Asian Pear & Gochujang Korean BBQ Sauce

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A glossy, deeply savory Korean grilling sauce built the way the good galbi houses do it: grated Asian pear for sweetness and natural tenderizing enzymes, gochujang and soy for fermented depth, toasted sesame oil stirred in off the heat so it stays fragrant. Simmered just long enough to thicken into a brushable glaze, it works three ways — as an overnight marinade for short ribs or chicken thighs, as a last-minute grill glaze, and as a dipping sauce at the table. Makes about 2 cups.

Ingredients

• 1 ripe Asian pear (about 12 oz), peeled and cored
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, peeled
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced (whites and greens kept separate)

• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup gochujang
• 1 tbsp doenjang or white miso (optional, for depth)
• 3 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1/2 cup water or low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 tsp gochugaru (Korean chile flakes), optional
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tsp cornstarch (only if you want a thicker glaze)

Instructions

1. Cut the Asian pear and onion into rough 1-inch chunks. Combine them in a blender or food processor with the garlic, ginger, and the sliced scallion whites. Pulse, then blend on high for 30 to 45 seconds until you have a smooth, pale purée with no fibrous chunks — scrape down the sides once. You should have roughly 1 1/2 cups.
2. Pour the purée into a 3-quart saucepan. Add the soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, gochujang, doenjang or miso if using, rice vinegar, mirin, water or stock, gochugaru, and black pepper. Whisk hard until the gochujang and doenjang fully dissolve and no lumps remain.
3. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally, about 5 minutes. Once it bubbles, reduce the heat to medium-low so it holds a lazy simmer — bubbles breaking every second or two. Aggressive boiling scorches the sugars and turns the pear bitter.
4. Simmer uncovered for 15 to 18 minutes, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes and scraping the bottom of the pan. The sauce will darken to a glossy mahogany, reduce by about a quarter, and coat the back of a spoon so a finger drawn through leaves a clean line. If you want a thicker brushing glaze, whisk the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water and stir it in during the last 2 minutes.
5. Take the pan off the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds — adding the sesame oil off the heat keeps its aroma intact instead of cooking it flat.
6. Taste and balance: add up to 1 tablespoon more vinegar if it tastes flat, 1 to 2 teaspoons more honey if the gochujang is aggressive, or a splash of water if it feels too dense. Stir in the sliced scallion greens if you are serving it as a dipping sauce; leave them out if you plan to grill with it.
7. Cool completely, then transfer to a jar. Use it right away or refrigerate up to 3 weeks; freeze in 1/2-cup portions up to 3 months. To marinate, toss 2 to 3 pounds of short ribs, chicken thighs, or pork shoulder with about 1 cup of sauce and refrigerate 4 to 24 hours. To glaze, grill or roast the meat almost fully first, then brush the sauce on over medium heat during the final 3 to 5 minutes, turning and brushing twice so it caramelizes without burning.

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Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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