This quick and easy korean BBQ marinade is a must have in your weeknight dinner rotation! With pantry friendly ingredients and a healthy dose of Gochujang sauce, this recipe captures the authentic flavors of Korean cuisine and takes just 5 minutes to whisk up. Try it with chicken, beef, pork, tofu or even drizzled on noodles!
My husband made some ribs a while back, slow cooked to perfection in the oven, and they were so delicious I immediately asked him what recipe he used. "Oh I just kinda made a korean BBQ marinade with what we had"...mkay well don't mind if I just steal that REAL QUICK! So thanks for the inspiration Dan the man ๐ฅฐ.
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About Gochujang Sauce
Basically, for any Korean style BBQ you going to want to grab a bottle of gochujang sauce. I always have a bottle in my fridge and have to frequently replace it because we use it so often!
So what is it exactly? Gochujangย is a mixture of red chili powder, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, and salt. It has a slightly sweet taste to start and a hint of spiciness throughout, adding serious flavor to this marinade!
How To Use This Marinade
Options abound! For meat lovers, this Korean BBQ marinade pairs wonderfully with chicken (as pictured), and steak. We've even thrown it in with some ground meat for flavoring as opposed to marinating it a full cut and solid thumbs up ๐๐ป. Shrimp or cuts of fish like cod, halbit, and salmon are also delicious. Alternatively, for those vegetarians and vegans out there, it's a great way to dress up tofu or even just drizzled on some stir fried noodles! Check out the notes section in the recipe at the bottom of this post for more usage info.
Tips and Tricks
- Although you can use ginger powder, ginger paste will add a little more flavor and a fresher taste to this marinade.
- I prefer to use a low-sodium soy sauce and add a teaspoon of coarse salt separately (I like to control the amount of salt in my recipes). Helps keep sodium in the diet down! However, if you only have regular soy sauce that'll work fine but the extra teaspoon of salt might not be necessary. Do a taste test to make sure!
- Get ๐๐ป that ๐๐ป Gochujang sauce! Simple as that. So easy, so quick, SO delicious.
Commonly Asked Questions
Absolutely! If you want to prepare a batch in advance, you can freeze it in an airtight container or zip-lock bag. When you're ready to use it, thaw it in the fridge and give it a whisk before marinating your chosen protein. Just keep in mind that the texture of some ingredients, like the fresh garlic and ginger paste, may change slightly after freezing, but the marinade will still taste delicious!
Depends. In general, seafood proteins (shrimp, fish, etc.) is only about 15 to 30 minutes, while heartier proteins like tofu, chicken, beef, and pork would be between a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum 4 hours.
I don't really like honey ๐คท๐ผโโ๏ธ. But it works wonderfully in marinades. Plus, it's a vegan marinade without it! Also, I prefer to use the Swerve brown sugar substitute, keep the calories lower ๐.
Have a question I didn't answer here? Scroll down to leave me a comment below!
Korean BBQ Marinade Recipe
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: About 2 cups 1x
- Diet: Low Calorie
Description
This quick and easy korean BBQ marinade is a must have in your weeknight dinner rotation! With pantry friendly ingredients and a healthy dose of Gochujang sauce, this recipe captures the authentic flavors of Korean cuisine and takes just 5 minutes to whisk up. Try it with chicken, beef, fish, shrimp, tofu or even as just a sauce on noodles!
Ingredients
- ยผ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ยผ cup gochujang sauce
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste OR 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar OR honey (I like to use Swerve Brown Sugar Substitute)
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- ยฝ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Optional: ยผ cup fresh green onion, thinly sliced
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Done!
- See recipe notes for uses and marinating times. If making before using, store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.ย
Notes
Proteins we have used with this marinade:
- Chicken breastsย - Let marinate in a bowl or ziploc bag for 30 minutes, up to 4 hours. Cook as desired until internal temperature reaches 165หF.
- Steak - Let marinate in a bowl or ziploc bag for 30 minutes, up to 4 hours. Cook as desired until steak reaches desired doneness.
- Shrimp - Let marinate in a bowl or ziploc bag for 15 to 30 minutes. Pan fry and drizzle with any remaining sauce.
- Salmon filets -ย ย Let marinate in a bowl or ziploc bag for 15 to 30 minutes. Pan fry and drizzle with any remaining sauce.
- Extra firm tofuย - Press a tofu block to rid it of most of its water. Let marinate in a bowl or ziploc bag for 30 minutes, up to 4 hours. Pan fry and drizzle with any remaining sauce.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Marinade
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: Korean
akdub says
Delicious!! Don't try other recipes, just use this one (I promise!). I used this on chunks of chicken breast and made lunch salads of romaine/kale with mandarin oranges, smokehouse almonds, edamame, pickled red onion, green onions, a couple cherry tomatoes, and topped with sesame seeds, garlic powder, salt & pepper. I am completely addicted and have used it 3 times in 3 weeks since finding this (no cap for the kids). Thank you so much for sharing!