Beef Wrapped in Lettuce Leaves, Korean Style
For years, I thought the in-table-grill was such an important part of cooking bul kalbi that I never even tried to make it at home. I realized, however, that the time the meat spends over the coals—certainly less than five minutes—might be long enough to add the mental image of wood flavor, but certainly not the reality. So, with what might be described as typical American arrogance, I set about reinventing this traditional Korean dish, and I’m happy with the results. Grilling remains the best cooking technique—a couple of minutes over a very hot fire is ideal—but a stovetop grill or a very hot skillet works nearly as well, as long as you have a powerful exhaust fan to suck out the smoke. Alternatively, a good broiler will do the trick; just turn the slices once. Finally, if you set an iron skillet or a heavy roasting pan in an oven heated to its maximum, then throw the meat onto that, it will sear the meat and cook it through in a couple of minutes. No matter how you cook the meat, do not sacrifice internal juices for external browning; that is, it’s better to serve lightly browned but moist meat than tough, overcooked meat with a lovely crust.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
If time allows, freeze the meat for 30 minutes or so to facilitate slicing. Use a sharp knife to strip the meat from the ribs—it will come off easily and in one piece (reserve the bones and any meat that adheres to them for stock).
Step 2
Combine the scallion, ginger, garlic, sugar, pepper, soy sauce, and 1/2 cup of water in a blender and puree until very smooth. Slice the meat into pieces between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. Toss with the marinade and let sit for 15 minutes to 2 hours. Preheat a grill, broiler, or stovetop grill or preheat the oven to its maximum heat and put a heavy roasting pan in it.
Step 3
Remove the meat from the marinade and grill, pan-grill, broil, or roast it just until done, no more than a couple of minutes per side; it’s nice if the meat is browned on the outside and rare on the inside, but it’s imperative that it not be overcooked. Serve with the lettuce leaves: to eat, wrap a piece or two of meat in a torn piece of lettuce; garnish with a drop or two of soy sauce or bean paste if you like.
