Korean BBQ Sauce Recipe - sweet and salty, spicy and savory! (2024)

FAQs

What is Korean barbecue sauce made of? ›

Korean BBQ Sauce Ingredients

To make this Korean barbecue sauce recipe, you'll need: soy sauce, dark brown sugar, minced garlic, rice wine vinegar, chile-garlic sauce, ground black pepper, fresh ginger, Asian sesame oil, cornstarch, and water.

Korean BBQ is also known for its distinctly sweet taste, calling for ingredients like soy sauce, sugar, garlic, sesame and oil. For the ultra-adventurous, some recipes use pear and honey for an even more sophisticated flavor profile.

Ssamjang (쌈장) and the sesame oil dipping sauces are both tied for my favorite, since they pair really well with any meat. The soy based dipping sauce is a recent addition to the sauce medley just to add a little bit more salt and flavor to the KBBQ experience at home!

Gochujang sauce is most often used in Korean recipes, but its sweet, spicy umami flavor is so delicious that you'll want to drizzle it over everything! As far as flavor goes, there's nothing like gochujang sauce.

Korean BBQ adds flavor by soaking meat in marinade to make it well seasoned and more flavorful, while Japanese BBQ focuses on the taste of the meat and incorporates various dipping sauces such as garlic, mirin (a type of rice wine that is a common ingredient in Japanese cooking) and soy sauce to add flavor to non- ...

Alongside the customary soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger, Gregory might sweeten it with brown sugar, white sugar, honey, soda (some people swear by 7-Up; others prefer co*ke), and/or Asian pear juice, which tenderizes the meat.

Korean BBQ: KFC describes this new flavor as “a sweet and savory umami sauce,” with soy sauce, garlic, sugar, and sesame. Sticky Chicky Sweet 'n Sour Sauce: This new sauce is described as “a balanced combination of sweet and tangy flavors, including pineapple, garlic, vinegar, and chili.”

You can use either flour or cornstarch to thicken BBQ sauce. Just mix together 2 tbsp (16 g) of flour and ¼ cup (62.5 mL) of water, or combine 1 tbsp (9 g) of cornstarch with 1 tbsp (15 mL) of water. Continue mixing the thickener until there are no lumps of flour or cornstarch.

Marinated barbecue meats

Pears are also traditionally used in the marinade to help tenderize the meat, but kiwi and pineapple have also been used more recently. It is traditionally cooked using gridirons or perforated dome griddles that sit on braziers, but pan cooking has become common as well.

Flavor Explosion with Marinades

Korean BBQ is famed for its marinades, particularly the sweet and savory blend used in Bulgogi and Galbi, as well as the spicy variant used in dishes like Jeyuk Bokkeum (Spicy Bulgogi) and our Spicy Duck.

What is traditional Korean BBQ? ›

Korean barbecue consists of: Sliced meat, most commonly beef, but also pork and chicken. Sauce like ssamjang (soybean paste and chili paste) and gochujang (a spicy chili paste) Lettuce or perilla leaves.

Generally, barbecue sauces is categorized into four varieties: tomato-based sauces, vinegar-based sauces, mustard-based sauces, and mayonnaise-based sauces. Each category can have a range of BBQ sauce styles, ranging from sweet and tangy to hot and spicy.

Bulgogi sauce is considered being the BBQ sauce of Asian and Korean cuisine. It's sweet, smoky, and slightly tangy, and has a subtle spice hit thanks to the chili sauce. In many Korean restaurants, they actually serve this as a dipping sauce too!

There are three sauces we make VERY frequently when catering and running events: Veloute, Bechamel, and Hollandaise. All culinary students must become very comfortable with these three mother sauces.

Some items on this list are entirely unique to Korean cuisine. They are the three primary fermented sauce and pastes, collectively called jang (장) — ganjang (간장), doenjang (된장), gochujang (고추장). There simply are no substitutes for them if you want to create authentic flavors.

Rice, Vegetables, and Soup

While there are already several components for Korean BBQ, some other things that are common and easier to prepare are rice and vegetables like lettuce, perilla leaves, thinly sliced garlic, and sliced pepper. Small servings of soup are also served with Korean BBQ.