Chef Jung Ho-young's Yakiniku
Yakiniku made with Chef Jung Ho-young's super simple recipe.
📝 Editor's Notes
Chef Jung Ho-young's Yakiniku is a super simple beef dish that anyone can easily make without complicated steps.
The soft beef plate short ribs, harmonized with a perfectly balanced sweet and savory sauce, will bring a smile to your face with every bite.
Adding a smoky char with a kitchen torch allows you to enjoy a professional-grade flavor right at home.
It's perfect for a special weekend dinner, a party dish for guests, or even as a rice bowl topping.
Its familiar yet sophisticated taste appeals to all ages, making it a great meal for the whole family.
Delicious any time of year, it's especially fitting for days when you need a boost of energy or for special occasions.
🛒 Ingredient Tips
The key to this Yakiniku is the beef itself.
Beef plate short ribs, with their ideal balance of fat and lean meat, offer an exquisite tender and savory flavor.
To choose fresh plate short ribs, look for a clear red color in the meat and milky white fat. Even marbling is a plus.
Occasionally, there may be silver skin or excessive fat attached; removing these thoroughly before cooking is key to a good texture.
For green onions, choose ones with firm white roots and vibrant green leaves for freshness.
Fresh green onions add a clean and refreshing taste to the sauce.
For oyster sauce, using a well-known brand rather than a very cheap product will significantly enhance the flavor.
Remember that a little effort in choosing good ingredients greatly impacts the taste of your dish.
🔄 Substitution Guide
If you want to use a different cut of beef instead of plate short ribs, chuck flap or blade steak can be good alternatives.
Chuck flap is recommended for those who prefer leaner, cleaner-tasting meat, while blade steak offers a tender texture similar to plate short ribs due to its good marbling.
However, keep in mind that the texture and flavor may vary slightly depending on the cut.
If you don't have mirin, adding a small amount of soju (소주) or cheongju (청주) can help reduce any gamey taste, though it won't provide mirin's unique sweetness and aroma.
In such cases, you can add a tiny bit more sugar or allulose to compensate for the sweetness.
If oyster sauce is unavailable, you can increase the amount of soy sauce and add sugar to create umami, or use kelp broth for a deeper flavor.
However, please note that the unique flavor of oyster sauce is difficult to fully replicate.
Don't worry too much if you're missing ingredients; doing your best with what you have can also be an enjoyable cooking experience.
🥘 Ingredients
👨🍳 Cooking Points
The most crucial cooking point is the marinating time for the beef.
Marinating for 10-15 minutes is sufficient; over-marinating can make the meat tough.
Just enough time for the seasoning to slightly penetrate the meat is perfect.
The second point is controlling the heat when cooking the beef in the pan.
It's important to sear it quickly over high heat to lock in the juices.
Heat the pan sufficiently before adding the beef, and once one side is golden brown, flip it and quickly cook the other side.
Cooking for too long or over low heat will cause moisture to escape, resulting in tough and less flavorful meat.
Finally, using a kitchen torch is the 'secret weapon' of this recipe.
If you don't have a torch, you can quickly stir-fry the beef over high heat in a frying pan to impart a hint of smoky flavor, but a torch will provide a much richer smoky taste.
When torching the beef, hold the torch about 2 inches (5cm) away from the meat and sear evenly.
Be careful not to hold it too close, as it can burn.
👨🍳 Directions
Remove the silver skin and excess fat from the beef plate short ribs and cut into bite-sized pieces.
In a bowl, combine 1 tbsp sugar (or allulose), 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp mirin (cooking wine), 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce, 2 tbsp water, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 1 tbsp sesame oil, and 1 tbsp kkaesogeum (깨소금). Mix well to make the sauce. (Mirin can be omitted if not available.)
Finely chop 2 stalks of green onion and add to the sauce, mixing well.
Add the sliced beef to the sauce and marinate briefly.
Place the marinated beef in a hot pan and cook.
Using a kitchen torch, sear the beef to add a smoky flavor.
💡 Tips
For Yakiniku, using grass-fed beef is healthier.
A sweet and savory sauce makes it even more delicious.
Using a kitchen torch can enhance the smoky flavor.
📦 Storage & Reuse
The finished Yakiniku can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
To reheat, microwave for 1-2 minutes or lightly stir-fry in a pan over low heat until warm.
Be careful not to overheat, as this can make the meat tough.
Leftover Yakiniku can be finely chopped and stir-fried with rice to make fried rice, or used as an ingredient for sandwiches or gimbap (김밥) – it’s delicious!
Raw beef marinated in the sauce can also be frozen.
Divide it into single-serving portions, place in freezer bags, and store for 2-3 weeks.
For best taste and texture, thaw slowly in the refrigerator.
🥢 Who This Is For
This Yakiniku is excellent as a main dish when you want to create a special family dining experience or when hosting guests.
Serving it with a spicy kimchi jjigae (김치찌개) or a refreshing kongnamul-guk (콩나물국) makes for an even richer spread.
For children, it pairs well with jumeokbap (주먹밥 - rice balls) or gyeran-jjim (계란찜 - steamed egg custard).
For adults, enjoying it with a cold beer or a glass of sake is truly ideal.
It's also delicious wrapped in ssam (쌈 - leafy greens for wraps) or served generously over warm rice as a Yakiniku rice bowl.
🔥 Nutrition Info
This recipe, based on 10.6 oz (300g) of beef, is expected to serve approximately 2 people.
Per serving, the estimated calories are around 350-450kcal, with protein estimated at 30-40g, fat at 20-30g, and carbohydrates at 10-15g.
Beef plate short ribs are rich in protein, aiding muscle growth and maintenance, and high in iron, effective in preventing anemia.
They also contain abundant zinc and B vitamins, good for strengthening immunity and energy metabolism.
Using allulose instead of sugar can reduce sugar intake, making it a good choice for those mindful of blood sugar levels.
However, since oyster sauce and soy sauce contain sodium, individuals with high blood pressure are advised to adjust the amount of seasoning or use low-sodium soy sauce.
Sesame oil and kkaesogeum (깨소금) provide unsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants, beneficial for health.
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