Korean-Inspired Beef Bulgogi Grilled Cheese Recipe

Beef bulgogi is a popular Korean dish that everyone needs to try at least once, especially when cooked over the smoky heat of a tabletop grill. Marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, gochujang, and a sweet ingredient like brown sugar or pears, bulgogi is the perfect balance of salty and sweet, and the best thing to pair with banchan like kimchi and bean sprouts. What you might not find it paired with is cheese, an ingredient much less common in Korean BBQ spreads.

Though it might not be a staple at Korean BBQs, Korean cuisine often makes use of melty cheeses to counteract the spice of the red pepper pastes used in many of the dishes. Unlike most Asian cuisine, which is typically dairy-free, dishes like tteokbokki, budae jjigae, and dakgalbi are enhanced with slices of American cheese or shredded mozzarella. Developer Michelle McGlinn uses this idea in the form of a grilled cheese sandwich, toasting beef bulgogi between melty gouda and a pile of shredded mild cheddar. The rich and gooey cheese balances the spice of the beef and the tang of the kimchi for a perfect Korean-inspired sandwich that, like most Korean dishes, tastes even better washed down with soju.

To make the beef bulgogi, you'll first need shaved steak, which is usually ribeye, sirloin, or strip that is sliced paper-thin. To marinate the beef, you'll need soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and gochujang. To cook the steak and build the grilled cheese, you'll need vegetable oil, spreadable butter, thickly sliced white bread, sliced gouda (shredded works too), mild cheddar, kimchi, and scallions.

In a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and gochujang.

Add the steak to a sealable bag and pour the marinade on top. Massage the marinade into the steak to coat, then marinate it for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.

Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.

Add the steak, working in batches if needed, and sear it until deeply browned. Remove it from the skillet and reserve.

To build the grilled cheese sandwich, spread butter on one side of each slice of bread.

Add 2 slices of gouda and ½ cup cheddar to the other slice of bread.

Add ½ cup of shaved steak.

Add ¼ cup kimchi and a sprinkling of scallions.

Top with another slice of bread.

Heat the remaining oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Add the assembled sandwich and toast until browned, about 2 minutes.

Flip and toast the other side. Repeat with remaining sandwiches.

Serve immediately.

This grilled cheese is stacked with a balance of flavor and texture. The cheese is rich and gooey, the meat is salty and spicy, and the kimchi is tangy and crunchy. The scallions are a small, fragrant addition right underneath the buttered bread. We chose these ingredients because they boast such great flavors, but you can add or swap other Korean-inspired ingredients to change up the sandwich. First, the cheeses can be swapped for mozzarella, white cheddar, or American. One word of advice: avoid pungent, strongly-flavored cheeses, which may overpower the other flavors.

You can swap the meat for a vegetarian option like tofu or mushrooms: Use the same marinade mixture and sear the swapped protein after marinating. You can also swap the kimchi for other banchan-inspired toppings. You can use crunchy marinated cucumbers, sauteed spinach, or bean sprouts. For something totally different, you can also make a quick, spicy aioli using Kewpie mayo and Sriracha (or gochujang, which you'll already have handy) to spread onto the bread before adding the meat and cheeses. 

If you're lucky, your grocery store sells steak that's already been shaved by the butcher and packaged for a grab-and-go selection. Usually, this steak is used for sandwiches (think Philly cheesesteaks or French dip). If you head to an Asian-specific grocery store, you'll likely find thinly shaved steak ready to use for Korean BBQ dishes just like these — or, at least, the more traditional versions.

If you don't find shaved steak at the store, you can make it yourself: Buy a ribeye, sirloin, or even flank or strip steak. Place it on parchment paper and freeze it for just 15 to 30 minutes, or until it is just firm. Then, use a sharp knife to slice against the grain as thinly as possible to create ribbons of nearly-see-through meat. Or, for an easier option, use ground beef, turkey, or pork instead, skipping the marinade and instead adding the sauce to the crumbled and browned meat.