recipes

Charred Short Rib Bulgogi with Gochujang-Glazed Pineapple

August 28

This Charred Short Rib Bulgogi with Gochujang-Glazed Pineapple is a flavour-packed take on a Korean classic. The marinade brings deep umami and subtle sweetness, while the caramelised beef offers that essential char and bite. Pairing it with smoky, spicy-sweet pineapple adds a layer of complexity that cuts through the richness beautifully. It’s a dish designed for balance of sweet, spicy, savoury, and fresh, all brought together with classic Korean banchan.

Serves 4
40 minutes plus marinating time

Method

1. Place the onion, pear, ginger and garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil and honey into a large bowl and mix everything together before adding the short ribs. Cover and leave to marinate for a couple of hours.
2. When ready to cook, place a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and add a drizzle of vegetable oil. Shake off any excess marinade from the beef, lightly dry the meat with kitchen paper and season with salt. When the pan is hot, add the beef in a single layer and cook until it starts to caramelise around the edges which should take about two to three minutes per side. You may need to do this in batches. Remove from the pan and set aside to keep warm.
3. For the pineapple, begin by removing the skin and any eyes from the pineapple then cut the pineapple around the core. Cut the pieces into 1 inch ‘fingers’ and into inch long pieces. Drizzle over a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper, rubbing the seasoning into the pineapple to coat.
4. Place a separate frying pan over a high heat and when hot add the pineapple, turning occasionally until charred.
5. Whilst the pineapple chars, mix the gochujang, soy sauce and sesame oil together until combined then slowly add the chicken stock and mix again.
6. When the pineapple is nicely charred, remove from the pan and chop into bite sized pieces. Add back into the pan and pour in the gochujang mixture, allowing everything to bubble away until thickened. As the mixture thickens, begin to spoon over the pineapple, glazing it until all the pineapple is covered. Add the butter and allow to melt then remove from the heat.
7. Serve the short ribs with the pineapple and the banchan - some steamed jasmine rice, finely sliced spring onion greens, sliced cucumber and kimchi.

½ onion, peeled and grated

½ pear, peeled and grated

1 cm piece fresh ginger ≈ ½ teaspoon grated

4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon honey

1.3 lbs Boneless beef short rib – thinly sliced across the grain

For the pineapple:

1 whole pineapple

2 tablespoons gochujang

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

3.4 fl oz Chicken stock

1 tablespoon butter

To serve:

1½ cups Steamed jasmine rice

2 spring onions, greens only, finely sliced

1 cucumber, deseeded and sliced

⅓ to ½ cup, depending on texture, kimchi

½ onion, peeled & grated

½ pear, peeled & grated

1 cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled & finely grated

4 cloves garlic, peeled & finely grated

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp honey

600g boneless beef short rib, cut across the grain into thin slices

For the pineapple:

1 whole pineapple

2 tbsp gochujang

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

100ml chicken stock

1 tbsp butter