Korean BBQ Pork

Korean BBQ pork is a flavorful, versatile, and easy-to-prepare dish that will tantalize your taste buds with its combination of sweet, spicy, and savory flavors.

Prep Time1 20

Cook Time10

Total Time1 30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Korean

Keyword: Korean BBQ Pork Recipe

Servings:

Calories: 768kcal

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless pork butt, thinly sliced
½ cup chopped yellow onion
¾ cup chopped scallions, divided into ½ cup and ¼ cup
½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
¼ cup grated apple, 1 small gala apple peeled and shredded
3 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons Gochujang Korean chili paste
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1½ tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons peanut oil, plus an additional 1 tablespoon if needed for extra cooking batches
¼ teaspoon sesame seeds, optional garnish

Instructions

Add the thinly sliced pork butt, chopped yellow onion, and ½ cup chopped scallions in a large bowl. Set aside.
Make the marinade in a small mixing bowl by whisking together the soy sauce, grated apple, seasoned rice wine vinegar, Gochujang Korean chili paste, light brown sugar, minced garlic, grated ginger, and sesame oil.
Pour the marinade into the bowl of the pork and onions. Stir to fully coat all the pork with the marinade.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to overnight to allow the pork to marinate and absorb the flavors.
Add the peanut oil to a large, heavy-duty skillet on high heat. Once the oil is very hot, add half the marinated pork. Cook for 4-6 minutes. Remove the cooked pork to a serving plate and set aside.
Add the remaining marinated pork to the skillet (add an additional 1 tablespoon of peanut oil if needed) and cook for another 4-6 minutes or until the pork is cooked through and the marinade thickens into a glaze.
Add the second batch of cooked Korean BBQ pork to the serving plate and garnish with the remaining ¼ cup of chopped scallions and optional sesame seeds.

Notes

Please don’t skip the addition of the Gochujang Korean chili paste. This unique ingredient is very hard to substitute and get a similar flavor profile for your dish. I found this in the Asian aisle of my local grocery store. You can store it in the refrigerator for quite some time and use it in many Asian recipes for a more complex sweet heat that a standard hot sauce or red pepper flakes will not give.
Freezing your pork butt for 2-3 hours will help firm up the meat to make slicing it into thin slices easier. Be sure to use a really sharp knife, as this cut of pork is fatty and makes it a bit harder to slice. You do not want to freeze your pork butt solid, as this will make it too hard to slice.
If marinating the pork for more than 2 hours (or up to overnight), you will want to allow the bowl of marinated pork to sit on the counter for 20-30 minutes to allow the pork to come to room temperature. This will let the pork cook more evenly.

Nutrition