Are you into Korean food?
If yes, then you should really try these Korean BBQ meatballs that are simply easy to make and guess what?
They have the gochujang paste! Yes!
Disclosure: some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning at no extra cost to you, I will get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Everything I mention in this post is what I personally use and recommend.
What Is Gochujang
Gochujang is Korean red chili paste.
It's spicy and sweet. There are several level of spiciness to this paste, from mild to extreme spicy. So when you look for gochujang, you can choose the level according to your taste.
The spiciness of gochujang is from spicy fermented component that consist of chili, fermented soybeans, glutinous rice and salt.
The sweetness of gochujang comes from the fermentation of glutinous rice.
Korean BBQ Sauce With Gochujang
When we say BBQ sauce we will directly imagine the smokey sweet a bit tangy barbecue sauce from The United States.
Well today we will be making the Korean version of it.
This Korean BBQ sauce is way simpler with less ingredients and less cooking time.
One thing special about this sauce is, it has the gochujang paste that really brings the sauce to another level. Yep.
The same concept that you can use a barbecue sauce to flavour any meat before cooking, you can do the same with this Korean version.
And yes, you can also use it as a condiment in burgers, for example.
Meatballs With Gochujang
Yes, we are using the gochujang to the max in this recipe.
These super easy meatballs also have gochujang paste in them.
I like it for the flavour of it. When you bite into the meatball, you can see the inside has a light red color. It's from gochujang!
Substitute For Gochujang
I would recommend you to try your hardest to find gochujang since it has its own special delicious taste.
But if you really can't, you can use sriracha instead.
Yes it's straying away from the Korean theme but it will be still yummy.
You can get gochujang, sriracha and my other favourite Asian ingredients here.
In Summary
These Korean BBQ meatballs are:
- so easy to prepare and they're baked. Less work, less time involved
- the BBQ sauce just need a few easy to find ingredients
- great with rice or mashed potato on the side
- the sauce is versatile. Use it when you want to grill fish, chicken, meat, etc.
- SUPER DELICIOUS!
Before You Go
Here are some recipes that maybe you would like also:
- How to make Malaysian chili paste (sambal)
- Chicken and shrimp dumplings
- Ginger steamed fish
- Turmeric stir fry shrimps
Video
📖 Recipe
Korean BBQ Meatballs
Ingredients
The Meatballs
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon milk
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs (35 gr)
- 1 lb minced beef (450 gr)
- 1 tablespoon gochujang paste (15 gr)
The Korean BBQ Sauce
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce (125 ml)
- ½ cup water (125 ml)
- ⅔ cup brown sugar (110 gr)
- 3 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoon gochujang (30 gr)
- ½ teaspoon white pepper powder
- 4 garlic cloves , grated
- 1 thumb sized ginger , grated
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
The Meatballs
- Add egg, milk, salt into a bowl and mix to combine. Then add in meat, breadcrumbs and gochujang paste. Mix everything well.
- Using an ice cream scoop of 1 ½ tablespoon (20 ml), scoop the mixture and form it into a ball with your hands. Place on a baking tray with a baking sheet. Continue with the rest of the mixture.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 450ºF (230ºC) for 10 minutes or until fully cooked. Meanwhile let's make the sauce.
The Korean BBQ Sauce
- Add all ingredients in a pan, except for corn starch and 1 tablespoon water, and bring to a boil on medium heat. Use a whisk to mix everything well.
- Mix corn starch with 1 tablespoon water. Once the sauce is boiling, add in corn starch mixture while mixing. Continue to cook for a few minutes until the sauce thicken.
Assembling & How To Serve
- Add in cooked meatballs into the sauce and coat them well. Ready to serve.
- Prepare some rice and place some meatballs on top. Sprinkle some sesame seeds and coriander leaves. Serve with some steamed veggies on the side.
How To Get Juice Meatballs
- Don't over mix the meatball mixture. Just mix enough until everything is combined. Over mixing will make the meatballs hard and rubbery.
- Don't compact the meatballs too much while forming them into balls. Just lightly form them into balls that when you place them down, they don't break apart.
Substitute For Gochujang
- If you really cannot find gochujang, you can use sriracha instead. Adjust the amount accordingly because gochujang paste has different spicy level while sriracha has not.
- The taste will be slightly different but it still works.
Ari says
The directions are easy to follow and the meatballs came out delicious! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I will definitely be making this again.
Bea says
Hi Ari! I'm glad that you gave the recipe a try, thank you for your feedback! Do check around here for more simplified Asian recipes.
Mirlani says
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe!
Your meatball recipe is my go to now. The sauce is so good. I use sriracha instead because it's something that we always have.
Thanks for sharing with us.
Bea says
Yes, sriracha works also. No problem at all. Thank you for your feedback, Mirlani!
Rosie says
Made these tonight, they were amazing! The gojujang adds such a flavour profile! Added to our go forward list of favourites.
Bea says
Right? Now I always have a container of gochujang in the fridge, a must! Thanks Rosie! XOXO
paul says
love your simple asian recipes. your explanations are very useful. I didn't have gocujang so I used sriracha and it came out delicious. thank you.
Bea says
Yes sriracha is a perfect substitution for gochujang. I'm glad that you get to make it, thank you so much Paul!