These Korean BBQ Tacos have become a new staple in our house. Because they’re completely make-ahead friendly, I can prep everything the day before or even a few days before and then just heat and serve. Since we do tacos almost every Tuesday, this have become a fun way to mix it up!
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Korean BBQ Tacos – Pulled Pork
Putting a lot of flavor into your pork butt while it cooks is essential to getting it started in the right direction. In order to get the Korean BBQ flavor to really come through, start with the few simple ingredients put in the crock pot with the pork.
Another way to intensify the flavors in pork is to broil the pork after it’s been shredded. Place it on a dark baking sheet under a broiler on high for about 5-10 minutes, stirring once. Adding this simple step will give you those delicious “burnt” ends and slightly crunchy bits along with the soft parts of the pork. It really adds so much texture and flavor to these Korean BBQ Tacos.
Korean BBQ Tacos – Sauce
Let’s talk BBQ sauce. I love sauce. And I despise a dry meal. So when I set out to make Korean tacos, I knew it was going to need a dynamite sauce to go along. This BBQ sauce recipe once again combines my favorite Korean flavors all in a sweet, smooth sauce. I make this ahead of time and keep it on hand to dip everything into. So now I’m working on a Korean style chicken tender and this will definitely be my dipping sauce. But on these Korean BBQ Tacos, it really takes it to the next level!
Making Quick Kimchi
I absolutely love this quick kimchi. I originally created this recipe to go with my Korean BBQ Sliders recipe. And I didn’t change it at all for these tacos. It tastes great 5 minutes after you make it, and is still delicious 2 days later. Just throw it in the fridge and let the rice vinegar soften it and make it more and more “kimchi-like”.
If you want to take these to the next level, my brother made these homemade tortillas to go with these tacos. Outstanding!
Loving these Korean BBQ Tacos? Try these other Asian-inspired recipes!
Korean BBQ Tacos with Easy Kimchi
Equipment
- CrockPot
Ingredients
For the Pulled Pork
- 2-3 lb pork shoulder/butt
- 1/2 C reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 C water
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
For the Korean BBQ Sauce
- 1/2 C soy sauce
- 1/4 C brown sugar
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp chili paste such as Sambal Oelek more or less to taste
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp water
For the Quick Kimchi
- 6 C shredded cabbage 16 oz bag of store-bought works great!
- 3 Tbsp canola oil
- 6 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp chili paste such as Sambal Oelek more or less to taste
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger fresh or powdered
- 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper more to taste
For Serving
- 1 package corn tortillas
- 1 C Mexican shredded cheese store bought
- 1/2 C diced green onions green part only
- sesame seeds to sprinkle on top
Instructions
For the Pulled Pork
- Place the pork butt/shoulder in a slow cooker. In a separate bowl stir together the remaining ingredients. Pour over pork, cover and cook for 8 hours on low or until it falls off the bone.
- Once meat is cooked through and falls apart easily, shred with a fork and discard bones. Return meat to slow cooker to soak up the sauce.
- Turn broiler on to high and let heat for a few minutes. On a dark baking sheet, lay out a single layer of shredded pork, draining some of the sauce when you transfer to the cooking sheet.
- Place on the top rack of the oven and let meat get some slightly crisp areas. Usually take 5-10 minutes, stirring once. Check it often so you don’t burn it. This step adds some flavor intensity.
- Once meat has been broiled, transfer to a bowl to store for later or serve now.
For the BBQ Sauce
- Add all ingredients, except for water and cornstarch, to a skillet over medium heat. Bring to a boil. In a separate bowl, combine water and cornstarch until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Add cornstarch mixture to sauce and continue to boil until sauce thickens (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside to serve. (If you like sauce, then double this recipe, it’s amazing and you’ll want a lot of it!)
For the Quick Kimchi
- Place cabbage in a large bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients. Pour over cabbage and mix well. Set aside for serving right away, or store in an airtight container until ready.
Assemble
- Wrap corn tortillas in a wet paper towel and place on a microwave-safe dish. Microwave on high for 2 minutes or until tortillas are very hot. This step helps your tortillas stay together while you’re eating!
- Add meat, sauce, cheese and kimchi to each taco. Top with green onions and sesame seeds. ENJOY!
Notes
So good I’ve made it 4 times now! The whole family loves it. The only i thing i do different is fry the tortillas!
Tasha, thank you for your comment! And yay! This makes me so happy. I love the idea of frying the tortillas, I’ll have to try that next time!
Super good! I already smoked a pork butt to make pulled pork so I used the sauce and heated the leftovers in a pan until the sauce was absorbed, placed on a baking sheet and broiled about 10 minutes. Followed the rest of the directions as noted and used flour “fajita size” tortillas. Topped with Sriracha as well. I didn’t need any side dishes!
Sounds amazing! Thank you for trying one of our recipes!
This is great! My husband ate them on corn tortillas, but I had them on lettace wraps! Very good! I didn’t have low sodium soy sauce and should have reduced the amount of salt, but still amazing!! Will definitely make again!
So glad you enjoyed them! Lettuce wraps are a great idea!
AMAZING!!! This is my 2nd round with this recipe Everyone devoured them. We did both corn and flour tortillas. Yummmmmy. Will definitely continue making this
Cannot wait to try this! What do you suggest as side dishes to go with these tacos? I’m thinking of Asian side dishes, not Mexican.
Ooh, good question! Try our coconut cilantro lime rice (kind of Asian, kind of Mexican), or our cream cheese wontons!
I made these for dinner tonight. The will definitely will be a go to!
I’m so glad you liked them!
So delicious, made it for dinner tonight. I’m excited for leftovers tomorrow. In my top five favorite dinners!!
Was really good, however the barbecue sauce came out extremely salty and it kind of overpowered everything. You had to not put so much on and I don’t know what I did wrong. I followed the recipe minus the chili paste. I use a little Sriracha instead.
Hi Kristen,
Did you use low-sodium soy sauce? That makes a huge difference in the saltiness of the sauce. Let me know if you try again or if you have any other questions!
Hi! Do you mince the garlic in the sauce, or leave them whole?
Mince it up! Thank you for pointing that out, I’ve updated the recipe so it’s clearer.