Korean Barbecue

Photo: flickr user lime*monkey

Ingredients

1/2 ounce Garlic, peeled and minced

1 1/4 ounces Sesame seeds, crushed

1 bn Scallions, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons Szechwan pepper OR

2 teaspoons Black pepper

1 tablespoon Sesame oil

4 ounces Shoyu, OR

4 ounces Soy sauce

1 1/2 ounces Sugar

1 tablespoon Peanut oil

1/2 ounce Ginger, peeled and grated

Preparation

KOREAN BARBECUE: Kalbi marinade is what you find on traditional Korean bulkogi, or Korean barbecue. In this case the meat is flank steak, but the marinade works just as well on other cuts, and also on chicken, pork, and seafood. I've given you the marinade recipe and some quick tips for using it.

The marinade is enough for one large flank steak. Mix everything together in a bowl and pour over the flank steak. Marinate at room temperature for 2 hours, or cover and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours.

COOKING TIPS

If you marinate too long, the soy and sugar can potentially begin cooking a thin cut of meat.

Marinades involving soy and sugar can burn on the grill, so watch the meat carefully.

If using on seafood, cut the marinating time in half.

Make sure to let excess marinade drip off to avoid your grill flaming up when you place the meat on. If it does, cover the grill right away.

Allow flank steak to rest 10 minutes before slicing thin strips across the grain.

SERVING IDEAS Serve this thinly sliced, accompanied by large leaves of red leaf lettuce, sticky rice, kim chee, marinated bean sprouts, and spicy bean paste. The idea is to make a lettuce leaf bundle with different combinations of relishes and rice - almost like a lettuce leaf burrito.