Spicy Pork Bulgogi (Dwaejibulgogi) – Quick + Easy (VIDEO)
May 25, 2023, Updated Apr 01, 2024
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Spicy Pork Bulgogi (Dwaejibulgogi) is a popular Korean BBQ dish – thinly sliced pork belly is marinated in a delicious and spicy gochujang based marinade! It’s so easy to prep and cooks quickly over high heat- making it perfect for a weeknight meal or a dinner with friends! Best part is that it comes together in less than 30 minutes – keep reading to learn how to make the most delicious Spicy Pork Bulgogi at home!
Spicy Pork Bulgogi is similar to another very popular Korean BBQ dish, Beef Bulgogi. However, there are two key differences:
- Spicy Pork Bulgogi uses thinly sliced pork belly, whereas Beef Bulgogi uses thinly sliced beef
- Spicy Pork Bulgogi is marinated in a spicy gochujang based marinade, whereas Beef Bulgogi’s marinade is soy sauce based
When I’m hosting a gathering of friends and family, I like to make both options, as well as my famous Korean Marinated Short Ribs (LA Galbi) – all three meat options go super well together but are also different enough to add versatility to your table!
Watch the Spicy Pork Bulgogi Recipe Video Below!
What kind of Pork Belly should I buy?
- I like to use thin slices, roughly 1/8″ or 3mm, which is very thin. I like how it doesn’t take very long to marinate the thin slices and they cook nicely/quickly in the pan.
- You can use thicker slices if that is what you prefer; just note that the meat may need to be marinated for longer.
- I buy them pre-sliced at my local Korean grocery (H Mart). If you can’t find them pre-sliced, you may be able to ask the butcher to slice it for you.
- If you can’t buy it pre-sliced and want to slice it at home, I recommend you freeze the pork belly for 10 minutes before slicing. It’ll make the slicing a lot easier.
- If you can’t find pork belly, you can also use pork shoulder/butt.
- If you cannot use or eat pork, you can also substitute with thinly sliced chicken thighs!
Ingredients for Spicy Pork Bulgogi
You’re going to love how quickly Spicy Pork Bulgogi comes together at home – and the best part is, the list of ingredients are mostly items you already have in your pantry!
Seasonings
- Gochujang – Gochujang is a Korean pepper paste that is spicy, sweet, with a hint of umami. It has a STRONG flavor, so you only need a little to go a long way. I would adjust this to your spice preference – if you are new to the flavor or don’t enjoy spice as much, I would even start with 1/2 of what the recipe calls for!
- Light Soy Sauce – Use light soy sauce (not low sodium) or all-purpose soy sauce. Do NOT use dark soy sauce!
- Sugar
- Gochugaru – Gochugaru is Korean chili flakes or chili powder – for this recipe, you want to use the chili flakes. Gochugaru is spicy and intense in flavor – if you are sensitive to spice, I would recommend you use less.
- Black Pepper
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Sesame Oil
- White Onion
- Scallion
Spicy Pork Bulgogi: Recipe Instructions
1. Make the Marinade
The first step in making this recipe is mixing together the marinade.
In a medium to large mixing bowl, add gochujang, light soy sauce, sugar, gochugaru, sesame oil, black pepper, chopped garlic, and ginger.
Mix together the ingredients in a bowl until you get a loose paste, similar to the photo below. You don’t want the marinade too thick, otherwise it will be difficult to mix it in with the pork belly.
2. Marinate the Pork
Once the marinade is thoroughly mixed, add in the thinly sliced pork belly, along with the thinly sliced onions and scallions.
Using your hand (I recommend wearing a glove here), mix all the ingredients together until the pork is thoroughly coated in the marinade. The best part about this recipe is that it doesn’t take long to marinate – I usually let the pork belly marinate for about 15-30 minutes.
3. Cook The Pork
In a large pan, cook the pork over medium high heat for 4-5 minutes. If you are using 1/4″ slices, 4-5 minutes will be enough for the pork to be completely cooked. (If you want to cook this over a grill, that would also taste great!)
I personally like my Spicy Pork Bulgogi to be crispy, so I let it cook until the fat is rendered out and the pork crisps up.
PRO TIPS
Expert Tips for Spicy Pork Bulgogi At Home!
What Kind of Pork Belly Should I Use?
- I like to use 1/8″ thin slices or 3mm – I buy them pre-sliced at my local Korean grocery (H Mart).
- You can use thicker slices if that is what you prefer; just note that the meat may need to be marinated for longer and will also take longer to cook.
- If you can’t buy it pre-sliced and want to slice it at home, I recommend you freeze the pork belly for 10 minutes before slicing. It’ll make the slicing a lot easier.
- If you can’t find pork belly, you can also use pork shoulder/butt.
How do I know the Spicy Pork Belly is Cooked Properly?
Due to the color of the marinade, it can be difficult to gauge when the pork is properly cooked. If using 1/8″ thin slices, it should cook in about 4-5 minutes. Over medium high heat, you should also see the sugar in the marinade start to caramelize (which will add to the delicious flavors) and the fat get rendered out, which will help the pork crisp up nicely.
What if I Can’t Eat Pork?
The star of this recipe is the spicy and savory marinade – therefore, if you can’t eat pork, that is totally okay! I would substitute with thinly sliced boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
Storage and Reheating
- Marinated Spicy Pork Bulgogi (not cooked)
- Refrigerator: 4-5 days in an air tight container in the refrigerator
- Freezer: 2-3 weeks in an air tight container or freezer safe bag in the freezer
- I recommend portioning out your meat BEFORE freezing it; otherwise you will need to defrost all of it at once.
- Cooked Spicy Pork Bulgogi
- Refrigerator: 2-3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator
- Reheating
- I like to reheat my leftover Spicy Pork Bulgogi in a hot pan to warm everything quickly and also add a nice char to the meat. Because pork is a fattier meat, I think it holds up nicely to this method of reheating.
- You can also reheat this in the microwave.
What to Eat / Serve with Spicy Pork Bulgogi?
One of the best parts of Korean BBQ is the Korean side dishes (called “banchan”) – so when making Korean Beef Bulgogi at home, I would serve it with my favorite side dishes:
- If you need some extra vegetables, make my Korean Cucumber Salad – it’s light, refreshing, and has just a tiny bit of spice.
- For a simple vegetable dish with no spice, try my Korean Bean Sprout Salad
- You can never eat too much broccoli, so make my Korean Broccoli Salad (which is my wife’s family’s recipe)
- When we go out to Korean BBQ, Korean Stir-Fried Fish Cakes are the first banchan that gets eaten up!
- It’s not Korean BBQ without some Korean Cheese Corn – this is a crowd pleaser!
- I love eating Spicy Pork Bulgogi with Korean Spinach Side Dish (if you want something spicier, make my Spicy Korean Spinach Side Dish)
Spicy Pork Bulgogi
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs pork belly, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup gochujang
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1.5 tbsp gochugaru
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger, chopped
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
- 4 scallions, sliced into 2" pieces
Instructions
- In a large bowl add gochujang, light soy sauce, sugar, gochugaru, black pepper, salt, chopped garlic & ginger, sesame oil. Mix until this becomes a loose paste.
- Add in the pork belly along with thinly sliced onions and scallions. Mix well until the pork is thoroughly coating in the marinade. Marinate for at least 15 minutes.
- Over medium high to high heat, add 1 tbsp of oil and add your pork. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the fat from the pork has rendered and crisped up. Serve over freshly steamed rice and enjoy!
Notes
-
- I like to use 1/8″ thin slices or 3mm – I buy them pre-sliced at my local Korean grocery (H Mart).
-
- You can use thicker slices if that is what you prefer; just note that the meat may need to be marinated for longer and will also take longer to cook.
-
- If you can’t buy it pre-sliced and want to slice it at home, I recommend you freeze the pork belly for 10 minutes before slicing. It’ll make the slicing a lot easier.
-
- If you can’t find pork belly, you can also use pork shoulder/butt.
Storage and Reheating
-
- Marinated Spicy Pork Bulgogi (not cooked)
-
- Refrigerator: 4-5 days in an air tight container in the refrigerator
-
- Freezer: 2-3 weeks in an air tight container or freezer safe bag in the freezer
-
- I recommend portioning out your meat BEFORE freezing it; otherwise you will need to defrost all of it at once.
-
- Freezer: 2-3 weeks in an air tight container or freezer safe bag in the freezer
-
- Marinated Spicy Pork Bulgogi (not cooked)
-
- Cooked Spicy Pork Bulgogi
-
- Refrigerator: 2-3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator
-
- Cooked Spicy Pork Bulgogi
-
- Reheating
-
- I like to reheat my leftover Spicy Pork Bulgogi in a hot pan to warm everything quickly and also add a nice char to the meat. Because pork is a fattier meat, I think it holds up nicely to this method of reheating.
-
- You can also reheat this in the microwave.
-
- Reheating
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
my wife and i make this recipe once a week! and easy go to that never misses.