Get ready to have these bulgogi tacos on repeat! If you’ve never had bulgogi before, it is thinly sliced grilled meat in a sweet and savory sauce. And if you HAVE had bulgogi before and you’re like me – always trying to plan when you’ll next get to enjoy it at your favorite Korean restaurant – get ready to be able to make it at home! The majority of the prep time in this recipe is marinating the meat, and it cooks in about 10 minutes. Let’s get into it!
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General Notes For These Bulgogi Tacos
- I used flank steak in this recipe but any cut of beef will work, preferably a marbled cut. You can use ribeye, but it can be expensive! Sirloin steak, skirt steak, and brisket are other good options. The steak is easier to thinly slice if you freeze it briefly first, about 30 minutes will do.
- If you don’t want to make the spicy cucumber salad, you can make quick pickled veggies.
- The spicy cucumber salad is called oi muchim, and it is my favorite banchan (small side dish) at Korean BBQ restaurants.
- Traditionally Korean red chili powder, called gochugaru, is used for this banchan. It is smoky and a little spicy. This ingredient can be tough to find, so we have substituted red pepper flakes and chipotle powder. However, if you have gochugaru feel free to use it! You can use gochujang but you may end up with a saltier end product.
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Love tacos? Try some of our other taco recipes:
Making these bulgogi tacos gluten-free:
The two ingredients that have gluten in this recipe are the tortillas and the soy sauce! There are super easy swaps to make this recipe gluten-free. My favorite gluten-free tortilla is the Mission brand original GF tortilla, which you can find in most grocery stores (but unfortunately not in Whole Foods). You can also order them here! For the soy sauce, you can swap it out for tamari or liquid aminos.
If you want to see me rate 6 different gluten-free tortillas, check out the video below!
Storage & Reheating Notes
These bulgogi tacos can last in the fridge for up to 4 days and are not freezer friendly. I recommend reheating the taco filling on its own in the microwave or on the stove, then keep the tortillas at room temp or heat them up on a plate before assembling. Don’t reheat the cucumber salad. Happy prepping!
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Don’t forget to try out these other delicious recipes!
- The Easiest Chicken Burrito Bowl For Meal Prep
- Easy Beef Bibimbap Bowl
- General Tso’s Chicken Recipe
- Easy Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe For Meal Prep
- 30-Minute Beef Stir Fry With Soba Noodles
- Veggie Meal Prep Ramen With Tofu & Marinated Eggs
Beef Bulgogi Tacos
Ingredients
For the bulgogi
- 3 TBSP soy sauce
- 2 TBSP brown sugar
- 1 TBSP sesame oil
- 16 oz flank steak thinly sliced
- 1/2 yellow onion sliced finely
- 1/2 Bosc pear grated
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1- inch ginger minced
- 2 green onion chopped
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- black pepper to taste
For the Spicy Cucumber Salad
- 1 large cucumber sliced
- 1 carrot grated and divided
- 2 green onions chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp chipotle powder
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
For the gochujang mayo
- 1 TBSP gochujang
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/2 lime for juices
Everything else
- 9 to rtillas
- 1 cup kimchi chopped, optional
- 1 cup lettuce optional
Instructions
- Make the marinade. Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, and sesame oil, stirring until the sugar is mostly dissolved. In a wide and shallow mixing bowl or baking dish, add the steak, onions, pear, garlic, ginger, green onion, sesame seeds, and pepper. Add the soy sauce mixture and mix well with your hands or tongs until the meat is evenly covered in the sauce. It will be thick and chunky. For a smoother marinade, combine the garlic, ginger, and pear in a food processor or blender before adding it to the wet ingredients. Cover the meat tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes, up to 24 hours.
- While the beef marinates, make the cucumber salad. Add your chopped cucumbers, half of the shredded carrot, green onion, and garlic to a medium bowl. Add the red pepper flakes, chipotle powder, sugar, salt, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sesame seeds and mix well until the cucumbers are starting to get juicy and are fully coated. Set aside.
- While the beef marinates, make the gochujang mayo. Combine the mayo, gochujang, and lime juice. Stir well and taste, adding more lime juice and gochujang to your preference.
- Cook the beef. Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat and let it get really hot. Add a splash of cooking oil and once it shimmers, add the beef in batches. The beef will cook really quickly depending on how thick you cut it. Mine cooked to medium doneness in about 3 minutes. Stir the beef frequently to cook on all sides. Set aside.
- Store the beef separately from the other ingredients. Assemble the tacos when you are ready to eat. Reheat the beef, then add lettuce, beef, the remaining shredded carrot, chopped kimchi, and gochujang mayo to a tortilla. That’s it!
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