Korean BBQ Tri Tip
Korean BBQ tri tip marinated bulgogi-style in soy, Asian pear, sesame, and garlic, then grilled and sliced thin. Sweet, savory, deeply caramelized.
Cooking for a bigger table? The tri tip serving calculator sizes the roast for any head count.
This is bulgogi scaled up to a whole roast. The marinade hits every note Korean barbecue is loved for: soy for salt, brown sugar and pear for sweetness, sesame oil for nuttiness, and gochujang for a low, warm heat.
Grated Asian pear is what sets a real bulgogi marinade apart. Its natural enzymes tenderize the beef while it marinates, so lean tri tip comes off the grill more tender than the cut has any right to be. A regular pear or a little grated kiwi works in a pinch.
Slice it thin against the grain and serve it the Korean barbecue way: with rice, kimchi, and lettuce leaves for wrapping. The sweet-savory marinade caramelizes hard over the fire into the deeply browned edges that make it.
Because the marinade is loaded with sugar and sesame oil, it wants a two-zone fire, not a screaming grill. Sear over the hot side to caramelize the edges, then slide it to the cool side to finish so the sugars brown instead of scorching, pulling at a medium-rare 130 degrees. If the flames climb, move it off the heat and let them settle before you go back.
Which cooker to use
Charcoal grill This is the recipe as written: a hard sear on the hot side, then the lid down over the cool side until it reads 130 F. I don’t reverse sear this one. The marinade needs that first blast of direct heat to caramelize, and it burns if it sits over the coals at the end.
Gas grill Same two-zone idea, one side on high and one side off, lid down for the finish. Gas gives you no oak, and this is the one recipe where I don’t miss it; the marinade is doing all the flavor work.
Smoker Smoke it to 115 F, then the glaze needs a real sear somewhere hot, a grate or cast iron, or it never sets. A pellet grill on high for the finish works.
Sous vide 131 F with the marinade in the bag, then sear ripping hot. Fine, but the char is the point of this recipe and sous vide gives you the least of it.
Santa Maria grill The sugar in this marinade scorches over red oak long before the center gets anywhere. If the Santa Maria grill is all you have, cut the brown sugar in half, keep the grate as high as it goes, and expect a darker edge than the photos.
Ingredients
- 1 whole tri tip roast (2-3 lbs), trimmed
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 Asian pear, grated (about 1/2 cup)
- 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean chile paste)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons rice wine (mirin or sake)
- 3 green onions, sliced
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- 1
Whisk soy sauce, grated pear, brown sugar, sesame oil, gochujang, garlic, ginger, and rice wine. Stir in half the green onions.
Grated Asian pear is the bulgogi secret. Its enzymes tenderize the beef and add a clean sweetness that sugar alone can’t.
- 2
Marinate the tri tip, refrigerated, 4 to 8 hours.
The pear keeps working the whole time, so this marinade tenderizes as well as flavors. Don’t go past about 12 hours or the surface gets soft.
- 3
Remove the tri tip, pat dry, and rest at room temperature 30 minutes. Build a two-zone fire.
Pat it dry so the sugary marinade sears instead of steaming.
- 4
Sear over direct heat 5 to 7 minutes per side, then move to indirect heat and cook to medium-rare, about 130 degrees F at the center.
Watch the flare-ups. The sugar and sesame oil will catch, so move it to the cool side if the flames climb.
- 5
Rest 10 minutes, slice thin against the grain, and finish with the remaining green onions and sesame seeds.
Find where the grain pivots, divide the roast there, and cut each section thin across its lines, bulgogi style.
Nutrition Facts
Per serving
- Calories
- 375
- Protein
- 43 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Sat. Fat
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
- Fiber
- 0 g
- Sodium
- 780 mg
- Cholesterol
- 105 mg
Values are estimates based on standard ingredients and serving sizes.
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