How to make Korean BBQ at Home
WHAT IS KOREAN BBQ?
Korean BBQ is one of the most popular, well-known foods of Korea. It takes the best of spending quality time with the people you love and combines it with barbecued food. The constant sizzle from the tabletop grill also removes all moments of awkward silence. How perfect is that?
Korean BBQ is family-style dining grilling meat and vegetables on a tabletop stove. Essential components include thinly sliced meats, sliced vegetables, greens such as lettuce and perilla leaves, SSAMJANG which is a Korean savoury dip with rice, soup and BANCHAN Korean side dishes to round out the meal.
HOW TO MAKE KOREAN BBQ AT HOME?
The simplest way to to grab some meat, greens, SSAMJANG and rice from the grocery store. If you don’t have a tabletop or portable stove, I would suggest getting one if you enjoy eating this at home. The whole point is to eat meat fresh off the grill and cooking it on a stove and then eating it at the table would be a different type of thing all together.
Start once the rice has cooked. If you stock Korean pantry ingredients, make some DOENJANG JJIGAE (my way, the fast way here) Fermented Bean Stew and get that going. Then set up the grill and you’re on your way. Have the table all set up because once you fire up the grill, it’s eating time. Wash the greens, portion out SSAMJANG and BANCHAN to smaller dishes and everyone gets a bowl of rice. Ready?
Begin grilling meats. Make a SSAM (wrap), add a piece of meat from the grill, eat. Repeat until overly full. When the stew is done, bring that over and take a break from SSAM to enjoy some hot soup. Drink adult beverages, have lively conversation, watch everyone get a little food coma sleepy.
EQUIPMENT FOR A KOREAN BBQ AT HOME:
Portable Camping Gas Stove + Extra Butane or an Electric Smokeless BBQ Grill with Extractor.
WHAT YOU NEED:
MEAT: Fattier cuts of pork and beef are the usual suspects
- Pork belly, pork shoulder, beef brisket, beef ribeye (sliced thin).
VEGETABLES: Grill hearty vegetables and make your vegetarian friend happy.
- Asparagus, sweet potatoes, mushrooms.
- You may also want to buy spicy peppers, cucumbers or carrots to eat raw dipped in SSAMJANG.
GREENS: This is the wrap for bundles of grilled meat and rice. Flexibility is key.
- Red leaf lettuce, green lettuce, perilla leaves, Boston, bibb, butterhead.
RICE: Short grain sticky rice.
BANCHAN: Get an assortment of Korean side dishes. Get at least KIMCHI.
SSAMJANG: Korean BBQ dip. Add a bit to each SSAM (wrap).
WHAT YOU DO:
Set up tabletop grill. Make sure you have enough gas (portable gas stove).
Plate everything: Meats, lettuce leaves, BANCHAN portions, SSAMJANG (per person), rice (per person).
If making DOENJANG JJIGAE, get it on the stove now so it’s ready later in the meal.
Fire up the grill and begin! One person has to unfortunately cook the meat, but everyone can get started eating some hot, sizzling meat! Eat rice with side dishes until meat is ready, otherwise, assemble your wraps and keep going until full.
If you have some hot peppers, carrots or cucumbers, cut them into sticks or bite-sizes so you can dip in some SSAMJANG and it them raw. The fresh crunch will provide a nice break from all the meat-eating.
Serve hot soup. If you have small soup bowls (appetizer size), it’s better to serve individually, but if you are comfortable spit-swapping, just share it already.
If for some reason, you are not full and all the meat has come and gone, fill up on soup, rice and side dishes.
You have finished Korean BBQ. Play a fun game to see who gets to clean everything up.
Congratulations, best wishes to many days of Korean BBQ-ing ahead.