Korean Kimchi Barbecue Sauce Recipe

By
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Editorial Director
Daniel joined the Serious Eats culinary team in 2014 and writes recipes, equipment reviews, articles on cooking techniques. Prior to that he was a food editor at Food & Wine magazine, and the staff writer for Time Out New York's restaurant and bars section.
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Updated February 05, 2019
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Photograph: Daniel Gritzer

Not to be confused with any of the traditional sauces or marinades used in Korean barbecue, this is a sauce that combines funky Korean flavors like kimchi and gochujang (Korean chili paste) with a barbecue sauce-style ketchup base. It's delicious on grilled chicken, pork, and shellfish like shrimp.

Recipe Details

Korean Kimchi Barbecue Sauce Recipe

Active 25 mins
Total 25 mins
Serves 20 servings
Makes 2 1/2 cups
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 2 cups kimchi with juices

  • 1/2 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped

  • 8 medium garlic cloves

  • 1 (1 1/2-inch) knob fresh peeled ginger

  • 1 cup ketchup

  • 1/2 cup rice vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons gochujang

  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

  • 1 teaspoon molasses

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. In a blender, combine kimchi and its juices, onion, garlic, and ginger, and blend until a smooth puree forms (add a bit of water, if necessary, to help the blending process).

  2. In a medium sauce pan, combine kimchi puree with ketchup, rice vinegar, gochujang, Worcestershire sauce, and molasses, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened slightly and flavors have combined, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Special Equipment

Blender

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
27Calories
0gFat
6gCarbs
1gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 20
Amount per serving
Calories27
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g0%
Saturated Fat 0g0%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 314mg14%
Total Carbohydrate 6g2%
Dietary Fiber 0g1%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 2mg8%
Calcium 12mg1%
Iron 1mg3%
Potassium 86mg2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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