Skirt Steak Kimchi Jjigae with Leftover Pot Roast Fat

Saturday night, I wanted dinner to be easy. I had skirt steak, a block of tofu, and a jar of kimchi. That’s not a fridge clean-out. That’s kimchi jjigae waiting to happen.

Kimchi jjigae is the stew Korean home cooks make when the kimchi gets old. Fresh kimchi is crunchy and bright. Kimchi that’s been fermenting a few weeks turns sour and funky, and that’s exactly what you want in a pot. It’s a weeknight dish, a cold-night dish, a what’s-left-in-the-fridge dish. Nobody makes it to impress anyone. They make it because it’s fast, it’s deeply savory, and it rescues a jar that’s past its snacking prime.

The classic version uses pork belly. The fat renders into the broth and gives it a rich, rounded body that stands up to all that acid. I didn’t use pork belly. I used something I already had: the beef fat left over from the plain-on-purpose pot roast.

That’s the remix. The pot roast was built to become other dinners, and it’s already been birria tacos and massaman curry. Turns out the fat counts too. A tablespoon or two does the job pork belly does, carrying the kimchi and giving the broth weight. If there’s jellied juice under the fat, that goes in the pot as well. It’s basically concentrated beef stock you already made.

One more thing about the kimchi: use the juice. A quarter to half a cup of the brine from the jar is the best flavor booster in this whole recipe. If the broth tastes thin at the end, reach for more juice before you reach for salt. And if your kimchi is young and not very sour, use more of it, because fresh kimchi has less punch.

Skirt steak isn’t the traditional cut, and it asks for one bit of care. Let it simmer too long and it turns tough. So the steak goes in first and comes out fast: a hard sear in the hot fat, under a minute a side, then onto a plate. The kimchi, onion, and garlic go into the same pot and pick up everything the steak left behind. The steak goes back in for the last minute or two, juices and all. Browned flavor in the broth, tender steak in the bowl.

The other thing that makes this a good Saturday stew is that it waits. Allen was 30 to 40 minutes from home when it was ready, and jjigae doesn’t mind. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and when he’s about 10 minutes out, bring it back to a simmer and slide in the tofu. Tofu that sits in the pot too long breaks apart and goes spongy, so the tofu waits too.

On the side: frozen potstickers. I had to ask the Korean auntie question. In the stew, or next to it? Next to it. Dumplings go in mild, clear soups. With kimchi jjigae, the move is pan-fried dumplings on the side with soy sauce and a splash of vinegar. Potsticker wrappers are thin, and a sour, simmering stew turns them soggy. Crispy bottoms are worth one more pan.

The kimchi brings a mild heat on its own. Gochugaru is optional, so add it if your table wants more fire and skip it if it doesn’t. The stew is complete either way.

Sour kimchi, leftover beef fat, a bag of freezer dumplings. None of it sounds like a plan. All of it adds up to dinner.