Korean Gochujang BBQ Sauce

A sweet & sticky Korean bbq sauce, made with spicy gochujang chilli paste! This is a really easy sauce to make & goes great on fried chicken, pulled pork, ribs & loads more.

This homemade Korean bbq sauce is sweet, sticky & tangy and is made with some good quality gochujang chilli paste which gives it loads of flavour & a decent amount of spice. However, it’s not overwhelmingly spicy, unless you want it to be (just add in more chilli paste)! It has just the right amount of kick.

So I developed this Korean bbq sauce when I was working on my Korean fried chicken recipe, as I used it to glaze the chicken. It’s not just good on fried chicken though, Korean bbq sauce can be used to glaze smoked ribs, drizzle over grilled meat or used as a dipping sauce for spring rolls & skewers, to name a few examples. It’s got a tangy, well balanced flavour with the perfect amount of spice, sweetness & acidity.

For more sides & sauce recipes, check out our collection of side dishes! Here you’ll find fries, triple cooked chips, homemade sauces, salads, pickles & lots more.

What You’ll Need

• Gochujang – A thick, red chilli paste made from fermented chilli flakes, soybeans, rice & salt. I used AJR gochujang but any brand will work. You can get this from some supermarkets or online.
• Soy Sauce – We’re using dark soy sauce for this sauce, as it has a richer, sweeter flavour compared to light soy sauce. A good quality soy sauce works best!
• Honey – Used to add sweetness to our bbq sauce & to give it a glossy finish.
• Brown Sugar – Added for sweetness & to add a rich, caramel flavour to the sauce.
• Rice Wine Vinegar – A vinegar made from fermented rice. This is used in our Korean bbq sauce to add some acidity, which cuts through the sweetness from the sugar & honey. This makes a more balanced sauce.
• Sesame Oil – This gives our bbq sauce a subtle nutty flavour.
• Garlic & Ginger – We’re adding fresh, grated garlic & ginger as they have a more intense, aromatic flavour compared to dried.
• Cornflour – Used to thicken our bbq sauce. We’re making a cornflour slurry by mixing equal amounts of cornflour & cold water then stirring it into the sauce at the very end of the cook.

How To Make Korean Gochujang BBQ Sauce

The great thing about this Korean bbq sauce, is that it take very little time to make! You add all the ingredients into a pan, warm to dissolve the sugar then bring to the boil & thicken with a slurry made with cornflour & water. That’s it!

1. First add soy sauce, gochujang paste, honey, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and grated garlic & ginger into a pan then set over a low heat.
2. Warm the sauce, stirring regularly until the sugar has dissolved then turn the heat up to medium & bring to the boil.
3. Next, add cornflour & cold water into a bowl then stir to make a slurry. Stir this into the bbq sauce then continue cooking for another minute or so, until thick.
4. Once cooked, transfer the Korean bbq sauce to a bowl then leave to cool completely before serving.

Serving Suggestions

Korean gochujang bbq sauce is a really versatile sauce & can be served with lots of different things! I used mine to glaze some Korean fried chicken but it goes great on pulled pork, in stir fries or as a dipping sauce. Korean bbq sauce also works really well as a glaze for ribs or in a marinade for chicken, pork, beef or tofu.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Sides & Sauces To Try!

• Irn Bru BBQ Sauce
• Roasted Bone Marrow & Marmite Butter
• Chip Shop Curry Sauce
• Caramelised Onions
• Rice Krispie Fried Mozzarella Sticks With Hot Honey
• Candied Jalapeños (Cowboy Candy)

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