Korean BBQ Marinade Recipe (2024)

July 14, 2023

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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 🥰.

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About Gochujang Sauce
How To Use This Marinade
Tips and Tricks
Commonly Asked Questions
Korean BBQ Marinade Recipe

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? Gochujangis 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 👍🏻. 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 👏🏻 that 👏🏻 Gochujang sauce! Simple as that. So easy, so quick, SO delicious.

Commonly Asked Questions

Can I make this marinade in advance?

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!

How long should I marinate my chosen protein?

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.

Why does your recipe list brown sugar OR honey?

I don't really like honey 🤷🏼‍♀️. 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 😎.

Have a question I didn't answer here? Scroll down to leave me a comment below!