Cast-Iron Korean BBQ Ribeye Lettuce Wraps

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Thin-sliced ribeye seared hard in a ripping-hot cast-iron skillet, snipped into bites with kitchen scissors right at the table, and wrapped in cold lettuce with garlicky ssamjang and a tangle of sesame-scallion salad. No grill, no marinade to hide behind — just good beef, high heat and the condiments that make Korean barbecue addictive.

Ingredients

• 2 lb boneless ribeye steak, 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp neutral oil, such as grapeseed or avocado
• 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 8 oz king oyster or cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced

• 3 tbsp doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste)
• 1 tbsp gochujang
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 tsp honey or rice syrup
• 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 2 tbsp finely minced scallion
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, lightly crushed
• 1 tbsp water

• 6 scallions, trimmed
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tsp gochugaru (Korean chile flakes)
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

• 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

• 2 heads red leaf or butter lettuce, leaves separated and chilled
• 20 perilla leaves (optional)
• 1 cup kimchi
• 4 cups hot cooked short-grain rice
• 2 jalapeño or Korean green chiles, sliced

Instructions

1. Wrap the ribeye tightly in plastic and freeze for 45 to 60 minutes, until the outside is firm but a skewer still pushes through the center. This is what lets you cut clean, thin slices at home.
2. While the beef firms up, make the ssamjang: stir the doenjang, gochujang, sesame oil, honey, grated garlic, minced scallion, sesame seeds and water together in a small bowl until glossy and spoonable. Let it sit at room temperature so the garlic mellows.
3. Make the scallion salad: slice the scallions lengthwise into thin slivers (or cut on a sharp bias into 2-inch pieces) and soak in cold water for 10 minutes to curl and sweeten them. Drain very well and pat dry. Whisk the soy sauce, rice vinegar, gochugaru, sesame oil, sugar and sesame seeds, then toss with the scallions no more than 20 minutes before serving.
4. For the sesame salt dip, stir the sesame oil, salt and pepper together and divide among four small dishes. Arrange the chilled lettuce, perilla leaves, kimchi, sliced chiles, ssamjang and scallion salad on a platter and put it on the table with the rice.
5. Unwrap the chilled ribeye and slice against the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slabs, then cut each slab into pieces roughly 3 inches wide — table-sized, not bite-sized, because you'll cut them with scissors later. Toss the slices with 1 tablespoon sesame oil, the salt and pepper. Let sit 10 minutes at room temperature.
6. Set a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over high heat for 5 to 6 minutes, until a drop of water skitters and evaporates instantly and the pan is faintly smoking. Turn on your exhaust fan or open a window — this cooks fast and it cooks loud.
7. Add 1 tablespoon neutral oil and swirl. Lay in one third of the beef in a single uncrowded layer and do not touch it for 60 to 90 seconds, until the underside is deeply browned and lacquered. Flip and sear 30 to 45 seconds more; the beef should still be pink inside. Transfer to a warm platter or, ideally, straight to a cast-iron serving pan set on a trivet at the table.
8. Repeat with the remaining beef in two more batches, adding a little more oil as needed and wiping out any burnt bits between rounds. Between the last two batches, toss in the sliced garlic and mushrooms with a pinch of salt and sear 2 to 3 minutes, until the garlic is golden at the edges and the mushrooms are browned and squeaky-tender. Scatter over the beef.
9. Bring the pan to the table with a pair of clean kitchen scissors. Snip the seared slices into bite-sized pieces right in front of everyone — the resting juices and the hot pan keep the edges sizzling.
10. To eat: lay a lettuce leaf (and a perilla leaf, if using) in your palm, add a small spoon of rice, a piece of beef dragged through the sesame salt dip, a dab of ssamjang, a pinch of scallion salad, a slice of garlic and chile. Fold into a parcel and eat in one bite. Repeat until the pan is empty.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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