How to Make Spicy Stir-Fried Pork (Jeyuk Bokkeum)

High heat and a balanced sauce

Jeyuk bokkeum is pork stir-fried in a sweet and spicy gochujang sauce, popular both with rice and as a drinking snack. Two things decide how it turns out. The first is the balance of the sauce: the sweetness and salt of gochujang, the heat of chili flakes and the savoriness of soy sauce should not drown each other out. The second is heat. A properly hot pan sears the surface of the pork quickly while the sauce reduces to a glossy coating; a long, gentle stir-fry draws water out of the meat and leaves it tasting boiled. Get these two right and even simple ingredients taste very different.

Ingredients (example for two to three)

These are typical ranges. Gochujang varies by brand in sweetness and saltiness, so adjust the sugar and soy sauce as you taste. Thinly sliced cuts with some fat marbled in work best.

• 300 to 400 g thinly sliced pork shoulder, collar or belly
• Half an onion, 1 green onion, optionally a little carrot or cabbage
• 2 tbsp gochujang, 1 tbsp Korean chili flakes, 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar or rice syrup, 1 tbsp minced garlic, a little minced or ground ginger
• 1 tbsp cooking wine, a pinch of black pepper
• To finish: 1 tsp sesame oil, a few toasted sesame seeds

Method

The basic approach is to mix the sauce ahead and toss the pork in it. When cooking, it matters to work in batches sized to your pan.

• Cut the pork into bite-sized pieces and mix all the sauce ingredients
• Toss the pork in the sauce, rub it in evenly and marinate in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes
• Heat the pan well over medium-high, add a little oil and spread the pork out
• When the pork is nearly cooked, add the onion and vegetables and stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes more
• Add the green onion, and once it wilts, turn off the heat and finish with sesame oil and seeds

When it turns watery or the sauce burns

Adding too much pork at once drops the pan temperature, the meat releases water, the sauce thins out and the result tastes stewed. Add only enough to leave some of the pan bottom visible, and cook in two batches if needed. If the sauce burns and tastes bitter, the gochujang and sugar sat on high heat too long. Gochujang sauce scorches easily, so turn the pork often and add a tablespoon or two of water to loosen anything that starts to stick. Tough pork usually means it was sliced too thick or cooked for too long.

When to add the sauce

Marinating the pork first lets the flavor reach the center and keeps it tender, but the sauce burns more easily, so you need to watch the heat. Another approach is to fry the pork first to render some fat, then add the sauce. The surface browns for a nuttier taste and the sauce only reduces briefly at the end, so it scorches less, though the flavor stays mostly on the outside, so make the sauce a little stronger. Marinate when you have time, and add the sauce later when you need dinner fast. Either way, tossing the pork with a little sugar or cooking wine beforehand makes it more tender.

Variations and side dishes

Jeyuk bokkeum is often eaten as a wrap with rice in lettuce or perilla leaves. Soybean dipping paste, raw garlic and chili peppers go well with the spicy sauce. Stir-fry squid along with the pork for something close to squid and pork bulgogi, and if the heat is too much, cut back the gochujang and chili flakes and switch to a soy-based sauce for a soy sauce version. Chop leftovers and fry them with rice and kimchi for fried rice, or serve them alongside tofu.

Cooking it in Japan

Pork sliced for ginger pork, thinly sliced pork belly or mixed pork offcuts from Japanese supermarkets work perfectly. Gochujang is sold in most Japanese supermarkets, but Japanese-made versions are often sweeter, so reduce the sugar and add it while tasting. Without Korean chili flakes, note that Japanese ichimi chili is much hotter, so use only a little and add paprika powder for color. Mirin can replace cooking wine, but it adds sweetness too, so cut the sugar again.

Food safety and allergies

Pork must be cooked through. Cut a thick piece open and check that no pink remains. Marinate in the fridge rather than at room temperature, and keep the board and knife used for raw meat separate from those for vegetables, or wash them right away. Do not reuse leftover marinade that touched raw meat. Gochujang and soy sauce contain soy and wheat, and the garnish adds sesame, so check labels if anyone has allergies. Refrigerate leftovers once cool and reheat them until hot all the way through.