Spicy Grilled Korean BBQ Pork
Spicy Grilled Korean BBQ Pork
Have you tried lettuce wraps yet? I made this Spicy Korean BBQ Pork to be eaten as lettuce wraps when the temperatures were over 100 degrees this summer and they really hit the spot! I grilled them outside superfast so I didn't need to heat up the stove top and then we had succulent spicy sweet pork to wrap up in cool lettuce leaves with some large pieces of green onion and some white rice I warmed up from a few nights before. Did you know that rice keeps incredibly well in the refrigerator and reheats wonderfully.
Tip - If you are making fried rice, make the steamed rice at least three days ahead (up to a week) so it can age in the refrigerator and dry out, with the grains fully absorbing any moisture. This makes a great difference in the texture of the rice. It will be less sticky and much easier to fry.
I wish I had taken some pictures of the grilling process but honestly, it went so fast I completely forgot about it. It smelled wonderful and look at those grill marks!
This is fun finger food eaten this way but I'm sure I would enjoy this as a rice bowl just as much. I would tear up the lettuce a little bit more and pile everything else in on top then drizzle with some more of that killer BBQ sauce.
When I made the BBQ sauce I reserved about half of it for us to use later, drizzling it into our lettuce wraps. It was amazing!
The day before grilling, I prepared the BBQ sauce/marinade and the pork so I could marinade the pork overnight and let it really soak in. I used a super lean pork loin roast and cut it into medallions very thin but large enough to handle on the grill without struggling or spending time skewering.
The base of the BBQ sauce is a popular fermented spicy red pepper paste called Gochujang. If you haven't heard of this I encourage you to run right out and find some! I bought this in a Asian food market, but it's available online and some stores with extensive selections may carry it in their asian foods section. It truly makes this sauce!
With a little planning ahead, this is a great meal to make in minutes if you know you will be short on time and still want to impress guests or a special someone. Make the BBQ sauce and marinade the pork the day before. You could even prep the veggies and make the rice.
I think I should prepare this for a day when we wine tour in our area with friends so that when we come home for dinner all I have to do is set a table, pull out the veggies and condiments and pop the meat on the grill for a few minutes. This would definitely be a great finish to an afternoon in wine country!
I hope you will give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!
Cheers!
~Melisa
Spicy Grilled Korean BBQ Pork
Ingredients
For the Wraps
1 1/2 lb. Pork Loin Roast, very thinly sliced into roughly 2 1/2 inch pieces
Whole lettuce leaves washed and separated
1-2 bunches of green onions trimmed and chopped into 1 1/2 inch pieces
White Rice - I used Calrose rice for this
For the Korean BBQ Sauce & Marinade
1/2 cup gochujang paste
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3-4 tablespoons grated pear (optional, although traditional)
1/4 cup Mirin (not traditional but works well especially if you don't have a pear!)
2 tsp powdered garlic
2 tsp powdered ginger
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon Canola Oil
1 1/2 tsp Sesame Oil
Method
Whisk together all of the ingredients for the BBQ Sauce/Marinade
Marinate the thinly sliced pork medallions overnight with just enough marinade to coat the meat and reserve the rest for serving. Stir it occasionally if you think about it.
Of course marinating overnight is also optional but it will cost you in flavor and perhaps in the tenderness of the meat. With tenderness in mind, please don't let these succulent morsels overcook.
Heat a grill to about 400 degrees then clean and season your grill with a little oil.
Place the pork medallions on the grill. They will stick at first so don't touch them for about 3 minutes. Turn them when they release from the grill easily. Grill the same way on the second side, removing them from the grill when they release easily and the meat is firm, not hard.
Plate up your Korean BBQ pork medallions with the lettuce and the green onions, Serve with white rice and more BBQ sauce for drizzling.
