Korean Barbecue Lettuce Wraps

Korean Barbecue Lettuce Wraps are one of our favorite meals. They are big on flavor and easy to prepare. I have been experimenting, trying to create a perfect Korean BBQ sauce. Then I saw Bibigo Barbecue Sauce at the grocery store. Game-changer! It is the perfect Korean BBQ sauce! I stopped trying to create what BiBiGo had already perfected. Of course you can always use your own recipe for the sauce, or use your favorite jarred Korean BBQ sauce. If you can't find BiBiGo locally, it is readily available online.

Note: I have not been compensated in any way for promoting BiBigo. I am just a big fan!

Jump to:

• Ingredients:
• Instructions:
• Features: (per Bibigo)
• Variations:
• This time I used Wagu Beef!
• Tips for working with flank steak...
• What is the perfect side dish?
• Recipe

Ingredients:

• Peanut oil or other high-heat oil
• Butter lettuce leaves
• White onion sliced
• Red, orange or yellow bell pepper 
• Jalapeño pepper 
• Flank steak 
• 1 ½ cups Korean Barbecue Sauce, jarred or homemade

(See recipe card for quantities.)

Instructions:

• Freeze the flank steak until it is firm but not solidly frozen. Using a sharp, non-serrated knife slice ¼ inch slices, across the grain, Place the sliced meat into a small bowl or zippered bag. Pour 1 cup of Korean Barbecue Sauce over the meat. Let it marinate for an hour, smooshing it midway to make sure all slices are covered. 
• Prep vegetables for cooking. Peel and slice onion. Stem, core, and slice peppers. Carefully tear leaves from lettuce. Rinse carefully and place on paper towels to dry.
• Brush a cast-iron grill pan with 1 tablespoon peanut oil. Heat until it begins to smoke. Add onions to the pan and grill until they just get a lit of brown. Don't overcook. The crunch is part of the magic. Remove the oinions and add the peppers. Cook until they just get soft and remove from heat.
• Remove the meat from the marinade. Discard any sauce remaining the bag/bowl. Do not rinse or pat the meat dry. You want the sweet sauce left on the meat so that it caramelizes on the grill pan.
• Brush 1 tablespoon peanut oil on the grill and heat until it smokes. Add the meat to the grill pan, one slice at a time, acoss the raised portions of the grill pan. That will give you crispy grill marks while elevating a bit of the meat off the direct heat. It won't dry out this way. Leave a little room between slices. When you have put as many slices on as you can, go back and fip the first ones over. Repeat, turning each slice over briefly to cook the other side then remove from heat.
• While the pan is still hot, add a tablespoon of Korean Barbecue sauce and toss the vegetables together on the grill pan to reheat them get some sauce on them. Remove from heat. 
• Serve with rice either on the wrap off as a side. Add meat and vegetables to the lettuce wrap and drizzle on some extra sauce. Roll it up and enjoy HOT! Have planty of napkins ready.

Variations:

I need to break out of the lettuce wrap habit and try this on other meats. It would be delicious on salmon cooked on cedar planks and served over Cilantro Lime Rice.

This time I used Wagu Beef!

I stumbled across Wagu Beef flank steak at the local food co-op. I had to try it. I bought a small package, less than a half pound and it made four overstuffed wraps. It was so tender and tasty. Wagu Beef is not budget friendly, but it is delicious.

I cook the vegetables first because they take more time than the meat. Cooking it all at the same time will work in a pinch, but the meat might not be as tender.

Note: I have not been compensated in any way for promoting Wagu beef.

Tips for working with flank steak...

Flank steak is tender when thinly sliced and cooked briefly, especially when making Korean barbecue lettuce wraps. I have a hard time slicing meat thin without a trip to the ER for sutures. The secret is freezing it. Put it in the freezer just long enough to get it firm or, if it is frozen already thaw it out for a few minutes until it can be cut easily. Use a sharp knife! I love my Wustoff knives, but any sharp non-serated knife will do.

Note: I have not been compensated in any way for promoting Wustoff knives.

You must cut thin, but not shaved slices of flank steak across the grain! That means you do not cut along the side with the long fibers, rather you cut across the other side. If you do it the wrong way you will end up with tough, stringy meat. You can read about the right way to cut flank steak on Better Homes and Gardens.

Recipe