How to Make Costco Beef Bulgogi Better? [7 Tasty Tricks]
If you are a BBQ fan, Costco beef bulgogi is definitely worth a try, and believe me; you’ll go back for seconds. Fried up, juicy, savory, perfectly balanced, and very flavorful, this dish is pretty much perfect on its own. But I love tweaking it up to make it more suitable for my taste. So, how to make Costco beef bulgogi better?
Improve your Costco Beef Bulgogi with some of these tricks: add veggies, spices, marinade, creaminess, fry it, or add eggs. Experiment and find your favorite flavor!
With a little love, imagination, and just a bit of effort, this ready-to-make delicacy becomes unbelievably delicious. Are you ready to go the extra mile for an amazing meal experience?
Add Veggies
Although Costco beef bulgogi contains onions, you can always add some more veggies to make things more exciting and colorful. Bell peppers are always my first idea, but maybe that’s just because I always have them in my kitchen. You can add grated carrots, shredded cabbage, or even kimchi.
Whatever veggies you decide to add, make sure you sizzle them for a few minutes before adding the meat to the pan. This way, the veggies will be fried but still crunchy, which will add texture to your meal.
Spice It Up
Costco beef bulgogi is great to experiment with, spice-wise. Although bulgogi is not a traditionally spicy dish, you can always make it edgier if that’s what you like, as the flavors mash delightfully.
I like to add a generous amount of pepper and saffron, as well as chili flakes, ginger, and lemon zest. Still, if this seems like too much, you can always tone it down and add spices gradually to see how it feels.
Marinate It
Even though Costco beef bulgogi comes to you ready to cook, you can still upgrade it by marinating the meat more. You can let it sit in a mixture as simple as olive oil, salt, and pepper, or go a bit further with soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and garlic cloves marinade.
In any case, the meat with become even tenderer and more flavorful, making your meal richer and more delicious. I usually add some mustard and honey to the marinade but feel free to add whatever you think might improve your meal.
Make It Creamy
Making your Costco beef bulgogi creamy is a risky game, as you might not like it. Bulgogi is not supposed to be creamy but soft and chewy and more on the drier side. So, making bulgogi creamy might taste weird or unnatural to you.
Still, if you aren’t afraid to experiment, give this idea a shot because you may like it. Add cream cheese or heavy cream while cooking the meat, and let it simmer for a while. The meat will become even tenderer with a silky layer of creaminess.
Serve It with Rice
Costco beef bulgogi goes excellent with plain rice. I prefer it served over a bed of rice instead of serving the rice on the side. The juices penetrate the rice grains, making them flavorful and juicy, while the rice creates a flavor balance in the meat.
Steamed veggies are also an option, so if you don’t have any rice, feel free to make a mixture of steamed broccoli, cauliflower, and corn.
Fry It
Although you can cook Costco beef bulgogi in the air fryer, the oven, or the microwave, you’ll get the best results if you fry it. Bulgogi is a Korean BBQ dish, and it is fried in its original recipe. This way, the meat is the juiciest, the flavors are the most expressive, and the texture is the most pleasant to eat.
Although effective in cooking the meat, the other cooking methods will leave you with a dry dish or a soggy one, and none is what bulgogi is supposed to look like. I prefer to add just a little oil to my frying pan and let it heat up before I add the meat.
The cooking doesn’t take me more than ten minutes, but I always have my eye on the meat and adjust the frying time accordingly.
Add Eggs
There are two ways to add eggs to your Costco beef bulgogi, and both give excellent results. You can beat an egg or two and add it to the meat while frying it. This way, you’ll get a bulgogi omelet with the perfect texture balance.
The meat will prevent the eggs from making the dish too creamy, but your meal will still become more substantial and richer.
The other way is to fry an egg or two in a separate pan and add it on top of the meat when serving. Cut the yolk sack and let it spill over the meat making your dish more traditional-looking and even more flavorful.
Costco Beef Bulgogi Improved
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 pack Costco Beef Bulgogi
- 1 Carrot
- 3 Button Mushrooms
- ½ cup Bean Sprouts
- 1 Scallion
Instructions
- Julienne the carrot and slice the mushrooms.
- Oil the pan and heat it up over medium heat.
- Toss the bulgogi in, along with the carrot, mushrooms, and bean sprouts.
- Cook and stir until the beef is cooked (it takes about 10 minutes).
- Serve over a bowl of rice, sprinkled with chopped fresh scallions. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Before diving into the nutritional details, please review our Nutritional Disclaimer page for important context and clarifications.
