In the midst of all the holiday hoopla, Trader Joe’s just rolled out its version of Beef Bulgogi. You’ll remember they’ve offered a vegan version for awhile. The vegan version was good in tacos, so my hopes were high for Trader Joe’s Beef Bulgogi, especially because it clocks in at $12.99. And while prices are obviously up on everything, that price point set my expectations. Is Trader Joe’s Beef Bulgogi worth $12.99?
The package claims 3 servings and you can either microwave it or cook/thaw it on the stove. I went for the stovetop because I wanted to see what was in there. Because when you slide the sleeve off the package…well I didn’t know what to make of that exactly.
You can see the cooking in the Reel below.
Overall, it gets a B-/C+ from me. I prefer a heartier cut of beef — sliced steak versus shaved beef that breaks up into little shards. Shaved works if you’re rolling it up in gimbap, but for bibimbap or ssambap (lettuce rice wraps), a heartier bite of meat is nice. The sauce is the sweet soy sauce situation you’d expect. It does have a nice bit of smoky flavor, similar to the vegan version. But I think the vegan version actually beats it out. Both need side dishes and kimchi to bring some zing to the table.
Would I buy Trader Joe’s Beef Bulgogi again? No. For the $12.99 price point (even for 3 servings), I was expecting better. And since I do have access to Asian markets, the convenience of chucking it in the microwave just doesn’t outweigh the price for me. YMMV.
If you’re interested in trying your hand at bulgogi at home, you can’t go wrong with Maangchi’s recipes.
I don’t think I ever shared the tacos I made with the Beefless Bulgogi, but it was also a good use for the Gochujang sauce TJ’s has been carrying.
