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    Spicy Korean Style Burgers

    Mar 5, 2021 · 50 Comments

    Jump to Recipe
    This shop has been compensated by Inmar Intelligence and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #spiceupspringtime #SauceLikeYouMeanIt #TexasPete

    Today we’re making a batch of Korean-beef burgers, which we’ll be assembling on homemade rolls. We’ll be preparing the burgers with a cayenne and gochujang-based glaze, which we’ll be adding to the burgers at each phase of the preparation process – the mixing, the frying, and then finally the platting. In terms of flavor, the glaze is spicy with a touch of sweet, but comes packed with ‘chili flavor,’ along with a medley of umami notes.

    The cayenne will be coming in the form of Texas Pete® Original Hot Sauce, which is the perfect balance of bold flavors and heat, especially for recipes like the one we’re preparing today. Texas Pete® Original Hot Sauce has been one of my son’s favorite hot sauces for years now. He uses it to spice up everything from eggs to steak, takeout, and even salads. Loving spicy food in general has always been a bit about being rebellious and adventurous, and in that regard Texas Pete® Original Hot Sauce helps you “Sauce Like You Mean It™” and when you do that, you’re not only engaging in something delicious, you’re doing something you’re passionate about with tenacity.

    Ingredient Notes and Tips

    1) Gochujang. What is it? Gochujang is Korean chili paste, and is roughly equal parts spicy, sweet, and savory (or smokey). Like ‘most’ commercially available chili pastes, gochujang is super versatile, being great for adding spice to everything from sauces to dips to marinades. For that reason, chili paste has been a ‘forever staple’ in my pantry for almost three decades now. I became acquainted with bottled chili paste back in the early-1990s via a local Korean market, which stocked a single variety of Indonesian-style chili paste; ‘sambal,’ which has a watery consistency and is more of an ‘ingredient’ as opposed to being a ‘sauce’ or ‘condiment.’ Ironically, despite becoming acquainted with bottled chili paste via a local Korean market, I had no idea that Korean-style chili paste, or ‘gochujang,’ even existed until my son introduced me to it about three weeks ago. Much to my surprise, I found the stuff to be spicy, sweet, and savory all at once, with smoky notes lingering in the background alongside a pleasant ‘saltiness.’ It’s also quite thick, having roughly the consistency of brown mustard, as compared to the somewhat ‘watery’ consistency I had become accustomed to in the ‘oelek’ variety of sambal. A cursory look at the primary ingredients in gochujang was enough to ‘decode’ its pleasantly complex flavor profile. Those primary ingredients include glutinous rice (the source of its thickness), meju powder (fermented soybeans), Korean Red Chilies (capsicum anuum), and salt. The sauce’s sweetness comes largely from the glutinous rice, but is added to via the choice in chilies, since capsicum anuum has a decided sweetness lurking beneath its heat. Naturally, the meju and glutinous rice gives the paste its consistency, while the smoky notes come courtesy of the peppers and meju.

    2) The Hot Sauce. For added heat and cayenne flavor, I’m using Texas Pete® Original Hot Sauce. This has been one of my go-to hot sauces for many years – and is my son’s absolute favorite. In truth, it’s the simplicity of this hot sauce that really makes it shine, being a blissfully simple combination of distilled vinegar and aged cayenne peppers. As a result, Texas Pete® Original Hot Sauce is about more than just ‘heat,’ it’s about allowing the full flavor of the aged cayenne peppers to shine through without ‘drowning’ the cayenne flavor either in ‘blinding heat’ or additive background spices, as many other hot sauces tend to do. Because of these qualities, Texas Pete® Original Hot Sauce is incredibly versatile, not only is it great on things like today’s burger and dipping sauce, it’s also great dashed on pretty much anything where you would like a touch of heat. Seriously, if you haven’t already, give Texas Pete® Original Hot Sauce a try. Be sure to find a store near you today!

    Selecting Quality Chop Meat – A Primer

    A good burger begins with good chop meat. Here’s a brief primer on how to find the best.

    1) Fat Is Flavor. This may come as a shock, but muscle tissue has ‘almost zero’ in the way of flavor-giving compounds. Instead, virtually everything we humans perceive as ‘flavorful’ in meat, be it fish, pork, beef, or poultry, comes directly from ‘fat.’ As a result, the more ‘fat’ a piece of meat has, the more ‘flavor’ we perceive. Muscle tissue also cooks up dry, and is naturally tough. By contrast, fat is soft and reduces to a thick ‘grease’ during cooking, and so the more ‘fat’ a piece of meat cooks in, or has laced through it as ‘marbling,’ the more tender and moister that piece of meat will be. Yes, I know I’m offending someone somewhere with what I’m saying, but I’m just giving you the truth.

    Thus, it should come as no surprise that despite ground sirloin being the most expensive chop meat out there, it is also the leanest, driest, and ‘least’ flavorful, containing somewhere in the vicinity of 8-14% fat by volume. Ground round is in the same boat, but typically contains somewhere between 10-13% fat. Both of these types of chop-meat are often labeled ‘Extra-Lean Ground Beef.’ Ground chuck is widely considered the ‘best’ ground beef for burgers, meatballs, and meat sauces, since contains somewhere in the realm of 20% fat by volume.

    However, so-called ‘Regular’ ground beef, which can contain in excess of 30% fat is sometimes ‘filled’ or ‘laced’ into ground chuck simply to give the chop meat even more fat…and therefore ‘flavor.’ The reason ‘Regular’ ground beef is rarely used on its own is because so much of its ‘melts away’ during cooking, that it actually becomes a hassle to use. There’s also the matter of ‘price bias.’ Since ‘Regular’ ground beef is far and away the cheapest ground beef available, it’s also assumed to be the lowest quality. The opposite is true of ground sirloin.

    2) Color – Your Only Guiding Light. In truth, the only ‘guidance’ that can be offered when buying pre-ground beef is to look at the coloring. Grey or brown ground beef has begun to decay…not good. Instead, you want the meat to be a bright pink color, and to be ‘moist’ looking. Also, take note of the cling wrap, which should appear pristine and free of ‘droplets.’ Droplets, again, are a sign of decay.

    3) Unfrozen. As with all meat, you want to buy ground beef that has ‘not yet’ been frozen – provided this is possible. This is simply because the process of ‘unfreezing’ meat results in loss of moisture. Thus, if you take the meat home to use it right away, you’ve already lost some of the meat’s moisture. If you intend on freezing the meat yourself, only to defrost it at a later date, you’ve lost moisture ‘twice.’

    4) Never Buy In Bulk. Never, ever buy those massive opaque containers of ‘Ground Beef’ that have been popping up in the refrigerator aisles of your local grocery-carrying big-box stores. There is a reason those tubs are derided in culinary circles as ‘chub rolls.’ While I’m all for affordable food, those bulk containers of ground beef should be avoided like the plague. If you want to know why, a simple google search will reveal all the very, very unpleasant details.

    Building a Better Burger

    Now that you’ve selected quality chop meat, it’s time to turn that chop meat into a burger…but how? Here are five simple pointers to building a better burger.

    1) The Bread Matters. Quality rolls are a must for a good burger in my opinion. Cheap ‘bread like’ rolls become soggy very quickly, and tend to ‘bunch up’ around the meat, drowning it. My personal favorite rolls for burgers are – in no particular order – pretzel rolls, semolina rolls, and the rolls I make at home, as pictured in today’s shots. I’ll be posting a recipe for those rolls sometime in the next week or so, so keep an eye out! All three of these types of rolls have a few qualities in common. First and foremost, they are tasty on their own. If you wouldn’t eat the roll on its own, why would you add it as a complement to a delicious burger? Second, they are ‘hardy.’ This means that they are ‘solid’ and ‘hold up’ well, without being overly tough or unpleasant to try and bite through. This allows the rolls to ‘swath’ the burgers without becoming soggy, and also allows them to hold their form while you eat them.

    2) Don’t overwork your burgers. When forming the burgers, you need to be careful not to overwork them. Overworking the meat pushes the air out, as well as draining its juices. The end result is a rubbery or ‘tough’ burger. Instead, you want to work the meat at a bare minimum, only enough to form them into burgers. Work the meat as little as possible.

    3) How to determine the size? To determine the right size for your burgers, first measure your rolls. Form the burgers ever so slightly ‘larger’ than the rolls, and the burgers will cook down to fit the rolls almost precisely, since the burgers will shrink somewhat during cooking. Naturally, this is affected by the amount of fat in the chop meat you’re using, since more fat means more shrinkage, as well as how well-done you like your burgers, since a longer cook time also equates to more shrinkage.

    4) Don’t poke, don’t prod. Poking and prodding your burgers, as with steak, achieves quite literally nothing, except to ‘press’ juices out of the meat, or to create ‘holes’ from which the juices will simply drain out during cooking. This results in a less moist, and less tender piece of meat. Don’t do it. It achieves nothing.

    5) When is it done? To test how well-done your burger is, simply give a ‘very’ gentle press on the top with your spatula. The firmer the burger, the more well-done it is. A fully ‘soft’ or ‘squishy’ burger is raw. A firm burger with no give is overdone.

    Print

    Spicy Korean Style Burgers

    Print Recipe
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    ★★★★★

    5 from 14 reviews

    • Author: Living the Gourmet
    • Prep Time: 15 minutes
    • Cook Time: 15 minutes
    • Total Time: 30 minutes
    • Yield: 3-4 burgers 1x

    Ingredients

    Units Scale

    For the Burgers:

    • 1/2 head of red cabbage, sliced thin
    • 2 – 3 carrots shredded
    • 2 1/2 – 3 lbs. of ground beef
    • Desired preference of Hamburger rolls

    For the Sauce:

    • 1/4 cup of gochujang (Korean red chili paste)
    • 1/4 cup of Texas Pete® Original Hot Sauce
    • 2 tbs. of teriyaki sauce
    • 2 tbs. rice vinegar
    • 1 tbs. of sesame oil
    • 1 tbs. of chili oil
    • 1 tbs. of apricot preserves

    Instructions

    For the Sauce:

    • Combine all of the ingredients for the Korean sauce in a medium sized bowl and mix.
    • Set aside a portion of the sauce to drizzle over the cooked burger.

    For the Burgers:

    • Toss the shredded carrots and thinly sliced cabbage together.  Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
    • Form the ground beef into desired sized burgers. 
    • Heat a large cast iron frying pan.
    • Set the burgers into the dry pan and brush the top with the Korean sauce.
    • Let the burger cook on one side, so a nice char is achieved.  Flip the burger and brush the other side with the Korean Sauce.  The softer the burger to the touch the rarer the burger is.   The desired doneness of the burger is a personal preference.

    Assembly:

    • Toast burger rolls and spread a tablespoon amount of the reserved Korean sauce on the bottom side.  Top with burger patty, salad slaw, and onions.  Drizzle with more Korean sauce if desired.  Serve and enjoy!

    Keywords: burgers, spicy, main dish

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @LTGfood on Instagram and hashtag it #LTGfood

    Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes

    Don’t forget to try Texas Pete® Traditional BBQ Sauce and Texas Pete® Sweet Flame BBQ Sauce, a new delicious line of sauces that you can locate here, for your upcoming warm weather cookouts!

    9

    Beef

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. angiesrecipes says

      05/03/2021 at 6:11 am

      It looks so juicy and yummy!

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        23/03/2021 at 6:42 pm

        Thank you dear Angie. Stay safe and well xo

        Reply
    2. Melanie says

      05/03/2021 at 2:19 pm

      Thank you for all the tips and tricks on choosing the best meat. I always appreciate the additional cooking info that you give. #client

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        23/03/2021 at 6:46 pm

        Dear Melanie, My pleasure. Have a wonderful day.

        Reply
    3. DAVID J MYERS says

      05/03/2021 at 5:44 pm

      Catherine, Great looking burger! The sauce sounds great too… We keep some Texas Pete ‘hot’ sauce on hand and we do use their wing sauce too. It works better than my Tabasco does on some things…but it lacks much heat. Different strokes. I also like Valentina hot sauce with chicken. I wonder how kimchi would work on that burger…might overwhelm it. Stay Safe and Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        23/03/2021 at 6:44 pm

        Dear Dave, My son is a hot sauce fan too. I like a bit of heat with my food as well. I think kimchi might be delicious with the burger. Stay well and safe to you and Laurie.

        Reply
    4. Cynthia | What A Girl Eats says

      06/03/2021 at 12:20 am

      You had me at spicy…and burger! These look amazing Catherine! Can’t wait to try them.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        23/03/2021 at 6:45 pm

        Thank you Cynthia for your kind words. I hope that you enjoy the burger if you give it a try.

        Reply
    5. Serena says

      06/03/2021 at 12:32 am

      Great looking burger! I would have never thought to use TX Pete’s but I really want to try this now. Yum!

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        23/03/2021 at 6:46 pm

        Dear Serena, Thank you for the kind words and thank you for visiting.

        Reply
    6. Rosey says

      06/03/2021 at 2:28 am

      It is good to know about the cuts. I generally buy the sirloin because I thought it’s high price meant it was best. I don’t eat meat (never liked it) so it’s hard for me to know what’s best to use in cooking for the family!

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        23/03/2021 at 6:47 pm

        Dear Rosey, It is good to know the different cuts for different recipes. Thank you always for visiting and taking the time to leave a comment.

        Reply
    7. Ron Donoho says

      06/03/2021 at 11:58 am

      These Korean burgers are making e hungry to watch the movie Minari!

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        23/03/2021 at 6:49 pm

        Thank you for visiting and your kind words. I hope that you enjoy the movie.

        Reply
    8. SoniaChic95 says

      06/03/2021 at 3:22 pm

      That’s what we do In Texas,yummm best looking hamburger ever!

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        23/03/2021 at 6:50 pm

        Thank you for visiting and your kind words.

        Reply
    9. Everything Enchanting says

      06/03/2021 at 9:33 pm

      My husband loves spicy food and burgers are his faves! So, I’d definitely give this spicy Korean style burgers recipe a try soon 😍

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        23/03/2021 at 6:50 pm

        I hope that you enjoy this recipe. Thank you always for visiting.

        Reply
    10. Luci W. says

      06/03/2021 at 10:27 pm

      That was really cool to learn so much more about Korean cuisine, the different sauces, and the beef, and all the details that can make the difference between a decent and a great burger. The end result looks beautiful. (I need to remember to use shaved carrot as a topping!)

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        23/03/2021 at 6:51 pm

        Thank you for visiting Luci and for your kind words.

        Reply
    11. Paula Richie says

      07/03/2021 at 9:23 pm

      We don’t eat beef at all in this household. The pics are delightful and recipe sounds good.

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        23/03/2021 at 6:51 pm

        Thank you for visiting Paula and for your kind words.

        Reply
    12. Mosaic Designs says

      08/03/2021 at 1:38 pm

      omg that burger looks out of this world, so so good!!! I love korean food, can’t wait to try it.

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        23/03/2021 at 6:52 pm

        Thank you for visiting and for your kind words. I hope that you enjoy the recipe if you give it a try.

        Reply
    13. Gloria says

      08/03/2021 at 6:55 pm

      I LOVE a good burger….and this looks like a GOOD burger to me. Perfect for the weekend. Great for making a family meal too.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        23/03/2021 at 6:53 pm

        Thank you for visiting Gloria. I love a good burger too. Burgers are fun weekend food. I hope that you enjoy the recipe if you give it a try.

        Reply
    14. HEATHER PERINE says

      08/03/2021 at 8:12 pm

      We love hot sauce, and the hot sauce paired with the other flavors makes for a crazy good burger! And thanks for the tips on not freezing the burger meat. I had no idea!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        23/03/2021 at 6:53 pm

        Thank you for visiting Heather and for your kind words. I love hot sauce too.

        Reply
    15. Bernice Hill says

      08/03/2021 at 9:38 pm

      I bet this sauce is absolutely wonderful with all three levels of heat. I’ve got to try it!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        23/03/2021 at 6:54 pm

        Thank you for visiting Bernice and for your kind words.

        Reply
    16. Adriana says

      08/03/2021 at 10:59 pm

      This is a feast to the eyes and the belly! I love this burger, and the spiciness and sweetness mix used to craft it. Complete winner!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        23/03/2021 at 6:55 pm

        Thank you Adriana for your kind words and for visiting.

        Reply
    17. Marta says

      09/03/2021 at 3:46 am

      The addition of Texas Pete interested me. I’m a big fan of Korean food and this was a great nod to the cuisine. I added some of my homemade kimchi and I loved how it all tied together.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        23/03/2021 at 6:56 pm

        Thank you Marta for visiting and for trying the recipe and enjoyed it. I am so pleased that you added your own twist. That is what cooking is all about. Thank you for taking the time to write.

        Reply
    18. Elaine says

      09/03/2021 at 11:08 am

      Now this is what every burger should be – grand, juicy and easy to make. Fantastic recipe!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        23/03/2021 at 6:57 pm

        Thank you Elaine for visiting and taking the time to let me know that you enjoyed the recipe. It makes my heart sing.

        Reply
    19. Anna says

      09/03/2021 at 11:49 am

      What a fantastic recipe! We made these last night for dinner, and they blew our socks off! Love that spicy kick you get from the sauce and the crunch from the salad! Highly recommend!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        23/03/2021 at 6:58 pm

        Thank you Anna for taking the time to let me know that you enjoyed this recipe. It always gives me renewed energy to know that someone liked my recipe. It truly makes my heart sing.

        Reply
    20. Neli Howard says

      09/03/2021 at 5:49 pm

      I know what I am eating for lunch tomorrow!!! Looks and sounds wonderful!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Catherine Pappas says

        23/03/2021 at 6:58 pm

        Thank you for visiting Neli. I hope that you enjoy this recipe if you give it a try.

        Reply
    21. Claudia Lamascolo says

      09/03/2021 at 6:03 pm

      Amazing I just keep staring at this gorgeous burger, its not only mouth-watering it’s just food porn at its finest! BRAVO!!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    22. Beth Sachs says

      09/03/2021 at 6:41 pm

      Now that looks like one tasty burger! I think the family are going to love these for dinner!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    23. Jeff Albom says

      09/03/2021 at 7:33 pm

      I love spicy food and this recipe looks fit for me. I am going to give it a try.

      Reply
    24. Irina says

      09/03/2021 at 7:58 pm

      Well, you can “buy” any reader with the first picture featuring a freshly made Korean-beef burger. I am sold… and I am going to make it! It looks and sounds DELICIOUS!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    25. FOODHEAL says

      10/03/2021 at 3:39 pm

      The way you have set this burger seriously! that juicy and yumminess it’s just making me hungry even if I don’t eat meat lol!

      Reply
    26. Chef Dennis says

      12/03/2021 at 7:45 am

      I can hear my tummy growl! These Spicy Korean Style Burgers are perfect to ease my hunger.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    27. Kathryn says

      14/03/2021 at 5:22 pm

      Oh, what a fantastic looking burger. I really like the unique flavor combo!

      Reply
    28. Veronika Sykorova says

      15/03/2021 at 1:49 am

      These burgers look so juicy and delicious! And HUGE haha! Those are the best ones, the really messy ones you have to hold with both hands. Yum!

      ★★★★★

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Low Calorie Wine for the New Year - Living The Gourmet says:
      05/01/2022 at 5:56 pm

      […] the Weekend Sweet Red crowd pleasers are the way to go, such as my Spicy Korean Burgers prepared with a cayenne and gochujang-based glaze, piled with red onion and shredded cabbage on a […]

      Reply
    2. Spicy Korean Pork - Living The Gourmet says:
      25/04/2022 at 5:53 pm

      […] Korean Beef Burgers. Beef burgers mixed and then fried with a cayenne and gochujang-based glaze. This glaze is added at […]

      Reply

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