Gochujang Burger With Spicy Slaw

Name: Gochujang Burger With Spicy Slaw
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons gochujang; 3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar; 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for hands, grill grates and brushing on patties; 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil; 1 tablespoon granulated sugar; 4 garlic cloves, finely grated; 1 1/2 pounds ground pork; Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper; 1 medium Kirby cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced; 2 ounces soy bean sprouts, rinsed and drained (about 1 cup); 1 large carrot, grated on the large holes of a box grater; 2 scallions, thinly sliced; 4 burger buns, split; Mayonnaise, for serving

By Rick A. Martínez

Updated June 28, 2023

Gochujang Burger With Spicy Slaw — Joe Lingeman for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Total Time: 45 minutes
Rating: 5(954)
Comments: Read comments

This may be the perfect all-purpose sauce — BBQ, marinade, dressing — for your summer cookouts. Tangy and sweet rice vinegar cuts through the spicy richness of gochujang, and toasted sesame seed oil amps up the smokiness you get from the grill. The sauce does double duty in this recipe: It’s used to flavor the pork bulgogi-inspired patties, and it’s used as a dressing for the cucumber, sprout and carrot slaw. These burgers can also be made indoors in a large cast-iron or heavy skillet over medium-high heat.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

3tablespoons gochujang
3tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
3tablespoons olive oil, plus more for hands, grill grates and brushing on patties
1tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1tablespoon granulated sugar
4garlic cloves, finely grated
1½pounds ground pork
Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
1medium Kirby cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2ounces soy bean sprouts, rinsed and drained (about 1 cup)
1large carrot, grated on the large holes of a box grater
2scallions, thinly sliced
4burger buns, split
Mayonnaise, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Whisk together the gochujang, vinegar, olive oil, sesame oil, sugar and garlic in a large bowl; transfer half of the mixture to a medium bowl and set aside until ready to use.
Step 2
Add the pork, 1½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper to the large bowl with half of the gochujang mixture. Using 2 forks, begin “pulling” the ground pork apart as if you were shredding pulled pork, breaking up the clumps and incorporating the ingredients together without compacting the meat into a dense mass. Continue to pull the meat apart until thoroughly mixed and no clumps of pork remain, and all of the gochujang mixture has been absorbed.
Step 3
Lightly oil your hands. Working one at a time, divide the pork mixture into 4 equal portions; roll gently between your hands into balls. Arrange on a rimmed baking sheet and flatten to patties about 1-inch thick.
Step 4
Toss the cucumber, sprouts, carrot and scallions in the medium bowl with the reserved gochujang mixture until completely coated; season with salt and pepper. Let sit until ready to serve.
Step 5
Prepare a grill for medium-high direct heat. Clean and oil the grates.
Step 6
Grill the buns until toasted on both sides, about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. Transfer to a baking sheet. Brush the patties on both sides with oil and grill until lightly charred on both sides and just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side, closing the grill top between flips as needed if using a gas grill. Transfer the burgers to a plate and let sit for 5 minutes.
Step 7
Spread mayonnaise on the top and bottom sides of each bun. Top with burgers and gochujang slaw and serve.

Ratings

5 out of 5

954 user ratings

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Comments

Steve from Boston2 years ago

Whenever I make something like this, the keystone is always serving it not with normal mayo, but sriracha lime mayo: 1/4 cup mayo 1-2 tbsp sriracha (depending on how spicy you like it) Zest and juice of one lime Mix and use immediately. It's runnier than normal mayo because of the lime juice, but hooooo boy.

John M.2 years ago

This recipe made for a terrific burger! I was very impressed with the results from using the two forks 'pulling' method to mix the pork with the marinade. Made the least dense burger I've ever made. I didn't make the slaw (yeah, I know) so I halved the ingredients. Then I just used 1 lb. of pork, so I lopped off another third. So for making these burgers only using 1 lb. of pork: 1Tbsp. gochujang paste (not sauce); 1 tbsp. rice vinegar 1 Tbsp. olive oil; 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil; 1 tsp. sugar.

LBT2 years ago

Gochujang is Asian chili sauce. The Kirby cucumber is a small pickling cucumber.

Mark in Oakland1 week ago

This is one of my great crowd-pleasers, and easy to prepare while talking to your guests gathered in the kitchen. I use a mandolin for both the cucumber and the carrot - much prefer the texture and with a more uniform thickness I’m less worried about anyone component becoming over-saturated

Lynn1 month ago

I've made this multiple times and it is a really unique flavor, very moist and the slaw goes with it great. Delicious. Like others, I serve this with sriracha mayo.

Nancy2 months ago

These are a family favorite, made exactly as written. Tonight I made them with ground turkey rather than pork. Delicious. Also used just chopped cabbage for the slaw. Also delicious.

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