Korean Beef Sandwich with Spicy Slaw

Get ready for a sandwich that's equal parts bold, savory, and a little spicy. This Korean beef sandwich with spicy slaw is layered with tender marinated beef, a punchy gochugaru-spiked slaw, and a creamy garlic aioli, all piled onto a toasted bun.

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Recipe

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5 from 1 vote

Korean Beef Sandwich with Spicy Slaw

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Korean

Keyword: sandwich

Servings: 4

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Bulgogi

• 1 pound rib eye thinly sliced
• ½ small pear chopped
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 garlic cloves sliced
• ½- inch ginger knob peeled and sliced
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Garlic aioli

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 3 garlic cloves grated
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• salt and pepper

Spicy slaw

• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons gochugaru
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 cup shredded green cabbage
• 1 cup shredded red cabbage
• ¼ cup chopped scallions
• 2 tablespoons chopped mint
• 1 medium jalapeno sliced

Remaining ingredients

• 4 sandwich buns toasted

Instructions

• Prepare marinade. Combine chopped pear, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and black pepper in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour marinade over rib eye, tossing to coat. Let sit for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make garlic aioli. Combine mayonnaise, garlic, and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper and let sit for 20 minutes.
• Make dressing for slaw. Whisk together rice vinegar, soy sauce, olive oil, sugar, gochugaru, and sesame oil in a medium bowl. Combine green and red cabbage, scallions, mint, and jalapeno in a large bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat. Set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add bulgogi and cook until browned and caramelized, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Assemble sandwiches. Spread garlic aioli on the bottom sandwich buns and top with bulgogi and spicy slaw. Top with remaining bun and serve immediately.

Notes

Gochugaru is Korean chili powder and can be found in most Asian markets. You can omit it for a mild slaw.

You can make the garlic aioli up to 5 days in advance.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Marinate beef

Let's start with the beef since it takes the longest to prepare. We're making a basic bulgogi marinade and tossing it with thinly sliced beef. If you have ever prepared the traditional Korean dish, you'll be familiar with this recipe.

Blend half of a fresh pear, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and black pepper into a smooth marinade. The pear is key here. It acts as a natural tenderizer while adding a subtle sweetness that balances the salty soy sauce beautifully.

Don't worry about peeling the pear; you can include the skin. I used an Anjou pear, but you can use Bosc or, better yet, Asian pear if you can find it.

Pour it over the thinly sliced rib eye and let it sit for about 20 minutes. I don't recommend marinating the beef overnight because it can get too salty.

This marinade already has a ton of flavor, so you don't need that much time to let it soak into the beef.

Step 2: Prepare toppings

While the beef is soaking up all that flavor, use the time to get your aioli and slaw ready.

The garlic aioli comes together in minutes. Just combine mayonnaise, grated garlic, and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and let it sit for 20 minutes. That resting time is important because it allows the raw garlic to mellow out slightly and fully infuse into the mayo.

Feel free to make the garlic aioli ahead of time.

For the slaw, whisk together the rice vinegar, soy sauce, olive oil, sugar, gochugaru, and sesame oil to make the dressing. Then, toss it with the green and red cabbage, scallions, mint, and jalapeno. If you can't find gochugaru, you can use another type of chili pepper.

One important tip here: don't dress the slaw too far in advance. The salt and acid in the dressing will start to break down the cabbage and make it soggy, and you want that slaw to stay crisp and fresh when it hits the sandwich.

Dress it right before you're ready to assemble for the best texture.

Step 3: Assemble sandwiches

When you're ready to eat, heat a tablespoon of oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the bulgogi. Cook it until it's browned and caramelized, about 5 minutes.

You want some of those edges to get a little crispy and golden, which adds so much texture and flavor.

Now comes the best part: assembling. Spread a generous layer of garlic aioli on the bottom bun, pile on the bulgogi, and top it with a heap of the spicy slaw. Cap it with the top bun and serve immediately.

The contrast of the savory beef, creamy aioli, and bright, crunchy slaw all on a toasted bun is seriously next level. Once you make this Korean beef sandwich with spicy slaw, it's going to become a regular in your lunch rotation, trust me.

Make-ahead and storage tips

• Make-ahead: You can make the garlic aioli up to 5 days in advance. You can also prepare the slaw ingredients and dressing, but I don't recommend tossing them together until ready to serve.
• Store: Keep the components in separate containers and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

More Korean recipes

Looking for more Korean dishes? Try these: