Joanna Gaines’ Mom’s Bulgogi Recipe

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This recipe for Joanna Gaines’ mom’s bulgogi is slightly sweet and pairs well with cucumber kimchi salad. Made with thinly sliced beef marinated in a savory sauce, this dish is bursting with flavor. Topped off with fresh ingredients like toasted sesame seeds and scallions, Joanna Gaines’ mom’s beef bulgogi will both tantalize your taste buds and provide you with a comforting family meal.

The recipe for Joanna’s mom’s bulgogi comes from Joanna’s cookbook, Magnolia Table: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering. The cookbook includes more than 135 recipes that your family is sure to love.

To make bulgogi, you need to either buy thinly sliced beef or slice it yourself. While the recipe does take some work that spans from cutting the meat to marinating it to cooking it over a hot grill, it’s well worth the effort. Let’s take a look at how to make it.

The bulgogi marinates for several hours or overnight in a homemade marinade and then is cooked on a grill. Served over rice and alongside the cucumber kimchi salad, it’s a great take on a classic Korean dish.

Let’s look at how to make it, shall we?

Instructions

1. Marinate the bulgogi: In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, soy sauce, wine, sesame oil, green onions, garlic, and pepper until well combined. Add the beef and coat it completely in marinade. Cover and refrigerate 4 to 5 hours.
2. To make the cucumber kimchi salad: In a medium bowl, combine the cucumbers, green onions, garlic, gochugaru, sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, and salt to taste to stir gently. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Prepare a hot grill. If the pieces of beef are so small that they may fall through the grates, use a grilling skillet or place a sheet of foil on the grill.
4. Grill the beef on both sides until medium-well, 3 to 5 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking. Don’t crowd the skillet or foil, so do this in batches if necessary. As you finish each batch, transfer it to a serving platter and continue with the remaining beef.
5. Serve the bulgogi on top of steamed rice. Garnish with green onion and toasted sesame seeds and spoon the cucumber kimchi salad alongside.
6. Store the leftover bulgogi and cucumber kimchi salad in separate covered containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Lynda – Southern Kissed

Mom’s Bulgogi with Cucumber Kimchi Salad

4.47 from 47 votes

Serve this dish over rice and alongside cucumber kimchi salad for a great take on a classic Korean dish.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Additional Time 5 hours hrs

Total Time 5 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Servings: 12 servings

Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: Korean

Calories: 952

Ingredients Method Nutrition Video Notes

Ingredients

  

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Bulgogi

• 3 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 ½ cups soy sauce
• 5 Tablespoons sparkling dessert wine such as Banfi Rosa Regale, or sparkling grape juice
• 3 Tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 green onions light and dark green parts, chopped, plus ¼ cup sliced for serving
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 to 5 pounds beef tenderloin rib-eye, top sirloin, or sirloin steak, thinly sliced (see Note)

Cucumber Kimchi Salad

• 2 English cucumbers peeled if desired, cut into ½-inch dice
• 2 green onions light and dark green parts, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 to 2 teaspoons gochugaru Korean red pepper flakes; see Tip
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• ½ to 1 teaspoon kosher salt to taste

For Serving

• Steamed white rice
• 1 to 2 Tablespoons thinly sliced green onion light and dark green parts as needed, for garnish
• 3 Tablespoons sesame seeds toasted), for garnish

Method

 

1. Marinate the bulgogi: In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, soy sauce, wine, sesame oil, green onions, garlic, and pepper until well combined. Add the beef and coat it completely in marinade. Cover and refrigerate 4 to 5 hours.
2. To make the cucumber kimchi salad: In a medium bowl, combine the cucumbers, green onions, garlic, gochugaru, sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, and salt to taste to stir gently. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Prepare a hot grill. If the pieces of beef are so small that they may fall through the grates, use a grilling skillet or place a sheet of foil on the grill.
4. Grill the beef on both sides until medium-well, 3 to 5 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking. Don’t crowd the skillet or foil, so do this in batches if necessary. As you finish each batch, transfer it to a serving platter and continue with the remaining beef.
5. Serve the bulgogi on top of steamed rice. Garnish with green onion and toasted sesame seeds and spoon the cucumber kimchi salad alongside.
6. Store the leftover bulgogi and cucumber kimchi salad in separate covered containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 952kcalCarbohydrates: 57gProtein: 55gFat: 55gSaturated Fat: 20gPolyunsaturated Fat: 27gCholesterol: 179mgSodium: 2064mgFiber: 1gSugar: 49g

Video

Notes

Joanna’s mom usually has the butcher slice the beef for this dish when she buys it. If you live near a Korean market, they often sell packages of sliced rib-eye or top sirloin; sometimes they’re even marked specifically for bulgogi. If you buy big pieces to cut yourself, freeze the meat for about 30 minutes before cutting so that it’s easier to slice thinly and cut against the grain.

Tip: Gochugaru, or Korean red pepper, is commonly used in kimchi. It adds precisely the right amount of heat and unique flavor to the cucumber salad. Authentic Korean brands are readily available at Asian grocery stores or online, and the McCormick spice company packages it as well.

Recipe excerpted from Magnolia Table: a collection for gathering by Joanna Gaines, copyright 2018. Recipe reprinted with permission.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!

The recipe makes a lot so it is perfect for sharing or for saving some for later.

Joanna writes in her book, “We’ve never had Mom’s bulgogi with anything other than her cucumber kimchi salad, which has a clean, fresh flavor that perfectly complements the sweet barbecued beef.” I agree with her that it is a great accompaniment and you should definitely try them together.

Magnolia Table: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering

Like everything Joanna touches, Magnolia Table: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering is a work of art. It’s a beautiful cookbook full of her family recipes as well as some recipes that are made at her Waco restaurant, Magnolia Table.

Joanna’s inclusion of her mother’s bulgogi is especially special, blending Korean flavors with the warmth of family tradition. It’s a reminder that some of the best recipes aren’t just about food—they’re about heritage, memories, and the people who pass them down.

If you enjoy this dish, I highly recommend adding Magnolia Table to your collection. It’s a beautiful cookbook you’ll reach for again and again, whether you’re cooking for family or just want something that feels like home.

Last Bite

Leave a comment below and tell me if this bulgogi recipe reminded you of a favorite family dish or introduced you to something new. If you loved it, be sure to pin the recipe—and consider adding Magnolia Table to your cookbook shelf for more comforting, story-filled recipes like this one.