A Year to Learn Korean Cooking: Bulgogi Jeongol

Want to cook Korean food at home while you live in Korea? Let’s make Bulgogi Jeongol, a Korean hot pot dish which is great for cold days.

About the South of Seoul ‘A Year to Learn Korean Cooking’ Series

Many of us live in South Korea for only a year. The time flies past faster than we can imagine. At South of Seoul, we decided to create a simple series that will offer 2-4 dishes to learn each month so that when you leave South Korea you have a slew of new dishes you feel comfortable making anywhere.

This series is a collaboration with Kimchi Rednecks. In 2020 they created the first blog in this series Online Resources for Learning to Cook Korean Food. These two love to have adventures in the kitchen and share the results with their community. Be sure to follow Kimchi Rednecks on YouTube for other great videos about living life in South Korea.

About Jeongols

Jeongol (전골) is a communal hot pot that typically contains a variety of main dish ingredients and is served at the table while cooking. The main difference between a stew/jjigae (찌개) and jeongol is that the jjigae usually has one main ingredient where jeongol shares the pot with many other ingredients.

Historically, jeongol was considered a dish for the upper class and royal court and jjigae was the dish of the common people. Jeongols are typically cooked in a jeongol naembi (전골냄비), which is a wide, shallow pot.

There are many types of jeongols, including some vegetarian options. It is a very customizable dish.

About Bulgogi Jeongol

Bulgogi jeongol (불고기 전골) is a hot pot that consists of many vegetables and bulgogi cooked in a broth. The great thing about a jeongol is that you can personalize it with ingredients that you prefer. This dish comes together really quickly. You arrange your vegetables in the dish and meat and then pour the broth over and cook.

You can buy bulgogi that is pre-marinated from the grocery store and use it in your jeongol. We chose to make the bulgogi marinade and marinate it ourselves.

Biggest Hurdle Making Bulgogi Jeongol

Be careful not to overfill your pot. Since the dish is so easy to adjust to your favorites, there is a tendency to add too many ingredients in the pot than what it can hold even after everything starts to cook down. Remember you can always cook it in two batches or plan to add more ingredients as it cooks.

Three Recommended Bulgogi Jeongol Videos to Watch

What we love most about this dish is how easy it is to use the ingredients and spice levels that you want. If you decide you want it spicy, you can add gochujang or gochugaru. Choose your recipe and ingredients and invite your friends over to share this delicious and easy hot pot!

Korean American Bulgogi Jeongol with Glass Noodles

Korean Bulgogi Jeongol

American in Korean Bulgogi Jeongol

Let Us Know How It Turns Out

When you make bulgogi jeongol for the first time at home, be sure to leave a comment and let us know how it turned out! Also, if you live in Pyeongtaek, you can even share your success (or failure) with us in the Pyeongtaek Food & Fun Facebook group. If you are looking for other dishes (Korean or otherwise) or reviews of restaurants, be sure to check out the KimchiRednecks channel or check out our social media accounts on Facebook or Instagram, where we often share what we are cooking or eating.

Read more in our Year to Learn Korean Cooking Series