Sizzling Korean Smoked Pork GrillSession
Cracking open Atlanta's barbecue scene, Heirloom Market BBQ serves up mouth-watering Southern-Korean style pork that'll make your mouth water. Chefs Cody Taylor and Jiyeon Lee whip up this spicy-sweet treat using gochujang, gochugaru, Sriracha, and sweet chile paste, then smoke it to add another layer of flavor. Slather it on potato buns with kimchi slaw, pickles, and even more of their delicious KB sauce.
Did you know they use a unique blend of Georgia oak and hickory wood to smoke their meat? If you're not sure which wood chips to choose, take a hint from 'em! If you can't find gochujang and gochugaru at your nearest market, look online or head to an Asian market.
Looking for more heat? Try their kimchi slaw on top of the pulled pork, or serve their kimchi potato salad on the side. And don't forget to read up on Chef Lee's former life as a K-Pop star!
- Yield: 14 servings
- Difficulty: Medium
- Total: 13 hours, including chilling time
- Active: 45 min
Ingredients (16)
For the pork:
- 2 cups gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
- 1 cup sweet chili sauce (such as Mae Ploy)
- 1 cup Sriracha chili sauce
- 3/4 cup KB Sauce (add more for serving)
- 1 (8-pound) boneless pork butt (Boston butt), excess fat removed, cut into 1-inch-thick pieces
- Wood chips (like Georgia oak and hickory)
- 1/2 cup sliced scallions
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
For the KB sauce:
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3/4 cup lemon-lime soda (such as Sprite)
- 2 teaspoons gochujang (Korean red chile paste)
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
Instructions
To make the KB sauce:
- Mix the water, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and soy sauce in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Let cool to room temperature (about 15 minutes). Stir in the lemon-lime soda, gochujang, and sesame oil, then store in an airtight container in your refrigerator up to 1 week. This recipe makes 2 1/4 cups of sauce.
To make the pork:
- Mix the gochugaru, sweet chili sauce, Sriracha, and 3/4 cup KB Sauce in a large bowl. Add the pork; toss to coat. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight.
- Remove the pork from the marinade; discard the marinade. Pat dry the pork. Prepare your smoker or grill as directed and heat to 225°F, adding wood chips. Arrange the marinated pork in a single layer on the grill rack over the indirect heat. Cover with the smoker lid or grill cover. Cook until the pork is tender and registers 145°F on a meat thermometer, about 4 hours.
- Remove the pork from the smoker or grill; let stand 10 minutes. Cut into small cubes and drizzle with additional KB Sauce. Sprinkle with the scallions and sesame seeds before serving.
- The unique blend of Georgia oak and hickory wood used at Heirloom Market BBQ is perfect for smoking their spicy-sweet Southern-Korean style pork.
- The pork recipe from Heirloom Market BBQ serves 14 and requires 13 hours including chilling time, with a medium difficulty level.
- The KB Sauce used in the pork recipe is a unique blend of water, sugars, soy sauce, lemon-lime soda, gochujang, and sesame oil, and can be stored for up to a week in the refrigerator.
- The pork is first marinated in a mix of gochugaru, sweet chili sauce, Sriracha, and KB Sauce, then smoked over wood chips for around 4 hours until tender, before being drizzled with additional KB Sauce, sprinkled with scallions and sesame seeds, and served.
