Korean Barbecued Beef

Mike and I decided have been wanting to try this one and finally got around to it. I used all "regular" soy sauce - not sure what the difference between the light and dark is - so you may want to try that as well. I also didn't add the green onions. Once we had this all cooked up, we decided that it would probably be better as an appetizer rather than a full meal. We both ate enough to be full, but just thought it needed something else to go with it. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 1/2 pound beef tenderloin, about 5 inches thick
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp plus 1/2 tsp sugar
6 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp Asian sesame oil
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
5 green onions, white parts only minced, green parts reserved and cut into julienne for garnish
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
2 Tsp sesame seeds
Freshly ground pepper
1 tsp Sriracha chile sauce
1 Tbsp canola oil

Cut the beef across the grain into slices 1/8 inch thick. Working on a cutting board, use the side of the blade of a chef's knife or cleaver to mash together three-fourths of the chopped garlic and the 1 Tbsp sugar, forming a paste. Place the paste in a bowl and stir in 3 Tbsp of the light soy sauce, the dark soy sauce, the 1 Tbsp sesame oil, 1 Tbsp of the vinegar, all but 1 Tbsp of the minced onions, the ginger, 1 Tbsp of the sesame seeds, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1 Tbsp water. Place the beef in a shallow bowl and pour the marinade on top. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate for 1-3 hours.

Meanwhile, make a dipping sauce. On a cutting board, use the side of the blade of a chef's knife or cleaver to mash together the remaining chopped garlic and 1/2 tsp sugar, forming a paste. Place the paste in a bowl and whisk in the remaining 3 Tbsp light soy sauce, the remaining 1 tsp sesame oil, the remaining 1 Tbsp vinegar, the reserved 1 Tbsp minced green onions, the remaining 1 Tbsp sesame seeds, the chile sauce, and 1 Tbsp water. Set aside until ready to serve.

Build a fire in a covered charcoal grill and let the coals burn until covered with white ash. Using tongs, spread the coals 2 or 3 layers deep and place the rack 3-4 inches above the coals. For a gas grill, preheat on high heat. You may also preheat a stove-top grill pan over high heat.

Oil the grill rack or pan. Remove the beef from the marinade and pat dry. Discard the marinade. Working in batches, arrange in a single layer on the rack or pan. Sear, turning once, until crisp and brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Wipe and oil the rack or pan between batches if necessary.

Transfer to a warmed platter, garnish with the julienned green onion, and serve at once with the dipping sauce.

This lovely meal came with two very different plating options:

My Plating

Mike's Plating