This Korean Venison Steak Bulgogi Recipe is a simple dish you can easily whip up when you are in the mood for Korean food and looking for a fun new venison recipe.
This venison bulgogi combines the unique flavor of antelope steak with the sweet, savory, and slightly spicy flavors of Korean bulgogi.
What Is Bulgogi?
Bulgogi, pronounced "bool-go-gee," is one of Korea’s most beloved dishes. The term translates to "fire meat," referring to its traditional preparation over an open flame. Today, bulgogi often features thinly sliced beef or pork marinated in a blend of soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, and spices before being quickly cooked. It’s sweet, savory, and utterly delicious - a flavor profile that Korean cookbook author Yoo-Jung Park describes as "comforting and universally appealing." Aaron Huh, another Korean food expert, notes that bulgogi’s versatility makes it a fantastic gateway dish for those new to Korean flavors.
For this Korean steak bulgogi recipe, we’re swapping out the traditional beef with venison. I used pronghorn antelope, a game meat loved by those of us who love it. If you've heard negative things about what antelope tastes like, it's probably due to poor meat care in the field. For someone like me whose #1 priority is getting the meat cooled down, and keeping any hair off the meat, it's delicious!
If you’ve never paired venison with Korean flavors, you’re in for a treat with this venison bulgogi recipe. The bulgogi marinade’s bold flavors enhance the meat’s natural qualities, making it a dish that’s sure to impress friends and family.
Tested And Kid-Approved Bulgogi Recipe
Just as I've done with all of my wild game and fish recipes you'll find here on the website, this one was also tested and approved by my wife and our young daughter. I'll be honest and tell you it was slightly too spicy for my daughter's taste when she first had an earlier version of this recipe when she was 7-years-old. However, at the old age of 10, and a little recent tweaking on the spice level, it's now one of her favorites!
What Does Pronghorn Antelope Taste Like?
Whenever people ask about my favorite game meat, I quickly blurt out one word: antelope! That bold statement holds true for both my wife and daughter as well.
In my opinion, antelope - more accurately called the American Pronghorn - is the best-tasting game meat available. No matter what you’ve heard, antelope meat offers a tender texture and a sweet, mild flavor. My whole family agrees. We would choose pronghorn antelope over elk, whitetail, or mule deer any day of the week!
The key to great-tasting antelope recipes begins with cooling the meat immediately. Don’t drive around for hours with the carcass in the back of your truck. Instead, quarter the animal and pack it in a cooler with ice right away. After that, dry aging becomes the most important step.
Dry aging removes moisture and lets enzymes break down connective tissue. This process tenderizes the meat and enhances its flavor. I dry age antelope backstraps and hindquarters for two weeks. Before cooking, I tenderize the antelope steaks with a Jaccard meat tenderizer.
The final result is incredible. You get fork-tender steaks that can rival - and often beat - any cut of beef you’d find in a high-end steakhouse.
Korean Steak Bulgogi Ingredients
- 1 pound venison steak (your choice of top round, bottom round, eye of round, or backstrap)
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 2 green onions, chopped for garnish
- 2 cups kimchi
How To Make Venison Bulgogi
- Make the Marinade: In a mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ground ginger, and gochujang. Mix well to ensure the sugar dissolves.
- Prepare the Meat: On a cutting board, tenderize the antelope steak using a Jaccard meat tenderizer. Then, use a sharp knife to slice the steak into thin strips.
- Marinate the Meat: Place the sliced meat in a one-quart Ziploc bag. Pour the marinade over the top, seal the bag, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Cook the Rice: While the meat marinates, prepare 1 cup of uncooked rice. This will yield 2 cups of cooked rice. Cook time for long-grain white rice is typically 15 to 20 minutes.
- Cook the Meat: Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the marinated meat and spread it in a single layer. Cook until well browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer the cooked meat to a large plate. Repeat the process with the remaining meat.
- Serve: Spoon ½ cup of rice onto each serving plate. Divide the cooked meat and sauce among the plates. Garnish with chopped green onions and serve kimchi on the side.
Pro Tips For The Best Bulgogi
- Choose the Right Cut: The backstrap is a fantastic option for this antelope steak recipe because of its tenderness. However, cuts like top round or bottom round also work well when sliced thinly and marinated.
- Venison Bulgogi Recipe: If you don't have antelope steak, feel free to use meat from your deer, elk, moose, or caribou to make this venison bulgogi.
- Don’t Skip the Gochujang: This Korean chili paste adds depth and a hint of spice that’s essential to the dish. You can find it in most Asian grocery stores or online.
- Adjust the Spice Level: If you’re new to spicy foods, or you have young kids in the house like we do, start with 1 teaspoon of gochujang and adjust to taste. For more heat, add an extra teaspoon or a pinch of red pepper flakes.
Why You'll Love This Korean Steak Recipe
The venison steak marinade’s combination of soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, and gochujang creates the perfect balance of savory, sweet, and spicy. Tenderizing and slicing the steak ensures quick, even cooking. Serving it with rice and kimchi rounds out the meal, providing a mix of textures and flavors.
If you’ve never tried Korean food, this Korean steak recipe is an excellent introduction. It’s simple, approachable, and uses ingredients you likely already have—except for gochujang, which is worth adding to your pantry. Once you try it, you’ll understand why bulgogi is a favorite worldwide. And why venison bulgogi is a favorite at our house!
More Venison Steak Recipes
If you are looking for another scrumptious and simple venison steak recipe, be sure and check out my favorite Deer Steak Frites. Or you can find all of our venison steak recipes here.
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Korean Venison Steak Bulgogi Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound venison steak (your choice of top round, bottom round, eye of round, or backstrap)
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoon gochujang
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 2 green onions, chopped for garnish
- 2 cups kimchi
Instructions
- To make the marinade, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and gochujang in a mixing bowl and mix well.
- On a cutting board, tenderize the venison steak using a Jaccard meat tenderizer, then use a sharp knife to slice into thin strips.
- Place thinly sliced meat in a one-quart Ziploc bag, pour marinade over the top, seal bag, and place in refrigerator to marinate for 1 hour.
- While your meat is marinating, prepare 1 cup of uncooked rice, which will yield 2 cups of cooked rice (cook time for long grain white rice is between 15 and 20 minutes).
- In a large cast iron skillet, over medium-high, heat half of the meat with marinade in a single layer and cook until well browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large plate. Repeat with the remaining half of the meat.
- To serve, spoon ½ cup of rice on each serving plate, divide cooked meat and sauce among each dish, garnish with chopped green onions, and serve kimchi on the side.
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