Put any kind of BBQ pulled pork to use in these simple Korean-style tacos that you can easily transform into a bowl!
What kind of Korean Tacos are we taco-ing about?
We’re taco-ing precooked pulled pork or chicken in this versatile recipe that honors leftovers in te way YOU want.
That’s why we’re also including a Buddha bowl alternative!
A Buddha bowl layers all the major components of a well-rounded meal that’ll keep your attention piqued and your body happy! Start with the idea below:
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- For GRAINS – use something neutral enough to act as a backdrop for the bombastic meat and BBQ flavors. Also try quinoa or the mixed purple Korean rice you see crammed into steel bowls at Korean barbecue joints.
- For VEGETABLES – we’ll show you how to make barely pickled crispy, tangy cucumbers. Throw them in the fridge for an hour while you prep the rest. Coleslaw, pickled red onions, and even salad greens will also provide a much needed crunch and tang. Throw in steamed, sauteed, grilled, or even raw corn as a nod to the American end of the BBQ spectrum.
- For PROTEIN – here’s where your leftover pulled pork, chicken, or even–dare I say–brined jackfruit, come in! It doesn’t matter how un-Korean the flavor–this recipe honors American BBQ meat from any region!
- For SAUCE – the name of the game is gochujang. Read on to learn what Koji sauce will look like, and you might never stop making it!
- For CRUNCH – buy cornbread crisps pre-packaged, and they’ll double as a winning snack. But if you’ve got cornbread already, or cornbread mix, there’s a quick recipe for making croutons with each scenario.
I hope you enjoy this Buddha bowl version! But what started it all? Read on to find out…
My parents live in Los Angeles and until just recently, so did my brother. About three times a year, I go back to LA to hang out with the family, get my In-N-Out Burger fix and get the very important big dose of smog and traffic. It’s important because it gives me that fantastic talking point when the Los Angelenos ask me, “why the heck did you move to Bradenton, Florida?” Hmmm…well, let me cough the reasons!
Just a few days ago, my brother, Jay, packed his bachelor belongings in a moving truck and moved to Wichita, Kansas to start a brand new fancy job as a Doctor of Cardi-$dollar$-gy. At first, I was like, “Are you crazy? Giving up living in Beverly Hills to go live in Kansas?”
Not that I have anything against the good state of Kansas, it’s just that it’s a totally different lifestyle than the fast-paced, Botox’d, diamond-studded city of Angels.
Last night, Jay called. He’d just arrived after a couple days of driving to his new home, “Hey sis, you must come and visit. FOR THE BAR-B-QUE!!!” He went on to describe the pulled pork and smoked ribs that he’s sampled in the past 24 hours.
That was a good enough reason to commit one of the most important holidays of the year, Thanksgiving, to haul my family to Wichita, Kansas for a week’s vacation. And it got me thinking. Take award-winning barbequed pulled pork and combine it with an Korean style barbeque sauce and a puckery Asian cucumber relish. The result is something you’d find on the street corner of Cahuenga and Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, the Kogi BBQ truck.
As I’m sure you’ve heard, Kogi is the hottest thing to hit the streets of Los Angeles (literally!), smashing standard taco truck fare with the zing and spice of Korean flavors. They use Twitter to announce their itinerary for that evening and serve hundreds of people at each stop. Sometimes, the lines form an hour before the truck even arrives and snakes carelessly around cars, fire hydrants and benches.
I haven’t sampled their fare, I gave one of the owners, Alice Shin, a call and told her that I’d like to make a pulled pork taco from smoked pulled pork. Alice was able to nudge their chef, Roy Choi, into creating a BBQ sauce to match the deep smoky flavor of traditional BBQ’d pulled pork.
This recipe is mid-west meets Los Angeles. Good luck with your new adventure, my brother.
Korean Style Tacos with Kogi BBQ Sauce on Daytime TV
I would have loved to pair good ol’ spicy kimchi with these tacos, but my local Asian store had really sad looking kimchi. So, last minute, I decided to create a quick cucumber pickle for television as well as the photo shoot.
Dr. BBQ and I tag teamed that morning on a Daytime segment – he made his very famous pulled pork smoked in the Big Green Egg in a Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich with Spicy Tangy Slaw (I also posted the video) – and I took his leftovers to make these Korean Style Tacos with Kogi BBQ Sauce.
Hey, p.s. the video shows you what happens when you forget your dang mandoline and end up slicing cucumbers by hand in a hurry. They look like hockey pucks. Use a mandoline.
Thank you Sur La Table for providing the Shun Perfect Paring Knife and the beautiful Foldable Grilling Tools
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Other great recipes from around the web
Kimchi Recipe by David Lebovitz
Bulgogi Kimchi Tacos by My Korean Kitchen
Korean Beef Tacos by Week of Menus
Korean Short Rib Tacos by Tasty Eats at Home
Kimchi Pork Belly Pizza by No Recipes
Korean Style Tacos with Kogi BBQ Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound cooked pulled pork or cooked shredded chicken
- 12 corn or flour tortillas
- 1/4 cup prepared store-bought Korean Kimchi (optional)
For the Quick Cucumber Pickle
- 1 large English cucumber or 2 Japanese cucumbers, sliced very thinly
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon finely minced fresh chili pepper or more depending on your tastes
- 1 generous pinch of salt
For the Kogi BBQ Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Korean fermented hot pepper paste gochujang
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
Instructions
- Make the Quick Cucumber Pickle: Mix together all the Quick Pickle ingredients. You can make this a few hours in advance and store in refrigerator. The longer it sits, the less “crunch” you’ll have. I like making this cucumber pickle 1 hour prior, storing in refrigerator and serving it cold on the tacos for texture and temperature contrast.
- Make the Koji BBQ Sauce: Whisk all BBQ sauce ingredients together until sugar has dissolved and mixture is smooth. You can make this a few days in advance and store tightly covered in the refrigerator.
- Toss the Koji BBQ Sauce with your cooked pulled pork or shredded chicken. Warm the tortillas and serve tacos with the Quick Cucumber Pickle.
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comment section! I always appreciate your feedback and I know other readers do, too!
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Waoo I love your recipe of kogi BBQ sauce.
So glad for sharing this recipe
Now I can make it at home.
It looks delicious.
I have made this recipe a handful of times now, and I swear it gets better every time! We aren’t huge pork eaters, so I mostly make it with chicken that I have slow cooked in a little bone broth and maybe a tablespoon of the gochujang. The first time, I didn’t let the chicken rest enough, because it smelled so good we couldn’t wait! It was a little runny. Next time, I made sure to be patient and it made a world of difference in the sauce being able to grab on to the meat. Just thought I’d throw that out there for any inpatient people like me…. it’s worth the wait!
I can’t wait to try more of your recipes. I also make these quick pickles all the time for something crunchy during the week!
Thank you so much Kelly! -jaden
About to make this now. Making the bbq pulled pork that I had smoked and portioned in the freezer with the sauce. Instead I’m making Kimchi fried rice to put on the tacos. Lot’s of Gochujang! Love it and cook a lot of Korean food.
Imagine this! I HAVE all the ingredients already, including homemade kimchi…no shopping! I will definitely add some fresh chopped Thai chile to the mix as I like super hot! Imo, flour tortillas go better with Asian flavors that corn. Thanks!
*than
Also thinking Korean-style scrambled eggs or tofu instead of meat.
Thanks Chieko!
Hi Jaden,
Quick question. Do you cook the sauce with the meat (after the meat is mostly cooked)?
Hi Danielle, as a Chef I have made this recipe many times with many different types of meats and substitutions and I like her recipe the best. In her recipe you DO NOT cook the meat in the sauce as the pulled pork has already been smoked, effectively cooking it, for about 8-10 hours usually. I have cooked the sauce, and it still tastes good but it changes the flavor, making it taste more asian and less bbq. As stated previously I prefer the uncooked version, it really makes the palate sing. Hope that helps..
We love this! Our new family favorite, my four year old ate it willingly. Thank you.
Can’t wait to try this recipe. Plus I’ve recently made Kimchi so unlike you I can have that instead of pickled cucumber, thanks for sharing.
Can someone list the prices for each ingredients? Or if not, can you just tell me the price for one pound of pulled pork?
Hi jaden, thank you so much for this recipe! I have made it twice with both pulled pork and chicken, and loved it. I was wondering if you have ever tried it (or would recommend trying it) with a slow cooked beef (short ribs, brisket…)? Thanks!
Where do you find the Korean hot pepper paste? I have been to every Asian Market in Kansas City and can’t find it
You’ll probably have to order from online. Try just searching for gojujang.
Hi, where could I get the pulled pork? Do I have to make it separately or is it available in supermarkets?
Hi there – it’s available at supermarkets (just don’t get pulled pork that’s already smothered in BBQ sauce)
I have to try this, but I can’t cook if my life depended on it. 🙁
Is there a way to make it less spicy?
Hi Kori – just use less of the hot pepper paste!
I stumbled upon your website and this Korean Taco Recipe many months ago.
First, Thank you! It’s become a family favorite and is fantastic taste sensation.
Second, my tips:
1) To warm and soften the shells, making them easy to roll… lightly spray a frypan with Olive Oil, then sprinkle water onto each tortilla and heat them in the frypan.
2) Make extra Pickled Cucumber (refrigerate about an hour before) and really load-up each shell, the combination of cool, tangy and crisp YUM!!!
3) As substitute for Gochujang… We use “Sriracha HOT Chili Sauce” (green twist to open cap) available in nearly every grocery store. Also delicious.
4) To make the BBQ Sauce less runny – tacos less sloppy to eat – make the bbq sauce in a small frypan and sprinkle in (about a teaspoonful) of “Agar-agar powder” (sold in Asian food store, in what looks like a large sugar pouch. Will thicken as it cooks and gels when it cools.
In conclusion… Thanks again and bon-appetite!
You take the most mouth-watering pictures. I have a 1.5 gallon jar of kimchi in the fridge….can’t wait to this recipe out with chicken. Yummy! Thank you for sharing 🙂
So so good! I’ve been trying out a few Korean inspired dishes lately and the sauce on these was absolutely delectable. Shared it with all my coworkers. Thanks so much for the recipe.
This recipe rocked. Didn’t have the pulled pork, so I made Korean pork BBQ with the cucumber and some old funky (the best) kimchi. Amazingly, the corn tortillas work with the sweet/BBQ meat and cucumber/kimchi side…amazing stuff. I can’t say enough…two thumbs up!!!
Kogi tacos are a treat and a break from your regular tacos.Give em a try.
I agree, thier Vietnamese Tacos were sooo tasty!!!! All else, unfortunately, except the cheesecake was pretty lame. Very bland and flavorless, ‘American Kobe’ is an oxymoron, not something fabulous!
Hello from Wichita. We do have botox here, but no Kogi BBQ trucks.
We can’t wait to try this out. Maybe if I eat enough, I’ll smooth out all the wrinkles and won’t need botox. ;o)
great recipe! Enjoyed some today, thnx.
I had what Cheesecake Factory calls a Vietnamese taco last night and it was so good I looked for a recipe today. Your Korean tacos sound very similar and I’ll be trying out the recipe soon 🙂 thank you!
I did link to your site in my review. Leave me a comment if you want me to remove the recommendation to check out your recipe.
#1 Get over yourself.
#2 It looks amazing!
The best Korean tacos are at Hashigo in Costa Mesa on Bristol Street and Paularino. They also have a dish called “The Korrito” and it’s a Korean version of a Mexican wet burrito – it is awesome!
Thanks for posting the recipe! I’ve always wanted to make these Kogi tacos!
i just found these guys doing them out of dokebi in williamsburg
grass-fed short ribs and berkshire pork korean bbq style.
they were pretty good i think. need to try them sober this week.
Oh my! I’m definitely making these. The Korean Taco craze has hit NYC but, as usual, I’m compelled to cook them myself! Thanks for the recipe.
Looks great. I think to give it an even more Korean vibe, put cucumber kimchi (oi-kimchi) on top. Similar to your cucumber topping, but spicier. I’ll have to get the smoker ready this wknd.
So I finally got my hands on some gochujang and made these. They were outstanding! Thanks for sharing! We are big fans of smoked pork butt, so I think I’m going to be making these a lot from now on.
Great post and photos!
My mom asked me to “cater” for her and her friends next weekend. I’m going to try this out on them along with some kalbi tacos.
What do you think about julienning the cucumbers instead of slicing them?
either way! ~jaden
Those photos have inspired me to purchase a mandolin. I’m definitely making this next week! Thanks!
That gochujang bbq sauce sounds good! I really like the idea of the Korean/Mexican blend here! Great idea!
Hey Jaden, great recipe. Kogi is a regular here in Venice so I see the lines of people lining up to get a taste. I’ve had it once and it was great. I love how they use twitter too, ingenious.
PERFECT! My boyfriend & I have been talking about this Kogi BBQ Truck for a little while now. We live in Orange County, but keep waiting for the opportunity to find ourselves in LA near the truck 🙂 We’re making this tonight! We have most of the ingredients! Hooray! Thanks for sharing, beautifully done as always!
sounds so interesting and good!
I’m sure Kansas as Botox by now, not to worry. Nice recipe, great photo. Thanks Jaden.
My husband taught in Korea and would surely adore me if these were dinner one night. Good gracious woman, those look fantastic.
Here’s a video slide show on the Kogi BBQ truck produced by PRI’s The World:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN5ealJf4q8
Great looking recipe! Can’t wait to try it.
Now I just have to find myself some pulled pork! These look awesome! Good kimchi is easier to find over here than good pulled pork!
Jaden, will you pull up to my house in a truck with about a dozen of these beauties? Please, oh pretty please? 😉
Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. And now I have an excuse for a BBQ party…
Amazing.
Nice! I lined up for an hour and a half when they made a cameo appearance with the Dessert Truck here in Manhattan and there were only 3 people in front of me when they ran out!
Everytime I see a fare sale to LA, I’ve actually paused for a moment to contemplate hopping on a plane to try their tacos out, glad to see I can now try it without leaving New York:-)
I first heard about your site when you mentioned it at Martin Yan’s appearance at Publix on Friday night. After seeing these tacos I’m happy I followed up on it. The fusion of American BBQ and Korean BBQ seems too good to be true and I can’t wait to try this at home even though I’ll have to settle for oven-made pulled pork. I look forward to more great recipes from your site.
I just posted my take on Kogi BBQ tacos the other day! Yours is decidedly different than mine, but looks SO good! I love the cucumber pickle, so simple and delicious! I might have to try this!
Dang it. Now I’m going to have to go to the Asian market on the other side of town to get that paste. Do you have any recommendations for a substitute?
Hmmm…for this recipe, there’s not really a substitute, but it is a very popular Korean ingredient. Your Asian market should have it! ~j
Jayden – love the idea and recipe. I’ll be making these this weekend. I’ll definitely use the kimchi – makes my mouth water just thinking about it.
I love gochujang! And this recipe looks so easy that even I can make it. 🙂
Oh Man these will so be made at our house sometime soon!! Yum!
i need that paste
That looks absolutely delicious although I am not so sure I can find that sauce here. Having said that; we do have asian markets so maybe I just have to look a little harder!
Looks so yummy! I love your blog and I added a link (to your blog) on my blog. Hope that’s okay with you.
Cheers! 🙂
yum-o!
This is soooo dinner tomorrow night!
The cucumber was such a great choice! CooL and refreshing, it cuts through that pork and sticky sweet sauce making it nice and balanced and perfect for summer. Kimchi would have been another super strong fLavor that might’ve overwheLmed that yummy pork and bbq sauce.
It aLso makes it pretty to look at.
I wish you couLd have made these for me!
Oh yeah, forgot to say I just made a similar relish but with zucchini. I like to use a vegetable peeler to make “noodles” with zucchini. Posting it while I’m on vacation, it was SPICY!
Fantastic idea. I moved to Sydney and lived among so many Koreans. Gotta love some Korean spiciness 😉
No offense to Kogi…but yours look and sounds better! And we live in LA and have tasted Kogi’s 🙂 but we do appreciate their creativity hence we made some Vietnamese Nem Nuong Sliders with Kimchi inspired by them.
I love Korean food. Lived in Korea three years as a young kid and think that started my preference for Asian food. I’m making kimchi in the next couple weeks and will have to try it with this BBQ sauce. Yum!
Ooh–I would love to try this!
Oh Jaden! Be still my beating heart!
Last night our friend Laura (who’s father is Korean) made a feast at our house when the picnic she planned for her dad’s bday got rained out. The party was moved to our house and it was incredible! She did traditional Korean bbq, kogi, kimchi, rice sticks, whole butter fish, and on and on! We loved every bite! It was such a culinary adventure.
Now I see this! You know I’m going to have to try my hand at this. And now I know where all the Korean markets are here in Columbus because I shopped with her on Friday!
And I would love to get a bite from the Kogi taco truck 🙂
p.s. If your brother is interested in authentic German sausages and incredible thick cut bacon and other great stuff from a wonderful little shop, let me know! I can hook him up 🙂
Mouth = watering. I must have this, and fast! Will have to work into the week’s meal plan.
It was instant culture shock when I moved to Wichita from Montr�al, Canada 5 years ago. But like your bother, I discovered the smoky, low-and-slow, fall-apart-tender cooking that is Kansas barbeque, and fell in love at first bite. Wichita has great BBQ. Kansas City has exquisite BBQ. And now it�s on my list of stuff I would have to have with me on a deserted island. Above toilette paper.
Jaden, which do you prefer to top the tacos with kimchi or the cucumber pickle slices?
-Kamran
Would rather have kimchi! BUT some people don’t like kimchi or can’t find it at the stores – then the cucumber pickle is perfect! It’s got the same crunch and tang as kimchi – and with enough chili pepper – enough spice too. ~jaden