Korean BBQ is good and increasingly popular. (But BBQ is always good, so you can't go wrong with that. 😜)
There are even some who love it so much, who want to reproduce the experience at home! And me, you know, I'm always here to give you all my tips and secrets to succeed at anything at the BBQ, so I'm going to tell you how to have a mean Korean BBQ party at home, right there. 😎
But… before I can tell you all that, I have to start with the basics (don’t worry, I’m going to talk to you about food, so it’s super interesting 😉). 🤓
Ready? Let's go!
What is Korean BBQ?
A "traditional" BBQ is when you invite people to your home to eat a meal that has been cooked on the barbecue. (Here you're going to tell me "Yes, but JP! I'm all alone when I eat BBQ, me!" Yes, OK, that's possible too and "BBQ" doesn't necessarily mean "group", but clearly, that's because you keep the fact that you're doing BBQ a secret, because otherwise, you'd definitely have lots of friends coming from everywhere to eat at your place! 😜) And that's where the magic happens. Everyone gathers around the grill to chat and smell and watch the food being caressed by the flames while it cooks.
A Korean BBQ is the same principle, but instead of being around a BBQ, people are around a table, with an electric or gas grill inside. (An open flame BBQ, without a lid, if you prefer.)
Korean BBQ, or "Gogigui" in Korean, is now very popular. There are more and more Korean BBQ restaurants opening around the world and Korean BBQ has even become a basic cooking method of Korean cuisine, just to say how hot it is.
When you say BBQ, you also say meat (because let's face it, no one gets all excited when they hear "Who wants grilled vegetables!?" 😬), and Korean BBQ is no exception! If you go to a Korean BBQ restaurant, the waiter will bring you thin slices of raw beef, pork and/or chicken. Once grilled, you eat them with a marinade, wrapped (or not) in a lettuce leaf and/or covered with grilled green onions and... that's not all!
While your meats are cooking, you can chat with your friends and help yourself to banchan, which usually consists of dishes like kimchi, pickled vegetables, bean sprouts and potatoes. You will not notice the time passing and will enjoy a great time.
Why do people go crazy over Korean BBQ?
It may not have been super obvious with what I just told you (because it's more the vegetables that can seem exotic, and if you're like me, vegetables, already, don't mean much to you 🤪), but I think what people like about Korean BBQ is the flavors that are out of the ordinary. I didn't talk about it, but the foods are also marinated/dipped in sauces that excite the taste buds with their sweet, salty and spicy touch. Their taste is really particular and that's what makes Korean BBQ so charming. So that you can imagine, there are some that are made with a mixture of soy sauce, garlic, sugar, sesame oil, or gochujang, for example.
Aside from that, if I come back to the question, the fact that it's BBQ already makes the activity fun, so it's sure that people like it (it moves a lot more than a microwave party, let's say! 😜)! People chat around a flame, often, with a beer, and savor the best food on the planet; there's nothing that's not trippy about it! And, as I always say, a BBQ, we know what time it starts, but never when it ends! So... there's no better proof than that that people have fun making and eating it! 😉
What do you eat at a Korean BBQ?
The menu of a Korean BBQ is quite extensive. There are meats, vegetables and seafood.
More precisely, we often find there (in whole or in slices):
- in terms of meats: chicken, pork, beef (in my opinion, the best meat to try for this is Korean “short ribs”! 👌);
- vegetables: mushrooms (button, shiitake, etc.), onions, zucchini, eggplant, peppers, corn on the cob, asparagus, tomatoes, kale, Swiss chard, tofu; and
- seafood: shrimp, scallops, octopus, salmon, tuna.
Then, once we have our plates of food in front of us, we brush what we ordered with a little oil so that the food does not stick to the grill and we grill them on each side, at "medium-high" heat so that they have a nice "char" and a nice caramelization.
When it comes to sauces, there are many. Among the most popular types are:
- sesame oil sauce (a mixture of sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic and black pepper);
- gochujang sauce (a combination of gochujang, soy sauce, sugar and water);
- garlic soy sauce (a preparation made from soy sauce, sugar and garlic);
- miso sauce (a mixture made with miso paste, sake, mirin, sugar and sesame oil); and
- Korean BBQ sauce (a mixture of gochujang, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and sesame oil).
How to make Korean BBQ at home?
Now that I've told you the basics about Korean BBQ, you have a good idea of how to go about it/what you need to make one at home, but... I'll still give you some tips. 😏
- Gear up for glory
To provide your guests with nice thin slices of meat, having a good knife or meat slicer is essential. Personally, I recommend using a knife that cuts well like the Kai Pro Professional Fillet and Boning Knife or the Kai Pro Professional Brisket Knife .
Tongs are also very handy for handling meats. You also want to have at least two: one for handling raw meat and one for cooked meat to avoid cross - contamination.
To make sure your food tastes great and doesn't stick to the grill, brushing your BBQ grill before using it is always a "must" too. That way, your grill will be clean and there won't be any food residue sticking to your slices of meat.
Working with a thermometer is always a good idea too. With this, you will be sure of the internal temperature of your food and eat something that is cooked to perfection, just the way you like it.
Earlier, I was talking about “fire tables” for Korean BBQs. Well, if you don’t have one at home, you can still have a Korean BBQ, just in a slightly different way. For example, if you have a charcoal grill, you can thread your slices of meat or vegetables onto a skewer on our Fire Ring or, heat our Himalayan Pink Salt Board on the grill of any type of grill and place it in the center of your table afterwards (put something under the Salt Board so it doesn’t damage your furniture!) and grill your food on it (kind of like you’re making raclette). As they say, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way!” 😉
2. Be prepared
If you don't want to spend your evening in your kitchen while your guests have arrived, get ahead and prepare your food. Slice your meats into small thin slices, make your sauces, shred your lettuce, cook your rice... That way you'll be sure to spend as much time as possible with those you love (including your BBQ 😜).
Oh, and… I’m spoiling you! 😜
If you are looking for a sauce recipe to accompany your food, look no further, you just have to mix these ingredients:
- ½ tbsp gushuan
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- ½ tbsp. Samuraï BBQ Quebec sauce
Quick and easy, and it's damn good! 😎
3. Cook in art
The important thing when having a Korean BBQ is to cook "hot and fast". Make sure your BBQ is hot, your sauces are at hand, sear your food well, and you're "in business". Then enjoy your grilled food with a lettuce leaf for a more traditional experience, or not, depending on your tastes. 😜
4. Enjoy the moment!
When everything is cooking, have fun, spend a nice and good time with your loved ones, and… that's it!
Happy Korean BBQ everyone! 🔥