Bulgogi Sliders With Scallion Salsa

Name: Bulgogi Sliders With Scallion Salsa
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: korean
Ingredients: 1 cup soy sauce; 2 tablespoons sugar; 1 tablespoon peeled and grated garlic; 1 tablespoon sesame oil; 3 tablespoons sake; 2 tablespoons mirin; 1 Asian pear, peeled, cored and puréed in a food processor; 1 small carrot peeled and sliced into julienne; 1 medium white onion peeled and sliced into julienne; 1 cup apple juice; 2 pounds beef brisket, chilled slightly and sliced thin; 1 cup mayonnaise; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 3 tablespoons hot chili sauce, ideally Sriracha; 1/2 cup soy sauce; 2 tablespoons water; 1/4 cup sugar; 2 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean red-pepper flakes); 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil; 2 tablespoons sesame oil; 3 tablespoons rice vinegar; 2 tablespoons mirin; 1 tablespoon sesame seeds; 2 bunches scallions, cleaned, dried and sliced on the bias; Unsalted butter; 6 soft hamburger buns

Recipe from Hooni Kim

Adapted by Sam Sifton

Published April 29, 2023

Bulgogi Sliders With Scallion Salsa — Marcus Nilsson for The New York Times. Food stylist: Brian Preston-Campbell. Prop stylist: Angharad Bailey.

Total Time: 30 minutes, plus overnight refrigeration
Rating: 5(678)
Comments: Read comments

Here is a sandwich version of the Korean barbecue standard known as bulgogi — “fire meat,” is the literal translation — and a taste of the sort of home cooking that can lead to more home cooking. It serves as a fragrant hamburger crusher, an elegant vanquisher of pizza. It is an enemy of takeout. I learned the recipe from Hooni Kim, the chef and owner of Danji, on the edge of the theater district in Manhattan, where bulgogi “sliders” are a hallmark of the menu and by far the restaurant’s most popular dish. It’s been adapted for use in the home. —Sam Sifton

Featured in: The Bulgogi Slider Is a Delicious Curveball

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

For the Bulgogi

1cup soy sauce
2tablespoons sugar
1tablespoon peeled and grated garlic
1tablespoon sesame oil
3tablespoons sake
2tablespoons mirin
1Asian pear, peeled, cored and puréed in a food processor
1small carrot peeled and sliced into julienne
1medium white onion peeled and sliced into julienne
1cup apple juice
2pounds beef brisket, chilled slightly and sliced thin

For the Spicy Mayonnaise

1cup mayonnaise
1tablespoon soy sauce
3tablespoons hot chili sauce, ideally Sriracha

For the Scallion Salsa

½cup soy sauce
2tablespoons water
¼cup sugar
2tablespoons gochugaru (Korean red-pepper flakes)
2tablespoons grapeseed oil
2tablespoons sesame oil
3tablespoons rice vinegar
2tablespoons mirin
1tablespoon sesame seeds
2bunches scallions, cleaned, dried and sliced on the bias
Unsalted butter
6soft hamburger buns

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
In a large, nonreactive bowl, combine the soy sauce, sugar, garlic, sesame oil, sake, mirin, pear, carrot, onion and apple juice. Add the sliced brisket, stir to combine, cover tightly and place in the refrigerator overnight or for at least six hours.
Step 2
Meanwhile, in a small, nonreactive bowl, combine the mayonnaise, soy sauce and hot chili sauce and stir to combine. Taste and adjust flavors, then cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Step 3
When you are ready to make the sandwiches, set one very large sauté pan (or two large ones) over high heat. Using tongs, lift meat from marinade in batches, allow to drain well, then cook, turning occasionally until the excess liquid has evaporated and the edges of the beef have started to crisp.
Step 4
Meanwhile, combine all the ingredients for the salsa except for the scallions, then stir to combine.
Step 5
Toast and butter the hamburger buns. Spread spicy mayonnaise on the buns, and using tongs, cover one side of each set of buns with bulgogi. Add a large pinch of scallions on top of each burger and drizzle with the dressing.

Ratings

5 out of 5

678 user ratings

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Comments

Chilewheel7 years ago

With good food, as with so many worthwhile objectives in life, the same maxim applies: if you're not willing to do what it takes, then no one can help you, and you can't complain when nothing happens. I live in a small town, away from a major city, and every ingredient in this recipe is available at both of our local markets. Of course, I've been known to drive 50 miles for a good sandwich..

Jacki7 years ago

Delicious! I would suggest maybe letting the meat drain in a colander as there was no way the meat was ever going to crisp in all that liquid. The cucumbers are a must here- the tartness balances the overall sweetness of the marinade and sauce.

For those who harp on the calorie count: look at the ingredients, figure out how to make it work for you, tell us the tweaks. All the mayo will not get used. Skip some oil. It is so tiresome to constantly read comments about calorie heavy recipes.

Sue7 years ago

I would recommend using a quarter cup of sprite or 7up in the marinade to tenderize the meat. That's a Korean secret that my grandmother and mom always used - also be sure to let the meat marinade for as long as possible - at least 6 hours if not overnight.

Mary A4 months ago

Hello, I see the note about cucumbers being a must, but I don't see cucumbers in the recipe.

Len8 months ago

I made this as directed. It was DELICIOUS but the brisket was almost inedible, it was so tough! Ugh. I'm going to use leftover marinade on chicken and try that.

Sarah M1 year ago

Assembled the marinade in the blender with the pear, everything except the carrot and half the onion (yes, I blended half the onion because I like onion flavor and wanted more body in the marinade - this also left equal amounts of the julienned carrot and onion). Reserved 1 tbsp marinade and used it in the mayo, in place of the soy sauce.

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