We really love Korean BBQ restaurants (KBBQ) and used to frequent them all the time. The key words being “used to.” And if you have kids, you will understand why we say KBBQ might just be the worst choice for a restaurant with small children!
First, there’s a burning hot grill in the middle of your table and that’s just a hazard all around. Second, grilling your own meat at the table takes a lot of time–time that your kids are probably not willing to be patient for.
Not to mention, anything that is ‘marinated’ at a KBBQ is most likely packed full of sugar! So with all that, we just found it easier to enjoy KBBQ at home with this solid low-carb/keto Korean BBQ marinade recipe.
It’s super easy and simple to make! So if you happen to be a parent in a similar situation, or maybe in a location where you don’t have a Korean BBQ restaurant near you, this recipe will let you enjoy a delicious meal in the comfort of your own home, low-carb/keto style!
Note – we also recommend making some extra to use in our Keto Korean BBQ tacos!
For this recipe, we provided two ways you can cook the meat. The preferred method would be on a BBQ to infuse the smoke flavors inside the meat, however if you don’t have a BBQ at home, you can also pan fry it.
Either way, you’ll get the sweet & salty classic KBB taste at only ~3g net carbs per serving!
For this dish, the special ingredients you would need are Soy Sauce, Swerve/Monkfruit, Sesame Oil and Toasted Sesame Seeds. You can get these ingredients on Amazon or at a local Asian supermarket.
Note – You can usually get thinly sliced beef at your local Asian supermarket under packages labeled shabu-shabu (thin) or sukiyaki (slightly thicker). Either of these would work for this recipe. Also, you can slice your own meat from a roast.
Now, let’s get cooking!
Prepping Time 5M
Marinating Time 24H
Cooking Time 5M
Total Time 24H10M
Net Carb/Serv ~3g
Servings 2
Ingredients
Bulgogi
- 1lb Thinly Sliced Rib Eye (or Chuck)
- 1/4 Medium Yellow/Brown Onion
- 2 Stalks Green Onion
- 1 tbsp Toasted Sesame Seed
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 x 1 ft of Aluminum Foil (if BBQing)
Marinade
- 1/2 Medium Yellow/Brown Onion
- 4 Garlic Cloves
- 1/4 Whole Jalapeno (optional)
- 1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
- 3 1/2 tbsp Swerve/Monkfruit
- 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
Directions
1) Gather all the ingredients.
2) Use a blender or food processor to blend ingredients (Soy Sauce, Swerve/Monkfruit, Sesame Oil, 1/2 onion, jalapeno, garlic and black pepper) together to form marinade. Transfer marinade to a zip-lock bag.
3) Finley slice the 1/4 of the onion and add into zip-lock, along with sliced beef. Massage in the marinade ensuring equal distribution.
4) Place zip-lock bag flat in the fridge for 24 hours (up to 36 hours) flipping over at least once half way through the marinate.
5) After marination is complete, cut green onions into 1 inch sticks and set aside.
6a) If pan frying, add 1 tbsp of Sesame Oil to a large Teflon fry pan and bring up to temperature on high, should take around 1 minute. Once up to temp, transfer beef and green onions. Cook while mixing until beef is cooked through, about 3-4 minutes and then transfer to serving plate.
6b) Preheat grill on high until temp reaches ~350F. In the meantime, make a pan with the sheet of aluminum foil (as pictured below), generously coat Sesame Oil and transfer beef and green onions. Once grill is up to temp, lower heat to medium-low and place pan on grill. Close lid and cook for ~1 minute. After 1 minute, open lid, mix beef around and close lid back. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until beef is cooked while occasional mixing beef and keeping the lid closed. Once cooked, transfer to serving plate.
7) Sprinkle sesame seeds and best served with some vegetables.
Hope you enjoy our Keto Korean BBQ Bulgogi Marinade!
If you are looking for other low-carb/keto ideas, be sure to check out our growing Recipe Index full of Asian Inspired low-carb/keto recipes!
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Keto Korean BBQ Bulgogi Marinade
Ingredients
Bulgogi
- 1 lb Thinly Sliced Rib Eye or Chuck
- 1/4 Whole Medium Yellow/Brown Onion
- 2 Stalk Green Onion
- 1 tbsp Toasted Sesame Seed
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1x1 ft Aluminum Foil if BBQing
Marinade
- 1/2 Whole Medium Yellow/Brown Onion
- 4 Cloves Garlic
- 1/4 Whole Jalapeno optional
- 1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
- 3 1/2 tbsp Swerve/Monkfruit
- 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Use a blender or food processor to blend ingredients (Soy Sauce, Swerve/Monkfruit, Sesame Oil, 1/2 onion, jalapeno, garlic and black pepper together to form marinade. Transfer marinade to a zip-lock bag.
- Finley slice the 1/4 of the onion and add into zip-lock, along with sliced beef. Massage in the marinade ensuring equal distribution.
- Place zip-lock bag flat in the fridge for 24 hours (up to 36 hour flipping over at least once half way through the marinate.
- After marination is complete, cut green onions into 1 inch sticks and set aside.
- A) If pan frying, add 1 tbsp of Sesame Oil to a large Teflon fry pan and bring up to temperature on high, should take around 1 minute. Once up to temp, transfer beef and green onions. Cook while mixing until beef is cooked through, about 3-4 minutes and then transfer to serving plate. B) Preheat grill on high until temp reaches ~350In the meantime, make a pan with the sheet of aluminum foil (as pictured below), generously coat Sesame Oil and transfer beef and green onions. Once grill is up to temp, lower heat to medium-low and place pan on grill. Close lid and cook for ~1 minute. After 1 minute, open lid, mix beef around and close lid back. Cook for another 2-3 minuets until beef is cooked while occasional mixing beef and keeping the lid closed. Once cooked, transfer to serving plate.
- Sprinkle sesame seeds and best served with some vegetables.
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