Grilled Bulgogi Steak Skewers

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This post is sponsored by OXO. Summer grilling just got a major upgrade 🤯 These bulgogi steak skewers stack juicy top sirloin soaked in a sweet-savory bulgogi marinade with bell peppers, red onion and zucchini, then char on a griddle pan until the edges caramelize. They cook in minutes, they look SO good stacked on a plate, and TRUST me, that Korean BBQ flavor is going to be the taste of your whole summer. If you’ve got skewers and about 20 minutes, you’re most of the way to the easiest backyard win of the season!

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This one earned a spot in 54 Game Day Food Ideas With an Asian Twist too.

What Makes These Bulgogi Steak Skewers So Good

It’s the contrast that gets me. The steak picks up all that soy-garlic-sweet bulgogi flavor and chars on the griddle, while the peppers, onion and zucchini soften and catch a little color right alongside it. Bulgogi is already doing sweet and savory at the same time, and then the griddle adds smoke on top of that. SO good!

Plus, the marinade does basically all the work for you, which is why I’d call this one of the higher-reward, lower-effort summer dinners you’ll make all season. It’s the same sweet-savory backbone as my homemade bulgogi, which leans on soy sauce, brown sugar and garlic to turn thin beef into something CRAZY good. Bottle it or build it yourself, either way you’re getting that Korean BBQ flavor without ever lighting a real grill.

The Tools I Used

I highly recommend metal skewers for this, and OXO makes some really good ones. Sturdy, with a grip that makes turning them easy, which matters a lot when you’re rotating hot steak every couple of minutes. Best of all you can grab them at Target, so no hunting around! I also used the OXO chef squeeze bottles, which come in clutch for glazing the skewers as they cook, and the turner and tongs set. I’ve linked everything I used in my LTK shop if you want to look them up.

What Cut of Steak Do You Use for Bulgogi?

Top sirloin is my pick for skewers. Traditional bulgogi uses thin-shaved ribeye, and my air fryer Korean short ribs use flanken-cut short ribs, but neither of those holds up cubed on a stick. Sirloin is beefy, tender and firm enough to stay put while you turn it, and it takes on marinade fast. Cut it into even 1 to 1.5 inch cubes so every piece finishes at the same time.

What Is Bulgogi Meat Marinated In?

A sweet-savory soy base, so soy sauce, sugar, garlic, sesame oil, and usually grated Asian pear or onion to tenderize the beef and round the sweetness out. That pear is the low-key MVP, because it breaks the meat down a little and keeps it juicy. You can whisk your own or grab a bottle of bulgogi sauce and be done, which is what I’d do when it’s 90 degrees out and you just want dinner. Korean Bapsang has a great breakdown of a classic marinade if you want to build it from scratch.

Tips for Making Bulgogi Steak Skewers

1. Cut the steak and veggies the same size

Keep everything around 1 to 1.5 inches so the steak and vegetables finish together. If your onion chunks are huge and your steak is tiny, one of them is losing. Even pieces, even cook, every time!

2. Give the beef a real soak

Let the steak marinate at least 30 minutes so the flavor gets all the way through instead of sitting on the surface. Overnight is better if you’re planning ahead, though small cubes drink it up fast, so even a short soak lands!

3. Get the griddle hot and don’t crowd it

Cooking on low heat in a packed pan steams the meat gray instead of searing it, and that’s the mistake I’d most want you to avoid. Go medium-high with a little space between the skewers so you get real caramelized char. Pat the steak so it isn’t dripping wet before it hits the pan, and let it sit long enough to brown before you turn it.

4. Glaze it while it cooks

I keep extra bulgogi sauce in a squeeze bottle and hit the skewers as they cook, turning every couple of minutes so the glaze reduces onto the meat and turns sticky. A little pepper on each side goes a long way too! Hey Grill Hey has a solid guide if you want to go deeper on getting that char right.

Storage and Leftovers

Leftover skewers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, and real talk, they hold up great the next day, so don’t sleep on them. Reheat in a hot pan or the air fryer so the edges crisp back up rather than going rubbery in the microwave.

Slide the beef and veggies off the sticks and fold them into my Korean BBQ crunchwrap, or pile them over rice with a fried egg for the easiest next-day lunch!

Equipment

• Metal skewers
• Griddle pan
• Squeeze bottle
• Tongs

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs top sirloin steak, cut into 1 to 1.5 inch cubes
• 2 bell peppers (different colors), cut into 1 to 1.5 inch pieces
• 1 red onion, cut into 1 to 1.5 inch pieces
• 1 zucchini, cut into 1 to 1.5 inch pieces
• Bulgogi sauce, for marinating and glazing
• Black pepper, to taste

Substitutions and Swaps

• The steak. Ribeye is richer and more traditional for bulgogi, and flank or flat iron both work if you slice against the grain. I’d stay away from stew meat, because it needs long slow cooking and will come off the griddle chewy.
• The bulgogi sauce. A bottle is what I’d use on a weeknight, but homemade is better if you have ten minutes. Teriyaki is NOT a straight swap, since it’s sweeter and thinner and misses the garlic and sesame that make this taste Korean.
• The vegetables. Mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and pineapple all skewer well. Skip anything watery like cucumber, and give dense vegetables like carrot a quick par-cook first or they’ll still be raw when the beef is done.
• The griddle pan. An outdoor grill is honestly the ideal here and you’ll get more smoke out of it. A broiler works too, about 4 inches from the element, turning halfway.
• Wooden skewers. They work, they just need a 30-minute soak in water first so they don’t scorch. Metal is what I’d use, since you can reuse them and they conduct heat into the meat.

Instructions

1. Cut the steak and vegetables into roughly 1 to 1.5 inch pieces, and marinate the steak in bulgogi sauce for at least 30 minutes.
2. Thread the steak and vegetables onto the skewers in any order you like.
3. Oil a griddle pan and set it over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, lay the skewers on. Sprinkle pepper over the top, then flip and pepper the other side.
4. Cook for 8 to 12 minutes, turning every 2 to 3 minutes, until the steak hits the doneness you want.
5. While they cook, use a squeeze bottle to coat the skewers with extra bulgogi sauce and let it reduce onto the meat.
6. Once the meat is done, take the skewers off and let them rest a few minutes before serving.

What I like about skewers for a cookout is that all the fussy work happens before anyone shows up. You marinate, you thread, and the actual cooking is a few minutes of turning while people stand around with drinks.

They also come off the pan looking like you tried a lot harder than you did, which is most of the appeal of a skewer. 🙌

If you make these, leave a star rating on the recipe card and tell me in the comments how you built yours. It really helps other people find the recipe, and I want to know what you put on the skewer!

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