Dwaeji-Bulgogi — Spicy Pork with Gochujang (돼지불고기)

Ingredients

• 800 g pork shoulder (목살, moksal), thinly sliced, approximately 5 mm; or thin-sliced pork belly
• For the marinade
• 60 g gochujang
• 1 tbsp gochugaru
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 6 cloves garlic, finely grated or minced
• 15 g fresh ginger, finely grated
• To serve
• 1 bunch perilla leaves (깻잎), whole, washed
• 4 portions steamed short-grain rice

Method

1. 1
   Combine gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sesame oil, grated garlic, and grated ginger in a bowl and mix until a uniform, deeply red paste forms. Grate the garlic and ginger rather than chopping them so their juices bleed directly into the paste and season the pork from within rather than sitting on top as solid fragments. The paste should be thick enough to coat a spoon without running — if it slides freely, the gochujang ratio is too low.
2. 2
   Add the sliced pork shoulder to the marinade and work the paste thoroughly into each slice, ensuring full coverage on both faces. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours; overnight is the standard, because the longer rest allows the salt and fermented depth of the gochujang to move into the centre of each slice rather than resting at the surface. The difference between 4 hours and overnight is the difference between surface seasoning and pork that tastes wholly of itself — this is where the dish lives or dies.
3. 3
   Bring the marinated pork to room temperature for 20 minutes before cooking, so the slices do not seize and tighten the moment they meet the heat, which would push out the juices before a crust can form. Heat a grill, grill pan, or cast-iron surface over the highest available heat. The surface is ready when a drop of water vaporises on contact immediately.
4. 4
   Lay the pork slices in a single layer, in small batches, keeping space between them so steam escapes freely and each slice chars rather than stews in its own moisture. Cook each batch without moving for 2 to 3 minutes. The smell shifts from raw chile paste to a roasted, slightly sweet char — that transition signals the moment to turn, and the edges of the pork should show deep red-brown char where the gochujang sugars have caramelised.
5. 5
   Turn each slice once and cook the second side for 1 to 2 minutes until the interior is cooked through and the glaze on both faces is deeply caramelised rather than sticky or pale. Rest briefly off the heat so the juices redistribute and do not run out the moment the meat is cut or torn. Serve immediately with perilla leaves for ssam and steamed rice.