Korean BBQ: The Ultimate Guide to Korean BBQ Flavours
Korean BBQ (gogi-gui) is a style of cooking, where thinly sliced meat beef, pork or chicken is grilled at high heat, usually right at the table.
Here's what makes Korean BBQ special:
- Friends and family cook together at the table
- Thin cuts are cooked quickly: beef, pork belly and marinated slices cooked over high heat
- Big, bold marinades: sweet soy, garlic, sesame and fruit for depth and tenderness
- Banchan dishes will be served on the side of the main event spread of kimchi, pickles and small dishes that balance every bite
- Ssam (wrap-and-eat); grilled meat wrapped in lettuce or perilla leaves with sauces and toppings
Shop all Portable and Table Top BBQs, or find more BBQ Recipe ideas here.
Why Korean BBQ tastes so good
It isn’t just the fire, or the searing of the meat - Korean BBQ has become enormously popular because of the flavours that often come together over a shared Korean BBQ table. Plus, cooking together around the table is just wonderfully fun!
Here are the elements of a brilliantly balanced Korean BBQ:
1. Korean BBQ Meat
Thin slices of beef, pork or chicken, laid over fierce heat so they catch and caramelise at the edges. Bulgogi turns glossy and sweet, pork belly crisps and blisters. Because it’s often cut thinly, it cooks in moments just enough time to coax out smoke, sweetness and richness.
2. Korean BBQ Sauce
This is where the magic happens! Korean BBQ sauces aren’t one-note they’re built in layers of sweet, earthy, tangy and hot. These are often the flavours you find in a Korean BBQ sauce:
- soft savouriness from soy
- an earthy warming heat from gochujang
- ssamjang- a blend of doenjang and gochujang.
5 of the best: Korean BBQ Sauce
Bombom Korean BBQ Sweet and Spicy Sauce, 420g
Bombom Korean BBQ Sweet and Spicy Sauce, 420g
This K-BBQ sauce has layers of umami-rich flavour. It gets its heat from gochujang, a fiery Korean chilli paste. There’s a hint of zingy ginger and savoury notes from garlic and soy sauce. Tomato paste and pear purée deliver natural sweetness.
BomBom’s sweet-spicy BBQ sauce is perfect for Korean food lovers. It has a smoky taste and satisfying heat. Pair it with cooling dips and crunchy Asian coleslaw. It’s fantastic on burgers and Korean-inspired tacos.
Chimac Korean BBQ Sauce, 350g
Chimac Korean BBQ Sauce, 350g
This Korean-inspired sauce is a tasty alternative to American BBQ sauce. You can use it to marinade ribs, wings and brisket before grilling. The sweet, tangy sauce caramelises in the heat, giving your meat a delicious glaze.
Spread Chimac Korean BBQ sauce on burger buns and flatbreads. It’s fantastic with pulled pork and fried chicken. You can also serve it as a dip with fries and pizza.
Bombom Korean BBQ Soy and Garlic Sauce, 420g
Bombom Korean BBQ Soy and Garlic Sauce, 420g
The sauce is thinner than most BBQ sauces so it coats your ingredients easily. It caramelises as it cooks, giving wings and ribs a sticky glaze. Brush it over pork skewers and chicken thighs before they hit the grill.
BomBom Korean BBQ sauce is infused with soy and garlic. It’s sweet and savoury with a punch of umami. Korean pear adds a bright, fruity note.
Use this Korean BBQ sauce on top of crispy Korean fried chicken or to glaze Karaage-style wings. It also makes a wonderful marinade for BBQ meats and tofu, as well as to season noodle and rice stir-fry dishes.
Ajumma Republic’s Korean BBQ sauce gives you flavours of true Korean BBQ. This sauce gets its distinctive sweetness from pear, grapefruit and pineapple extracts - and a tangy, citrus hit. These flavours are combined with nutty sesame oil to create the perfect sweet and savoury balance that makes this much-loved Korean ingredient so versatile and delicious.
Use this kimchi mayonnaise as an everyday table sauce for dipping chips, spreading inside veggie burgers or as a twist on potato salad. It also makes a perfect condiment for other Asian classics - squeeze dollops on top of california rolls, serve alongside crisp Takoyaki or as a finishing drizzle on Donburi rice bowls.
3. Banchan: Korean BBQ side dishes
A Korean BBQ table is never just about the meat. It’s the banchan, the small dishes scattered around the grill, that bring balance, contrast and life to the meal.
- Kimchi. Not just for Korean BBQ table, no table feels complete without kimchi. This lively, gently effervescent ferment combines napa cabbage with anchovy sauce and Korean chilli flakes for a balance of heat, depth and tang. It’s best made a few days in advance, giving it time to develop its signature complexity.
- Daikon Sangchae. Crisp matchsticks of daikon radish, lightly pickled in rice vinegar with a touch of sugar and chilli for a clean, refreshing bite.
- Cucumber Sangchae. Thin ribbons of cucumber dressed in a punchy mix of garlic, gochujang and rice vinegar—cool, sharp and just a little fiery.
- Broccoli Namul. Tender broccoli dressed while still warm in a sweet-spicy seasoning, soaking up flavour in every floret.
