Jangjorim is what I imagine beef jerky would be like if the jerky had only been marinated and not put out to dry. It’s essentially braised, soy sauce-infused beef. Jangjorim has the saltiness of beef jerky, but since it is cooked — not dehydrated — its texture is soft, not chewy.

Koreans typically include eggs and hot peppers in their jangjorim. These disparate ingredients get braised together and served together. The combination is tasty, especially the pairing of beef and peppers. But make no mistake — beef is the main event in jangjorim. The below recipe acknowledges this and focuses solely on beef. Think of it as a faster, simpler way to cook jangjorim.

Jangjorim (Salted Beef) — 장조림

Makes 6-8 small servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 lb. beef, cubed (beef brisket and eye of round are commonly used; cubes should be 1-2 inches on each side)
• 6 c. water

Sauce:

• 1 c. soy sauce*
• 3 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 Tbsp. sugar

*To make this recipe gluten free, I used San-J Organic Tamari Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (available at Whole Foods or for $6.69 + shipping on Amazon.com.)

Steps

• Bring water to a boil in a large (1½-2 qt.) pot.
• Add cubed beef and cover with lid.
• Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes, until beef is tender.
• Pour out all but ½ c. of cooking liquid.
• Add sauce ingredients to beef in pot.
• Cover and simmer about 30 minutes, until beef absorbs all liquid and has turned dark brown.**
• Cut beef into very small pieces or shred with hands.***
• Serve with rice.
• Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

**If your jangjorim tastes too salty, then rinse it with water and/or boil it in water and drain it. This will flush out some of the soy sauce.

***My jangjorim ended up being easier to crumble than to shred (as you can see from the photo above), but, typically, jangjorim consists of thin, shredded pieces of beef.

[Recipe from “Korean Cooking”, an out-of-print cookbook created by the Korean Institute of Minnesota.]