BARBECUE THE KOREAN WAY

Whenever most people think barbecue, they automatically think of The South, like Memphis, Texas, Carolina, Kansas City, and so forth. South American countries are also famous for their forms of BBQ also, like Brazil, Uruguay, and Chile. There is also Chinese spare ribs and Japanese Hibachi, but in my biased opinion, Korean BBQ can give any of them a run for their money. Now, being somewhat of a barbecue purist, I would call it more grilling than barbecue, because we do not cook the meat "low and slow", however, we do like to marinate a full 24 to 48 hours prior to cooking. The flavors we incorporate are much different as well. One of Korea's National dishes is the Korean style spare and short ribs called "kalbi". We generally use combination of garlic, ginger, green onions, rice wine, sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, and some people like to use a little honey or ground chili powder as well. This same marinade is also used in our famous thinly sliced beef called "Bulgogi". Although, it can be pan-fried, or cooked on a gas grill, I would recommend grilling the meat over charcoal and wood chips to get the best smoky flavor you can. we also have a spicy pork barbecue made from a combination of red chili paste, garlic, ginger, sugar, sesame oil, rice wine, and sweet oyster paste. It's traditionally made with thinly sliced pork butt, however I think this marinade is thick enough to attach itself to any cut of pork and the flavors are so pungent and spicy that I would not recommend this for the weak of tongue or stomach. If you have never before experienced Korean barbecue, I urge you to immediately find a restaurant near you. Most Korean BBQ restaurants always have a grill right in the middle of the table. You simply pick and choose the kinds of meats and marinades you would like and they will bring the raw marinated meat to you. Cook it right at the table yourself and eat right off the grill. The meats are usually accompanied by rice and a vast assortment of fresh and pickled vegetables, including our National dish called "Kimchee", which is a dish of very spicy, pickled, and fermented Korean cabbage leaves. This has an especially pungent odor, but the flavor is amazing.