MaiTai One of my favorite things to eat is Korean BBQ. Normally I don’t like to wait a ridiculous amount of time to eat, but Korean BBQ is an exception to my no-line waiting rule.
When I eat Korean BBQ, I always choose All You Can Eat restaurants. My family’s favorite is Gen and Road to Seoul.
There are a ton of protein varieties (chicken, pork, beef, seafood, tongue, intestines)! Not to mention all those banchan (side dishes) you can eat while waiting for your meat to cook. Definitely need to wear my stretchy pants when I go out for Korean BBQ!
But you know what, it’s not that hard to bring Korean BBQ home and still have an authentic delicious experience. The amount of banchan you have will depend on how willing you are to make or buy the various sides. Same goes for the meat, I tend to keep it simple with 2 to 3 choices.
Low Carb Korean BBQ Marinade
The key to good Korean BBQ is the marinade. I found an easy and delicious Keto Korean BBQ Bulgogi Marinade from LowCarbingAsian. It was simple and only used 5 or 6 ingredients I had on hand.
I stuck pretty close to the original recipe. The marinade was perfect. I didn’t have any rib eye or chuck, but I had some chicken thighs that would be just fine. I also threw in some frozen shrimp in the marinate before dinner time to added a little more variety. The pork belly didn’t require any marinade, just thinly slice it and throw it on the grill.
I made the marinade in the morning, and ate it a few hours later at dinner. Check out my Keto Korean BBQ at Home video to see the process from start to finish.
Korean BBQ Spread: Night One
As far as the side dishes or banchan, I only had kimchi and a side salad. Check out Korean Bapsang’s collection of 15 Korean Vegetable Side Dishes (banchan) for some ideas.
I supplemented our Korean BBQ with fresh asparagus, bell peppers, zucchini and cherry tomatoes the first night. Absolutely optional, but I air fried the veggies (except for the bell peppers) to help it cook faster on the grill. I air-fry them at 350 for about 10 minutes while I was setting up.
In terms of the grill, we just used a good old Presto griddle that has been in the family forever. I love it because it’s nonstick and has a large cooking surface. It’s easy to clean and you don’t have to add any oil. Plus, you can control and adjust the temperature to fit your cooking need.
Korean BBQ Spread: Night Two
The protein remained the same the second night: chicken, pork belly and shrimp. But we decided last minute to add bacon. It was really tasty!
We had some leftover grilled veggies from night one, but it wasn’t enough. I blanched some cabbage and threw on a quick vinaigrette. I grilled Trader Joe’s French green beans to balance out all the meat. I simply coated the beans with some avocado oil and sprinkled on some Bae Blend #fauxtatopotahto seasoning.
Low Carb Korean BBQ Marinade
Equipment
- Blender or food processor
- Griddle
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1/2 whole onion (cut into rough chunks)
- 2-3 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/4 cup soy sauce/tamari/coconut amino
- 2 tbsp sweetener (i used Lakanto Golden)
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Veggies
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 1-2 large bell pepper (sliced)
- 1 whole zucchini (sliced about 1cm thick)
- 1/2 cup cherry tomato
Protein
- 1 lb chicken thighs cut into bite size chunks
- 1 lb thinly sliced pork belly
- 10 whole shrimp
Instructions
Marinade Directions
- Combine all the ingredients in a blender/food processor and blend.
- Place chicken in a container and pour marinade on top. Mix well and make sure all the pieces are coated with the marinade. You may add shrimp now or 20 minutes before the cooking process.
- Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight for maximum absorption.
Cooking on the Griddle
- Preheat the griddle at 400°F. Cook the chicken first because it takes the longest.
- Add in the other protein. Use tongs or chopsticks to handle the raw meat.
- Place veggies on one side of the griddle. You're looking for the veggies to be a little bit char on the outside.
