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1
Set the four dolsot over medium-high heat, empty, and heat for a minimum of 5 minutes so that the stone reaches an even temperature throughout — a cold-start or insufficiently preheated pot will produce uneven nurungji with soft, steamed patches rather than a continuous crust. Move your hand close to the rim; you should feel fierce, radiating heat before you proceed.
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2
Working one pot at a time, swirl 1 tsp sesame oil around the interior of the hot dolsot, coating the bottom and lower sides so that the oil forms a barrier between rice and stone that yields a golden, releasable crust rather than burnt, adhered grain. The oil should shimmer and skate freely across the surface the instant it meets the stone.
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3
Add approximately 200 g warm cooked rice to each oiled dolsot and press it lightly against the sides as well as the bottom so that full contact with the hot stone walls is established and the crust forms partway up the sides rather than only on the floor of the pot. The rice should sizzle audibly the moment it meets the stone.
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4
Hold the dolsot over medium-high heat for a further 3–5 minutes after the rice is added, maintaining temperature long enough for the nurungji crust to set properly. Judge it by sound — drag a wooden spoon across the bottom and listen for a dry, papery scraping, which confirms the crust has formed; a wet, soft sound means the pot needs more time, so do not proceed until that dry scrape is achieved.
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5
Arrange the prepared namul in distinct sections across the top of the rice in each pot, then place the cooked beef in its own section. Work quickly so the pots leave the kitchen while the stone is still at full heat.
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6
Place one raw egg into a shallow well at the centre of each dolsot immediately before carrying to the table, not a moment earlier, so that the pot's residual heat begins cooking the egg from below at the right pace — by the time the dish reaches the diner the white should be just beginning to set at the edges while the yolk remains liquid. An egg added too soon will arrive overcooked.
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7
Serve each dolsot on a heat-resistant mat with the gochujang alongside, and allow 30 seconds for the sizzle to subside before scraping the bottom and sides gently with a wooden spoon to release crust fragments into the rice — those pieces of nurungji in the final mixed bowl are the defining advantage of dolsot over bowl-served bibimbap. Taste for the balance of gochujang heat against the sweet-fermented rice, then mix everything together at the table.