Is this something you’d find in an authentic Korean restaurant? Well…no, don’t imagine it is. Is it friggin’ delicious? Yes, 100% it is! I’ve made other bulgogi recipes before, and this one’s a bit simpler than some, but makes a really deliciously marinated meat that happens to pair wonderfully with the melty American cheese. Even just the meat is worth making, but if you’ve already gone that far, might go all the way to cheesesteak at least once!

Ingredients:

• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 inch chunk of ginger, peeled
• 1 teaspoon chile flakes (now that I have gochugaru, I’d use that, but if you don’t have a Korean option, just use regular crushed red pepper flakes)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons gochujang (Korean chili paste, this one is also available at my supermarket, if not you can get it on Amazon, and it’s worth having/putting in EVERYTHING)
• 4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 6 tablespoons soy sauce
• 6 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 pounds shaved beef (I wasn’t sure, but this was something just for sale no problems at my regular supermarket)
• 1 green pepper (skipped this, I hate ’em)
• 1 medium onion
• 2 carrots (I just had a pile of baby carrots, good enough)
• 1 additional tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 12 inch French loaves
• at least 12 slices American cheese

Press the garlic through a garlic press and finely mince the ginger into a large bowl or large ziplock. (The original recipe called for grating them with a microplane, but my garlic was already minced and it didn’t seem worth the hassle?) Add the pepper flakes, brown sugar, gochujang, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil to the bowl/bag and mix well.

Add the shaved beef and mix until the meat is well covered. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

Meanwhile, thinly slice the pepper, onion, and carrot. A mandolin would work nicely here. Add the extra tablespoon of sesame oil to a large pan over medium heat and add the thinly sliced vegetables. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, starting about 10 minutes before the meat is done marinating.

Place another large pan over medium-high heat. Once warmed, add the marinated beef and cook until cooked through. Tongs work well to stir here, ensuring all the meat is cooked evenly.

Slice your bread open and line with a layer of cheese slices.

When both the meat and veggies are cooked, add both meat and vegetables to the bread, then let sit 2 minutes so that the heat of the meat has a chance to partly melt the cheese, and some of the oil can soak into the bread.

I really liked the melty cheese with the salt from the soy sauce! 6 inches is probably enough for most people for a meal, so this will get you 4 servings, or two greasy, smiley stomach aches!

Bulgogi Cheesesteak

Slightly adapted from Tablespoon.

• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 inch chunk of ginger, peeled
• 1 teaspoon chile flakes
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons gochujang
• 4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 6 tablespoons soy sauce
• 6 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 pounds shaved beef
• 1 green pepper
• 1 medium onion
• 2 carrots
• 1 additional tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 12 inch French loaves
• at least 12 slices American cheese

Press the garlic through a garlic press and finely mince the ginger into a large bowl or large ziplock. Add the pepper flakes, brown sugar, gochujang, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil to the bowl/bag and mix well. Add the shaved beef and mix until the meat is well covered. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

Meanwhile, thinly slice the pepper, onion, and carrot. A mandolin would work nicely here. Add the extra tablespoon of sesame oil to a large pan over medium heat and add the thinly sliced vegetables. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, starting about 10 minutes before the meat is done marinating.

Place another large pan over medium-high heat. Once warmed, add the marinated beef and cook until cooked through.

Slice your bread open and line with a layer of cheese slices. When both the meat and veggies are cooked, add both meat and vegetables to the bread, then let sit 2 minutes so that the heat of the meat has a chance to partly melt the cheese, and some of the oil can soak into the bread.