Beef bulgogi cheesesteak (Koja)

You might be thinking that this post looks kind of familiar. That's probably because I previously wrote about the spicy pork bulgogi cheesesteak at the beginning of the year. To refresh your memory, it's the simple combination of hoagie roll, melted cheese, onions, peppers, and ass-numbingly spicy pork, all of which is drenched in a sweet and spicy sauce made from gochujang. Oh yes... it is a sandwich I love dearly, but at the same time, fear and respect. As a good friend of mine once said, as spicy as it is... the amount of enjoyment you get from having one is completely negated by the amount of discomfort on exit. I'm pretty sure he's just being a wuss, but if a fiery rectum is not so high on your list of 'likes,' let me present you with a more mild alternative... the beef bulgogi cheesesteak.



Bulgogi should be done with beef to begin with, so if anything, this is more 'authentic' than the spicy pork version... as authentic as a Korean cheesesteak can be anyway. The formula is more or less the same. You take bread, you melt cheese, you grill onions and peppers, but this time... stuff the crap out of it with thinly sliced beef, marinated in a sweet concoction of sugar and soy sauce. Drizzle some sesame seeds all over that bitch and you got yourself a beef bulgogi cheesesteak. Most of the things that made the spicy pork version awesome are still present in the beef version. The peppers and onion provide a certain natural sweetness, while adding a crunchy nuance to the texture. The cheese is fully melted and becomes the backdrop to the main attraction... which is of course the meat. The beef comes off the griddle literally dripping with juices. The fantastic combination of marinate and oil then soaks into the roll, leaving you with a greasy mess of sweet and savory brilliance.

Do I like it better than the spicy pork version? Not sure. They're too different to choose one over the other. One is an exercise in masochism, stimulating your taste buds and digestive system in a way they've never been violated before, while the other is just... plain pleasant. The great thing is, at $3, I don't have to make that choice. I can switch it up as much as I want. I could even... gasp get both for one meal. Crazies.