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Bulgogi Korean Lettuce Wraps

By on Monday, March 17, 2025

Have you ever wondered how to make the perfect lettuce wrap (Without Losing Your Sanity?) How do I personally keep some zen in my life during these stressful times we are living through? I snowshoe through an alpine winter wonderland every day with my adventure dog. Then, I come home to my mountain kitchen cabin at 7,000 feet and I try to create an easy keto lettuce wrap. Without getting so angry that I throw a head of iceberg lettuce at Sean Hannity on FoxNews.

Listen up, bro: Lettuce wraps are deceptively tricky. They seem so innocent—just a leafy green taco, right? But let me tell you, one false move and your entire meal will disintegrate into a soggy mess faster than your low-carb resolve at a bakery. But once you master the art of lettuce-wrapped perfection? Oh, honey. You’ll be so good at it that restaurant lettuce wraps will start to offend you. You’ll side-eye their limp, watery excuses for a wrap and think, Amateurs.

Why Lettuce Wraps?

First off, they’re low-carb, keto-friendly, and basically a gift to your waistline. They let you eat what you love (meat, cheese, avocado, bacon—YES, BACON) without the whole bread situation. Plus, you get the added bonus of feeling virtuous without sacrificing flavor. It’s like eating a cheeseburger while still fitting into your favorite Hudson skinny jeans. Win-win.

The Secret to the Perfect Lettuce Wrap

The real key? Structural integrity. This is not the time to grab that sad, floppy lettuce that’s been hanging out in your fridge for two weeks. You need crisp, sturdy leaves—something with the resilience of Donald Trump’s second term in the White House.

Step 1 on how to make the perfect lettuce wrap: Choose the Right Lettuce

Butter lettuce: Tasty but delicate, like a liberal relative who passes out when I show up to Thanksgiving dinner in my Let’s Go Branson ball cap. It’s also the least healthy of all the lettuces. But man does it taste good!
Iceberg lettuce: Crunchy but prone to shattering like your patience in rush-hour ski traffic.

Romaine: The perfect balance for how to make the perfect lettuce wrap—strong enough to hold up, but not so stiff it cracks under pressure, kind of like J.D. Vance.

After snowshoeing, I’m so ready for a lettuce wrap!
Step 2: Fill ‘er Up (But Not Too Much)
This is where people go rogue. Yes, you can fit half a cow in your wrap, but should you? No. My best advice is if you have extra tasty treats like spicy pickles, Baja Style Pickled Red Onions and of course, extra bacon, leave some of those toppings on the side for later.

Step 3: Wrap Like a Pro

When implementing how to make the perfect lettuce wrap, lay out your parchment paper in a diamond shape. Pick out the best lettuce pieces. Cover your parchment paper in a thin layer and then you can start layering your toppings. Basically, cover the entire parchment paper in the lettuce. The more lettuce you use, the easier it will be to build your wrap later. And come on, all those veggies are very low in calories and good for you! When you layer on your other ingredients, leave space on the edge of your lettuce for the roll-up process.

Always use that wax paper underneath. You can use this wax paper to help roll the lettuce wrap. Roll it up burrito-style. Tuck in the sides, then roll it forward. If it falls apart, congratulations, you just made a salad. Don’t believe any of this bullshit? Watch this video on how to make the perfect lettuce wrap.

Step 4: Eat Immediately

Lettuce wraps have a lifespan shorter than Kamala Harris’s career. Eat it NOW before it gets soggy or you end up drinking your lunch through a straw. I heart lettuce wraps but unlike good old carb-filled sandwiches, you just can’t take these to go, on a snowshoe hike!
Will your first few lettuce wraps look like a crime scene? Probably. But once you master the technique, you’ll never crave bread again. Okay, that’s a lie—but you will feel smug about your superior lunch choices. And isn’t that what really matters?

Beef prices are at an all-time high, at least here in California where seventy percent of our cattle population has now contracted the Bird Flu. If I have learned anything from watching five seasons of Yellowstone, this is bad news for cattle ranchers and beef consumers. But the first time I made these Bolgogi Lettuce Wraps was on election night and the West wasn’t won on salad.

Bulgogi Korean Lettuce Wraps

1/2 cup of Bolgogi Sauce

1 teaspoon five-spice powder

1 teaspoon Chinese chili oil You can also buy the Fly By Jing

The cheapest cut of flank steak you can find

Zesty Coleslaw

1/2 cup shredded green cabbage

1/2 cup shredded red cabbage

1 teaspoon, diced fine, red onion

1 teaspoon cilantro, diced fine

2 teaspoons rice vinegar

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 teaspoons pickled ginger

1/3 cups of mayonnaise

1/2 a teaspoon of coconut sugar

1 head of romaine, iceberg or butter lettuce

Baja style Pickled red onions

In a saucepan, cook your flank steak until no longer pink. Add in your five spice powders and then the Bolgogi Sauce. until the sauce is absorbed.

In a food processor blend your garlic, rice wine vinegar, mayonnaise and coconut sugar. When you are ready to eat mix your cabbages and diced red onions and dress your coleslaw. Sprinkle the cilantro on top.

So just how easy is it to make a Bolgogo Lettuce Wrap at home?

  • Cut your iceberg in half. Remove the stem part with a knife.
  • Lay out your parchment paper in a diamond shape.
  • Pick out the best lettuce pieces. Cover your parchment paper in a thin layer and then you can start layering your toppings. Basically, cover the entire parchment paper in the lettuce. The more lettuce you use, the easier it will be to build your wrap later. And come on, all those veggies are very low in calories and good for you!
  • When you layer on your other ingredients, leave space on the edge of your lettuce for the roll up process.
  • How you roll up the wrap is difficult to master. Watch this YouTube video to learn how! 
  • They say you have to use iceberg for this but I find you can do it with a head of butter lettuce or a head of romaine or green leaf as well.
  • Layer your flank steak, coleslaw, pickled onions and pickled ginger. Wrap these well, slice it in half and shove at your face!

 

 

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