Bulgogi Burger
This is another great example why we must globally legalize marijuana. Without it, I wouldn’t of come up with this recipe. I’ve seen Korean fusion restaurants with their own version of a kimchi burger. What is lacking from all of their recipes is the focus on the burger patty. All of them use basically-seasoned ground beef. I wanted to have the prime focus being on the meat instead of just the fancy toppings. So I seasoned my ground beef with all of the ingredients used to make beef bulgogi: shallots, garlic, ginger, Korean pear, carrots, green onions, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine, sesame seeds, and sugar. There’s a lot going on with the complex flavors. I promise that this extra work to make this burger will be worth it in the end.You can grill or pan fry the burgers. I don’t have a grill, so I prepared them on my griddle. If you are a glutton, turn the burger into 2 patties. They’ll take about 6 minutes a side to cook through for medium With all the ingredients used to make them, they’ll be close to 10oz each. Ideally, 3 patties is probably the best route to go. So, toast the buns, griddle the burgers. For the kimchi provolone topping, I sautéed some kimchi until the liquid is cooked out, leaving it crispy. I topped it with some provolone; kind of creating this melty kimchi cheese patty. That gets topped on the burger. I also created a mayonnaise with gochugaru pepper flakes. You could also use gochujang paste instead of flakes.
Ingredients
- 1 lb 85% lean ground beef
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 1 garlic cloves finely minced
- 2 tsp ginger grated
- 1 green onion finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Korean pear grated
- 2 tbsp carrots grated
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice cooking wine
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tbsp butter
- large hamburger buns
Toppings
- green leaf lettuce
- 1/2 cup kimchi chopped
- 3 slices provolone cheese
Gochugaru Mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp gochugaru pepper flakes
Instructions
- Mix together the burger ingredients.
- Form into patties of your desired size. Let rest for 15 minutes to allows the ingredients to commingle.
- Melt the butter on a griddle over medium high heat. Toast the buns for a couple of minutes.
- Add your burger patties to the griddle.
- 2 large patties will take about 6 minutes a side for medium. 3 patties will take 5 minutes a side. 4 patties will take 4 minutes. Only flip once. Remove from the pan. Let rest for 5 minutes.
- Add the kimchi to the griddle. Sauté for 3-4 minutes.
- Make a bed out of the kimchi. Lay the provolone on top of the kimchi.
- Once the cheese starts to melt, separate into two kimchi patty-like shapes. Turn off the heat.
- Mix together the mayonnaise and gochugaru pepper flakes.
Burger Assembly
- Spread the gochugaru mayo across the top side of the bun. Lay the lettuce on the bottom side of the bun.
- Place the burger patties on the lettuce. Place the mound of kimchi and provolone on top of the burger.
