Spicy Korean Pork Burritos (Jeyuk Bokkeum)
Korean burritos and tacos are one of the best food truck meals and this spicy Korean pork version is filled with all my favorite flavors! I love being inspired by different foods to make burritos out of them. I worked at a burrito shop for so long that I am always thinking about new burrito ideas! The spicy pork balances so well with mild white rice, and the sweet and creamy beans balance the spicy fresh salsa!
The inspiration for this recipe
My friend and I always seem to end up at Korean BBQ after a night out drinking. We always order a feast! For some reason I skipped over jeyuk bokkeum – the spicy pork version of bulgogi. When I finally tried the spicy Korean pork, after I got over how great it tastes, the next thing I thought was I wanted to put it into a burrito!
Marinate and cook the spicy Korean pork
I am able to buy thin sliced pork shoulder at my nearby Korean market. If you can’t, the best way to slice it thin is to freeze the pork shoulder for about an hour and then slice it. The marinade is gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger. If you have a pear or apple around, you can grate it into the mix, but it’s optional! I often use this recipe as a guide.
After it sits for a few hours or overnight, cook it in a hot pan until charred around the edges!
Sweet black beans
These are based on a Korean recipe called geomeun kongjorim. I sweetened mine with lots of honey, and used canned black beans instead of cooking them from dry for hours. The sweet beans balance the spicy pork in the burritos so well!
Cucumber radish salsa
I was inspired by banchan, the little veggie sides that come with Korean BBQ, to make this salsa for the spicy pork burrito. I sort of combined the spicy radish and cucumber, but treated it more like a pico de gallo, chopping everything thin and adding some garlic and lime juice.
Time to roll the spicy Korean pork burrito
Rice first, then the beans, cheese, and pork. Finally add the salsa and some kimchi on top!
Make sure to roll it up tight and use some foil to keep everything secure.
I am obsessed with the flavors in this spicy Korean pork burrito! Everything I love about a burrito and everything I love about my late night Korean BBQ spot. All rolled up in a tortilla!
Twists on this Spicy Korean Pork Burrito
You could do this spicy korean pork burrito with bulgogi if you wanted to instead of the jeyuk bokkeum. You could also tone down the heat by using half the gochujang and gochugaru in the recipe. My gochujang is listed as medium spice and overall I didn’t think this burrito was that hot.
Here are the recipes again that I used as a starting point for the beans and the pork.
For more unique burritos, check out my meatloaf burrito, mapo tofu burrito, or these lamb kofta burritos!
Spicy Korean Pork Burrito (Jeyuk Bokkeum)
Ingredients
Pork and marinade
- 1 1/4 pound thin sliced pork shoulder
- 1/4 cup gochujang
- 1 tablespoon gochugaru
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 5 cloves garlic grated
- 2 inches ginger grated
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- pinch of salt
Cucumber Radish Salsa
- 1 english cucumber diced
- 4 radishes diced
- 3 scallions chopped
- 2 bird eye chilis minced
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- 1 tablespoon gochugaru
- 1 lime juice
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- pinch of salt
Black Beans
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can black beans strained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
The Burrito
- 2 cups steamed medium grain white rice
- 1 1/2 cups chihuahua cheese
- 2 cups kimchi
- 4 12inch flour tortillas
Instructions
Marinate the meat
- Mix the pork with all the marinade ingredients and let it sit covered in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight.
Make the Salsa
- Mix all the salsa ingredients and stir well to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
Make the beans
- Add the oil to a small pan over medium heat and stir in the garlic. Cook about 3 minutes. Add in the beans as well as the rest of the ingredients. Allow to simmer until the liquid has reduced to a sticky glaze on the beans.
Cook the pork
- Bring a large frying pan to high heat and add the entire contents of the bowl with the pork and marinade. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 12 minutes until the pork is browned in places and cooked through.
Build the burritos
- Add a tortilla to the top of the cooking meat to let it steam for about 5 seconds a side. Put a square of foil on the work surface and add the tortilla on top of it. Add some rice, cheese, beans, and pork. Then add the salsa and kimchi. Wrap the burrito to seal it up and wrap the foil around it. Repeat with the remaining burritos
Are those carrots in your bland colored Kimchi? Tsk tsk. You gotta get on Cosmos Kimchi. They sell it at Costco (or at least at the Costco’s out here in Southern California!) or I’m sure you could order it online. To me, the right kimchi is ESSENTIAL and I definitely think this brand is the BEST! Give it a try, let me know what you think.
Otherwise, the burrito looks INSANELY delicious! Big ups.
i wish i had one of these for lunch today!
what’s that black table with the red design… looks pretty cool 😉 haha
Those look/sound amazing. I also must commend you on your burrito wrapping skills.
Those look way beyond really tasty.
The way I grew up softening a tortilla was to spin it, half on the burner, for a few seconds each side. It never occurred to me to steam it, but that would be great if one really wanted a really tight wrap and felt like going to the bother.
You don’t know what you’re talking about…homemade kimchi is fantastic! Once you make your own (and it’s easy…just a bit time consuming) you won’t buy it again. I don’t like mine very fermented and you can control that when you make it yourself. Oh, and you have my basic recipe here: http://www.thefoodinmybeard.com/2009/07/post.html
Haha the main reason I didnt make kimchi is cause i didnt want people fighting about it in the comments, but you guys did anyways! FUN!
no for real though, I dont have that wine fridge you had in bermuda to help me keep it the right temp and stuff, and I knew no mater how i made it someone wouldnt be happy, AND i dindt have 2 weeks to let it sit around, so that’s why I bought…
Simple cabbage Kimchi is easy to make, let me know if you want to learn.