Korean barbecue is a grilling method for cooking pork, beef, and chicken on a gas or charcoal grill built into the dining table. It includes marinated and unmarinated meat and fish dishes served with side dishes or banchan. The most common dishes are bool kogi and kalbi kui, and the grill is usually a charcoal or gas brazier. Korean barbecue is usually made into a rollup with soft green lettuce leaves as wrappers and other ingredients such as white rice, scallions, and soybean paste or chili peppers.
Korean barbecue, or gogi gui, refers to the Korean grilling method for cooking pork, beef, and chicken. The method is notable for the use of a gas or charcoal grill that is typically built into the dining table itself, where diners prepare their thinly sliced meat. Although the most common form is for grilling beef short ribs or galbi, Korean barbecue is an umbrella term encompassing a variety of marinated and unmarinated meat and fish dishes. Korean barbecue is usually served with a number of side dishes, or banchan, such as green onion salad or lettuce with cucumbers and peppers.
The two most common Korean barbecue dishes are bool kogi or bolgogi and kalbi kui. Bool kogi is thinly sliced steak that is glazed with a sweet and savory marinade. Kalbi Kui is a meal of beef short ribs sliced and buttered to allow for quick grilling rather than the hours of smoking normally required to tenderize this tough meat. In addition to beef, Korean barbecue includes pork belly and chicken. Seafood such as oysters, clams and eels are also prepared in this grilled method.
Making real Korean barbecue isn’t just about grilling meat. When the meat dishes arrive at the table, dinner grills for itself. Because the meat is cut so thin, broiling can take less than two minutes. Once grilled, the meat is rarely eaten as-is. Instead, it is usually made into a rollup with soft green lettuce leaves as wrappers and other ingredients such as white rice, scallions, and soybean paste or chili peppers.
The grill used for Korean barbecue is a charcoal or gas brazier that resembles a large vase of flowers. It is usually built into the center of the dining table, but some restaurants will bring a portable version to the restaurant instead. Depending on what is being grilled, the grill will either have a wire grate or a grate with holes or slots inside a raised edge that collects the juices. Charcoal is the traditional fuel, but gas grills are increasingly common.
Types of unmarinated Korean barbecue include chadolbegi and samgyeopsal. The former is made with beef brisket sliced so thin that it grills almost instantly. The latter dish consists of unsalted bacon sliced a little more densely with scissors before grilling. Bacon is often fatty and rolled with kimchi and mushrooms after grilling.
While some Korean barbecue dishes aren’t marinated, most are. Typical marinades tend to incorporate salty soy sauce and sweet sugar, mirin, or Asian pear. Sesame oil imparts a nutty taste and garlic and black pepper add fragrant aroma. Korean grilled pork or fish can be especially spicy due to the common use of chili powder and hot bean paste in these dishes. Complementary drinks include plums, wild strawberries and rice wine.
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