn’t sweet.

In an Asian grocery, Korean soybean paste is either doenjang or ssamjang. The latter is a spicy seasoned paste. To make sure that you’re getting the right thing, read beyond “soybean paste” on the label and find the part that says doenjang.

What is gochujang?

An fermented red chili paste, gochujang is sweetish due to the starch in the glutinous rice which is one of the ingredients. It is combined with doenjang and a few other ingredients to make ssamjang.

Can ssamjang be substituted for doenjang and gochujang?

I understand that for people who don’t cook Korean food at home all that often, it sounds more practical to buy just one paste instead of two. If you don’t like it, it feels less wasteful to throw out one tub instead of two. BUT…

To start with, ssamjang is a table condiment. Doenjang and gochujang are generally cooking ingredients. Still, in a very loose sense, you may substitute ssamjang for doenjang and gochujang to make the marinade for this dish. The downside is that it will be more difficult to make adjustments to suit your taste.

If you want something spicier, there’s no way to up the heat because you don’t have gochujang. If you want something less salty and you dilute the marinade with water, you dilute all the other flavors as well. So, I don’t recommend making the substitution.

Korean Grilled Beef Skewers

Recipe by Connie Veneracion
Pre-sliced beef, the kind used for bulgogi, is ideal for this dish. We prefer thinly cut short plate because the fat ensures that the beef skewers are ultra moist off the grill. If you prefer leaner cuts, go for sirloin, tenderloin, top round or bottom round, but definitely not a cut meant for stewing. Whichever cut you use, note that these beef skewers require a short cooking time. Overcooking the beef will make it tough and rubbery.
While nothing compares with the smoky flavor of meat grilled over charcoal, weather does not always permit outdoor grilling. An indoor grill (standalone or stovetop) will do the job well too. A cast iron stovetop grill was used here.
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Marinating time 15 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine Korean
Servings 4 people
Korean grilled beef skewers sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds
Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams thinly sliced beef

Marinade

  • 1 two-inch knob ginger peeled and sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic peeled and lightly pounded
  • 2 tablespoons doenjang
  • 1 tablespoon gochujang
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine
  • 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seed oil

Instructions
 

  • Place the beef in a mixing bowl.
  • In a small food processor or blender, drop in the garlic and ginger.
    Making Korean beef marinade with ginger, garlic, sugar, doenjang and gochujang
  • Add the doenjang, gochujang and sugar.
  • Pour in the soy sauce, rice wine, rice vinegar and sesame seed oil.
    Making Korean beef marinade with soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil
  • Add a quarter cup of water and process to make the marinade.
    Korean beef marinade made with mini food processor
  • Taste and adjust the flavor, if you prefer.
  • Add the marinade to the beef, mix well and leave for fifteen minutes (the meat will soak up all the marinade).
    Marinating ang grilling Korean beef skewers
  • Thread the beef with skewers.
  • Heat the grill and cook the beef skewers over high heat, in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding, about two minutes per side.
  • Serve your Korean grilled beef skewers as an appetizer or with rice as a main course.
Keyword Beef, grilled, Spicy
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Published: December 17, 2021 • Last modified: February 16, 2022 ♥ All Recipes, Korean, Main Courses, Meat
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