Korean BBQ Pork Skewers

Easy 3-ingredient barbecue sauce for pork kabobs made with spicy peppery chili paste, balsamic vinegar and sugar.

With the holiday festivities on our heels, I’m sure a lot of you feel like I do…it becomes a time crunch trying to get it all done perfectly, beautifully, and impressively. Oh, the pressure! So, when it comes to party food, I need some things that don’t take hours to prepare.  

Aha! I came up with these fiery sweet Korean BBQ PORK SKEWERS made with chunky pork basted with a 3-ingredient sauce. Yes, only 3 ingredients! You won’t even have to read the recipe for this one, as everything is in equal amounts. It will only steal minutes of your time to prepare, and it can be made the night before, or hours before it’s ready for the grill. This dish is a must for the busy holidays and your guests will think you slaved over this bright and delightful meat kabob.

One of the ingredients, Gochujang, is a thick and spicy Korean condiment found the Asian section of grocery stores. The lively peppery flavor of this fermented paste comes from red chili, and it’s wonderful for sauces, marinades, or even mixed with mayo for sandwiches. If you love the ever-popular sriracha sauce, give this one a try. It’s deeper, richer and a bit more complex. 

So, this merrymaking season, give this quick and zesty barbecue kabob a place on your party palette. Your guests will be ringing praises of your culinary prowess while you chuckle in your head over its simplicity.

• pork loin tenderloin, cut into 1-inch chunks (two and a half pounds will make about 24 bobs)

Equal amounts of:

• Gochujang 
• balsamic vinegar
• sugar

The amount of sauce you make will depend on the size of the pork shoulder. I usually start with a half cup of each ingredient. Combine the Gochujan, vinegar, and sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves. Set aside as sugar will dissolve more while you prepare meat.

Lightly sprinkle meat with salt and skewer onto sticks. Brush some sauce on the kabobs and refrigerate overnight or at least a few hours before grilling. Save the remaining sauce for basting.

Grill kabobs a few minutes on each side while basting with sauce. Because the sauce is made with equal amounts, you can easily make more if needed in a smaller amount.