Slow Cooker Korean Pork Bulgogi with Gochujang
on Nov 12, 2016, Updated Nov 26, 2024
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Slow Cooker Korean Pork Bulgogi with Gochujang is packed with flavor and is one of my go-to slow cooker recipes! Add a lot of peppers for that extra crunch and color, serve it with rice and voila! You have a filling meal that you won’t be able to get over.
I’m back with this Slow Cooker Korean Pork Bulgogi with Gochujang that’s a cross between Bulgogi and something that I ate recently at our favourite local Korean restaurant.
And to be very honest with you, I’ve been making this slow cooker Korean pork bulgogi almost every week because A) we are in love with our slow cooker and basically don’t need reasons to cook in it B) we discovered how much we love spicy Korean food like these Korean Chicken Wings and C) Denver’s Mangalorean connection means pork is a regular feature in our house.
Jump to section: Korean Pork Bulgogi
About This Recipe
This may not be a super authentic Korean pork bulgogi, but I promise you it’s just as delicious! We always like to adapt and adjust recipes to our liking and there is nothing wrong with that. For example, I love adding tons of peppers to this dish – red, green and yellow – right towards the end for some extra crunch, color, and flavor. They also add a nice sweetness to the recipe without turning into mush.
Why Cook This In A Slow Cooker
I know how some of you won’t have a slow cooker at home, so I have a stovetop version of this recipe too. But if you do own a crockpot or slow cooker, it’s time to break it out! Because it’s the best way to cook meat, especially red meat like pork, into fork tender pieces where it just breaks apart and melts in your mouth. Slow cooked pork just has so much flavor and depth that the stove top version really has to fight for.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pork shoulder or belly is the best cut of pork for this recipe. That’s because these cuts have more fat content which makes sure that the meat stays tender throughout the cooking process. For this recipe, I have used boneless pork shoulder pieces and I am in love with how tender the meat turns out every time.
Apple acts as a natural tenderiser for the pork meat. It also adds a subtle sweetness that beautifully balances out the spicy and savoury flavours of the Korean pork bulgogi. Other great substitutions for apple are pear and kiwi.
Absolutely! This dish is both refrigerator and freezer friendly, which means you can make a large batch and store the rest for another day. To store this dish, allow it to come to room temperature. Then transfer it to an airtight container or a freezer-friendly bag. It stays good in the freezer for up to 5 days and if frozen, for up to 2 months.
Richa’s Top Tips
- If you don’t eat pork or aren’t a fan, feel free to swap it with beef or chicken. However, chicken cooks a lot faster than red meat, so make sure to check and adjust the cooking time accordingly.
- Traditionally Korean pork bulgogi is quite spicy. Plus since we like our food spicy as well, this dish might be a little on the spicier side. Feel free to adjust the spice levels according to your preference.
- If you absolutely can’t get hold of Gochujang, the Korean hot sauce (which I highly recommend), go ahead and use Sriracha for a similar spicy kick!
Serving Ideas
We turned this Korean Pork Bulgogi into a bowl with some rice, a 6 minute egg, sesame seeds and lots of chopped green onions. It had just enough soupy gravy to coat the rice and all those toppings were so crunchy. You could also put it in a wrap, in a taco or eat it like a burrito. You can even pair this dish with some Asian Cucumber Salad for a delicious meal.
Whatever you do, try this Korean Pork Bulgogi because it’s the yummiest slow cooker dinner and leftovers are even better. I promise you, once you try making this recipe and realise just how simple, convenient, and not to mention, delicious everything is, there’s no going back.
As usual, don’t forget to send your recreations over my on IG @my_foodstory. It’s always so fun hearing from you guys.
Slow Cooker Korean Pork Bulgogi with Gochujang
Ingredients
- 1 Apple, diced
- 7-8 Garlic Cloves
- 2 tablespoons Soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Gochujang, or Sriracha
- 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Flakes
- 1 inch piece ginger, peeled
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- 2 Onions, sliced
- 500 grams Pork, thinly sliced
- Salt, to taste
- 1 cup Sliced Bell Peppers, red, green and/or yellow
- Toasted Sesame Seeds , for topping
- 1/4 cup Spring Onions, chopped
Instructions
- Marinade: To make the marinade, add apple, garlic, soy sauce, gochujang, chilli flakes and ginger to a food processor. Pulse till a smooth paste forms.
- Slow Cooker Recipe: In the slow cooker, add onions, pork, honey, salt and the marinade from the food processor. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Once the pork is cooked through, skim the fat from the top of the pork and discard. Add the bell peppers and cook on high for 15-20 minutes. Top with sesame seeds and chopping spring onions. Serve over rice with a 6 minute egg.
- Stove Top Recipe: Marinate the pork in the paste for at least 2 hours or overnight. Heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil (not mentioned in the recipe ingredients) in a wok and add onions. Stir fry on high for a minute or two and add the marinated pork with all the liquid. Cook on medium high heat for 10-15 minutes till the meat is cooked through and caramelized. Add bell peppers and stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes. Top with sesame seeds and chopping spring onions. Serve over rice with a 6 minute egg.
Notes
- Cut the meat into thin strips. This allows it to absorb the marinade better.
- Bulgogi which translates to “fire meat”, is a meat dish often made with pork or beef. The meat is marinated in a hot, salty and sweet flavoured marinade and finished either on a barbecue or a stovetop griddle.
- The “fire” flavour comes from the Gochujang which is a staple Korean condiment. It is a fermented savoury chilli paste. It can be substituted with Sriracha or Thai red chilli paste.
I guess there is no point in making this with an already cooked pork tenderloin
Hey Maureen, the meat has to be marinated for at least 2 hours & then cooked in slow cooker or stove top.
hi can I use apple sauce instead of apples?
Hey Charmaine, I have not tried using apple sauce. if you give it a try, do leave a comment.
One of our favourite slow cooker recipes! It turns out perfect every time 😊
Yaay! that sounds fantastic, glad you like it
Hi! Is it meant to look very dry when in the slow cooker? I feel like I’m missing something!
Do you mean before or after its cooked?
Cooked this with thinly sliced pork fillet. Beautifully spicy, rich & tasty. Would definitely add to my list of favourites!
Yaaaay! Thank you!
I don’t eat pork what can I substitute with?
You can use lamb or beef. They’ll withstand the slow cooking
Making this with chicken breast in the slow cooker now since it’s what I had on hand…smells great!
Yay! So glad!
I am trying this recipe on a stove top. I will post comments after the fact.
Thanks Harbi, I hope you like it 🙂
This looks amazing! What cut of pork do you use?
Thanks Leslie! I used pork belly, but pork shoulder works well too. I hope you give this a try – it’s a favourite at home!
In the stove cook method you have marinated the pork but not in the slow cooked method, is that right. Please clarify.
Thanks
Connie
Yes, that’s right Connie. Simply because the slow cooking process makes sure that the flavours really permeate the pork without marinating it. I hope you try this out!