Crispy Lemon-Pepper Bulgogi with Quick-Pickled Shallots | Eric Kim

Eric Kim calls himself a "Food Network baby." He's part of a generation that watched cooking shows after school, and now that generation is all grown up. Eric—who says he wouldn't be where he is today without Rachael—grew up to become a New York Times food writer and the author of the new cookbook, Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home. He created this recipe with help from his Korean mom, Jean. 

"What I have here is not the comforting, melt-in-your-mouth bulgogi—thinly sliced beef, marinated then grilled—that's so ubiquitous in Korean restaurants and most home kitchens today. This is my own creation, adding to the pantheon of bulgogi recipes out there. As a nod to my hometown (lemon pepper has a deep and passionate fan base in Atlanta), the citrusy, aromatic spice rub in this version dusts thinly sliced rib eye, which gets seared and then marinated post-cook in a lemony shallot mixture. The thing with a beef cut this thin is you want to fry it on a very hot surface for as little time as possible (but while also gaining as much color in that short time). It's a dance and one that is best done on a grill pan, but a very hot skillet would work, too. You want crisp edges, and if you're lucky, for the fat to bubble up and crisp. On the subject of black pepper: I'm convinced that we as home cooks don't use as much of it as we could, and don't truly know what it even tastes like. One proper lick and you can appreciate the peppercorn for what it really is: an aromatic berry. Couple that fruitiness with dehydrated lemon zest (it takes just 20 minutes in the oven), which, when rubbed into the coarse black pepper, releases its oils and latches onto the pepper, and vice versa, and they seem almost to transform one another. All that pepper will give you a tingling sensation, as well, and tastes fab with the sour-sweet quick-pickled shallots." —Eric 

Pro Tip from Eric: If you can't find bulgogi-style beef, then you can just do it yourself: Place a boneless rib eye in the freezer for a few minutes to firm it up, then slice thinly with a very sharp knife.  

For more Korean-inspired recipes, check out Rach's Bibimbap with Beef and these crowd-pleasing wings by former NY Giants running back Rashad Jennings that are perfect for game day.