Korean-Style Marinated Grilled Beef with Lettuce Wraps
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking, America's Test Kitchen and Serious Eats.
Paper-thin beef soaks in a pear, garlic and soy marinade, then sears in a very hot pan and is served in lettuce wraps with rice and a punchy chilli dipping sauce.
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Method
- 1
Firm up and slice. Place the beef on the plate in the freezer for 40-60 min until firm but not frozen solid. Slice it across the grain as thinly as you can, aiming for 2-3 mm. Partly frozen meat holds its shape under the knife, and cutting across the grain keeps each slice tender.
- 2
Blend the marinade. Blend the pear, onion, garlic and ginger until smooth, then stir in the marinade soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and pepper. Toss with the beef in the bowl, cover and refrigerate for 1-8 h. Enzymes in the pear soften the meat, but beyond 8 h the texture turns mushy.
- 3
Stir the dipping sauce. Mix the chilli flakes, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, rice vinegar, garlic and water in the small bowl. Resting while the beef cooks gives the chilli time to colour the sauce and soften.
- 4
Sear in batches. Heat the pan over high heat until smoking and add a little oil. Lift a third of the beef from the marinade, let the excess drip away and spread it in a single layer; cook for 2-3 min, turning, until browned at the edges and cooked through with clear juices (63°C if you probe a thicker piece). Small batches keep the pan hot enough to caramelise the sugars instead of stewing the meat.
- 5
Add spring onions. Toss in a third of the spring-onion lengths for the final 30 s of each batch so they wilt but stay bright. Wipe out any burnt marinade before the next batch, and discard any leftover marinade.
- 6
Wrap and serve. Scatter the beef with sesame seeds and sliced spring onion. Serve with the rice, lettuce leaves for wrapping and the chilli dipping sauce.
Storage
Cool within 2 hours and refrigerate the beef for up to 3 days. Reheat in a hot pan until piping hot (74°C); keep the lettuce and dipping sauce separate.
Equipment
- freezer-safe plate
- very sharp knife
- food processor or blender
- large bowl
- large cast-iron frying pan or grill pan
- tongs
- small bowl
- instant-read probe thermometer
- cling film
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 843 kcal |
| Protein | 34.8 g |
| Carbohydrate | 77 g |
| of which sugars | 9.9 g |
| of which free sugars | 5.4 g |
| Fat | 43.2 g |
| of which saturates | 14.8 g |
| Fibre | 4.5 g |
| Salt | 2.12 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
4.1 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
