Korean BBQ Burgers

Korean BBQ Burgers are packed full of flavor from the sweet heat of the Korean BBQ sauce, the spicy mayonnaise and the pungent kimchi.

Update: This post was originally shared in January 2016. In January 2021 it was republished with new photos and an improved recipe.

OMG, you guys! We need to talk about Korean BBQ sauce. This is like the best barbecue sauce I've ever had in my life. I'm not sure I'm going to keep buying the bottled stuff from the grocery store now that I know this is possible.

What is Korean BBQ sauce?

The best sauce ever? No, you want more detail than that? Okay, it's a quick sauce that's sweet, spicy and savory. It's made with soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, garlic chile sauce, rice vinegar and a few other ingredients.

Ingredients for this recipe

• Ground Beef - I like 80/20 as I think it has a nice balance of fat that's good for burgers
• Brown sugar - I keep light brown sugar on hand, but you can use dark
• Soy Sauce - lower sodium is best for this recipe. You can also use coconut aminos or tamari
• Rice Wine Vinegar - found in the Asian aisle of the grocery store, this is great to keep on hand
• Minced Garlic - mince your own or use the jarred stuff from the store
• Ground ginger - one of my favorite ingredients ever - it's full of flavor
• Sesame oil - this adds a touch of sesame flavor to the sauce. If you don't have it, use canola or vegetable oil
• Sambal Oelek (Chile Garlic Sauce) - this is where the spicy flavor comes in
• Cornstarch - to thicken up the sauce
• Black Pepper - just a little bit brings out all of the flavors in this dip
• Honey - adding the honey in at the end provides just enough sweetness for this recipe
• Burger buns - potato rolls are my favorite but any type of bun will do.
• Korean Burger Toppings: Kimchi, cucumber slices or quick pickled cucumbers, green onions, spicy mayo

how to make Korean BBQ burgers

1. Prepare your sauce. Combine brown sugar, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, sambal oelek and pepper together in a small saucepan. Heat over medium high heat and stir until combined. Once warmed, whisk in cornstarch until it dissolves, then cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the honey. Set aside.
2. Mix up your burger patties. In a large bowl combine ground beef, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and black pepper. Form into 5 patties.
3. Cook your burgers. Grill burger patties over high heat for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.
4. Prepare your toppings. Whisk together mayonnaise and sambal oelek in a small bowl. Chop up the kimchi. Thinly slice cucumbers. Dice green onions.
5. Assemble your burger. Spread the spicy mayo on both sides of the burger buns. On the bottom half of the bun, layer the cucumber slices then place the burger patty on top. Spoon the korean barbecue sauce on top of the burger and top it with chopped kimchi. Sprinkle green onions on top.

Substitutions and Other Uses

• Ground beef can be replaced with ground turkey or chicken.
• Kimchi can be replaced with coleslaw.
• Korean BBQ Sauce can be used on chicken, pork, turkey or seafood.
• The flavor won't be the same but sambal oelek can be replaced with sriracha or hot sauce. Taste test as you go in case you need less.
• Soy Sauce can be replaced with tamari or coconut aminos to be gluten free. I find both of these to be pretty salty, so start with 2 tablespoon for the sauce and add more if needed.

Other Burger Recipes You Might Enjoy -

• Queso Burgers
• Pepperjack Pineapple Turkey Burgers

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