A number of years ago, I was working in NYC. There was this burger joint a block or so away from my office. This wasn’t like a Shake Shack or Five Guys. It wasn’t fast food, is what I mean. This was a restaurant that specialized in, well, speciality burgers. They always had a “burger of the month,” and one month, it was an Asian burger. Unfortunately, I never it made it there that month to try it.
We are a burger household. My son prefers to have burger night once a week, but we’ve negotiated it down to every other week. We have had soooo many different types of burgers. Once you start exploring, it is AMAZING how many different ways you can prepare a burger!
So, I missed out on trying the Asian burger at this restaurant. I decided to recreate it at home, having NO IDEA what they had used to make it. NONE. But that was okay, because I have several different Asian flank steak marinades, and I knew I could come up with something that would work.
And so, the Korean burger was created, topped with kimchi slaw, and a smoking, spicy sriracha aioli. If you haven’t had kimchi, you are missing out. It adds so much flavor to so many dishes. Fried rice? In goes the kimchi. Bulgogi? Kimchi goes on top. Ramen? Kimchi goes on top! Banh mi? Kimchi! Well, if you haven’t had kimchi, stick around because I’ll help you grow fond of it.
What is great about so many Asian dishes is the perfected way of combining hints of sweet with hints of spicy. Using honey and brown sugar in this dish compliments the sriracha and Gochujang. The sriracha aioli uses a little bit of Gochujang, which adds, not only a bit of heat, but also a bit of smokiness.
Because of the moisture content of the burger, this is best cooked inside on a cast iron pan! This keeps the burger moist, while also leaving you with the drippings to cook your hamburger buns on.
The flavors of this burger are amazing, I can’t do them justice. You just have to try these burgers!
Korean Burgers with Kimchi Slaw & Sriracha Gochujang Aioli
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Asian, Grilling, American
- Cuisine: Dinner
Ingredients
Burgers
1.5 – 2 lbs ground beef, 90% lean
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 TB ginger, minced
1 TB brown sugar
1/2 TB sesame oil
1/2 TB sriracha
1/4 cup soy sauce
Kimchi Slaw
3/4 cup kimchi, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 large parsnip (or an additional carrot), peeled and cut into matchsticks
Sriracha Aioli
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 TB sriracha
1 tsp Gochujang
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp honey
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Pretzel burgers to serve
Instructions
Make the burger by whisking together the garlic, ginger, brown sugar, sesame oil, sriracha, and soy sauce. Add the ground beef and mix well to thoroughly combine. Make four patties and set aside.
For the aioli, combine the mayonnaise, sriracha, Gochujang, apple cider vinegar, and honey. Stir well to combine.
For the kimchi slaw, combine the kimchi, carrots, and parsnip, tossing to coat well.
Prepare a cast iron pan over medium heat. Once warm, add the burgers and cook five minutes. Turn over and cover with a lid for three minutes. Remove the lid and finish cooking for an additional two minutes. Remove the burgers and set aside.
Working in batches, cook the hamburger buns, cut side down, in the grease of the burgers for 30 to 60 seconds.
Place the hamburgers on the buns, top with the sriracha aioli and the kimchi slaw.
Enjoy!
Keywords: Asian Burger, Korean Burger, burger, kimchi, sriracha, sriracha aioli, gochujang
