Korean Pear Chilli Beef Skewers with Garlic and Sesame
Grated Korean pear gives these skewers a clean sweetness and tender texture, while garlic, sesame and chilli round everything out. They’re perfect when you want a barbecue beef recipe that feels lighter, more delicate and excellent with rice or pickled vegetables.
Ingredients
- 700 g beef sirloin rump or bavette, cut into 3cm cubes
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 8 metal skewers or 4 large skewers
For the Korean pear chilli marinade
- 1 Korean pear peeled, cored and finely grated
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves finely grated
- 1 tsp fresh ginger finely grated
- 1 tbsp gochugaru or mild Korean chilli flakes
- 1 tsp runny honey
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
- 1 spring onion finely sliced
To finish
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 2 spring onions finely sliced
- 1 tsp chilli crisp or extra gochugaru optional
- 1 lime cut into wedges
- small handful coriander or parsley roughly chopped, optional
Instructions
Grate the pear and mix the marinade
- In a medium bowl, combine the grated Korean pear, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, gochugaru, honey, black pepper, salt and sliced spring onion. Stir until thoroughly mixed.
Marinate the beef
- Add the beef cubes and turn well so every piece is coated in the marinade. Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours. Remove from the fridge about 20 minutes before grilling.
Prepare the barbecue
- Set up the BBQ with one hot direct area and one gentler area. Clean the grates and brush them lightly with oil.
Thread the skewers
- Thread the marinated beef onto skewers, leaving small gaps between the cubes so the heat can circulate and the edges can brown.
Grill the beef
- Place the skewers over direct heat and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning regularly. The outside should darken in spots and begin to caramelise while the inside stays juicy.
Fnish carefully
- Move the skewers to the gentler zone if they need a little more time or if the edges are colouring faster than the centres are cooking. Cook until the beef reaches your preferred doneness.
Rest and garnish
- Rest the skewers for 5 minutes. Sprinkle over the sesame seeds and spring onions, then finish with optional chilli crisp, a squeeze of lime and herbs if using.
Notes
Korean pear is ideal because it’s juicy, crisp and not too floral. It has a clean sweetness that suits savoury marinades particularly well. If you can’t get one, a nashi pear is the nearest swap. I’d avoid very soft dessert pears if possible, because they tend to be more perfumed and don’t give quite the same fresh, watery lift. Grating the pear rather than chopping it is helpful too, since it melts into the marinade and coats the beef more evenly.
For the chilli, gochugaru is my preference because it gives a mellow, fruity warmth instead of a blunt heat. It’s one of those ingredients that adds colour and flavour without turning everything aggressive. Beef-wise, sirloin is the easiest cut to work with here, though bavette gives excellent flavour if you don’t mind a bit more attention to slicing and doneness. Sesame oil should be used with a reasonably light hand. Too much and it can crowd the pear.
Nutrition
Calories: 424kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 34gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 772mgPotassium: 648mgFiber: 1gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 280IUCalcium: 39mgIron: 4mg
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