Grilled Beef SirloinDeungshim Gui

At Korean BBQ restaurants, the menu usually has a section where they list cuts by price per portion. Deungshim — sirloin — sits near the top. It is one of the cuts that does not get a marinade. The logic is that good beef should not need one.

I had my first proper deungshim gui at a charcoal grill restaurant in Mapo, Seoul, where a friend from the Netherlands named Rik was visiting for a week. He had tried Korean BBQ at home, but mostly the marinated versions — bulgogi, galbi — and he was expecting something sweetened and sauced. The server set down the raw sirloin, laid it on the grill, and Rik looked at me like something had gone wrong.

It hadn't. The salt and high heat do something to well-marbled sirloin that takes about five minutes and produces a crust on the outside and pink center inside. Cut it with scissors into bite-sized pieces, wrap each one in a lettuce leaf with a sliver of raw garlic and a small dip in sesame oil-salt, and you have one of the simplest and best Korean beef preparations.

Rik ate most of the first order himself and asked if we could order more. We did.

At home, the key is the heat. A cast iron pan or grill pan needs to be properly hot before the steak goes on — if it sizzles, it's not hot enough; if it smokes immediately, that is closer to what you want. The resting step matters too. Five minutes off the heat lets the juices redistribute so the steak doesn't bleed when you cut it.

Deungshim gui is a beginner recipe in terms of technique but requires decent beef. Buy the best sirloin available to you.