Bulgogi Marinade

Combine soy sauce and brown sugar in a bowl large enough to eventually hold all your beef. Stir vigorously with a fork or whisk for 60–90 seconds until the sugar is fully dissolved — granular sugar will not dissolve evenly when the cold beef goes in and can leave sweet spots. The mixture should be uniformly dark and syrupy.

Grate the Asian pear on the finest side of a box grater directly into the soy-sugar base — include all the juice that runs off. Add pressed garlic, sliced scallion, black pepper, and gochugaru if using. Stir everything together. The pear contributes crunchy protease enzymes that break down muscle fibres in beef over 30 minutes to 4 hours; beyond 6 hours the meat will become pasty, so plan accordingly.

Drizzle sesame oil over the marinade and stir gently to combine — do not emulsify it completely; you want visible oil drops that will hit the hot grill surface and instantly perfume the meat. Scatter toasted sesame seeds if using. Taste the marinade on a fingertip: it should be intensely savoury and sweet with a clean soy backbone. Add more sugar if flat, more soy if too sweet. To use: add thinly sliced ribeye or sirloin (2–3 mm), toss to coat every surface, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.