The pros: Tasty beef in a sesame soy marinade that is ready super quick on the grill or pan. Trader Joe’s Beef Bool Kogi meat was lean.
The cons: A mild heat would have added to this, but can also be done at the end. High in sodium.
The verdict: For $7.49 per pound this is similar to Trader Joe’s Korean Style Beef Short Ribs in terms of the flavor of the marinade. It’s a completely different cut of meat and you will not be dealing with the amount of waste that you’ll have after having short ribs. You’ll also be slightly ahead in terms of finances too as this is cheaper to buy. Out of the bag you get beef that are sliced thin the way chicken cutlets would be sliced thin. This means they are going to cook quick and make for a fast meal with minimal effort.
Here is the quick visual rundown before I give my final thoughts on this below:
The package in the refrigerated aisle:
The nutritional information:
The ingredients:
After being cooked you get:
Or the side view:
Would I buy this again? Yes! I’d reach for this every time rather than Trader Joe’s Korean Style Beef Short Ribs because it’s less involved. It’s not as greasy and there is no waste. No bones to throw out. It’s all meat. There is no need to defrost. This is just grill and go. I didn’t find it needed 5 minutes per side either. These slices were thin enough that they cooked quickly. This beef would be delicious served with rice, noodles, zoodles, or salad. Trader Joe’s Korean Style Beef Short Ribs were good, but Trader Joe’s Beef Bool Kogi was better.
Want to see more items I’ve reviewed from Trader Joe’s? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe’s for a searchable list.
Did you try it? Tell me what you thought in the comments section.
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Once again you steered me in a delicious direction. Based on your recommendation I picked up a package of the Bool Kogi when a last minute dinner guest had me wondering what would be a tasty dinner. It was almost no effort to cook in my grill pan, and I pared it with the TJs riced cauliflower stir fry and some steamed broccoli. It was incredible! So much so I’ve already put it on my shopping list for this coming week. I saw an Instagram post where they cooked it on the bbq with some grilled pineapple — so, I’m pulling out the Webber.
Hey Penelope! I’m glad it went so well for you. I hope you found the review helpful. Now, that pairing sounds phenomenal. Thanks for sharing that here! Thanks again for taking the time out of your day to stop by and share your thoughts.
This was nasty, nothing but fat! I threw half of it away.
Hey Toopy! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experience. Bummer yours was fatty, the ones I’ve been getting seem pretty lean. Good to know there might be some variation in quality.
We had this with my son and his family. We served it with roasted asparagus drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt. and yellow rice. We had strawberries with balsamic vinegar. We put an electric skillet in the middle of the table and everyone cooked their own meat, using chop sticks, as we ate. It was fun and delicious. We also had some shrimp with a lemon garlic sauce, but we really didn’t need it.
The beef did cook very quickly and was convenient, inexpensive for what you get and easy, just as you say. We’re trying this again with coconut rice and a mixed greens salad. I like your suggestion of zoodles, I think we’ll try that next time.
Hey Donna! Your meal sounds delicious! Thanks so much for sharing so many great ideas and meal combinations!
Love this stuff. The only problem is that the slices come all scrambled together like some kind of a puzzle, and it takes five minutes to untangle them and spread them out on the grill. It almost seems like on purpose they make it more tangled than it needs to be. On the other hand, untangling them is a meditation that teaches one the value of patience and persistence. All good.
I wouldn’t buy this again. It was way too salty and the marinade flavor was not typical of kalbi that you get at most korean restaurants.
Hey Alex! Thanks for sharing!