No matter the time of year or region of the world, BBQ is a delicious type of food that offers a little something for everyone. The myriad styles of regional BBQ in the U.S. alone give much to consider in terms of smoked meats, sauces, dry rubs, and more. There are plenty of popular BBQ sauce brands on grocery store shelves, and there’s a distinct difference when it comes to American and Korean styles. Both are delicious and have a great deal of uses, however, the biggest difference between Korean BBQ sauce and the American version comes down to each one’s respective base. Korean BBQ sauce tends to be thinner and lighter due to its soy sauce base, while American style BBQ sauces typically use a tomato-heavy sauce base, making for a thicker consistency and often sweeter flavor (though this can vary significantly by region).
Between Korean and American BBQ sauces, there’s plenty of delightful flavor to go around, with both styles suited to multiple culinary applications. Korean BBQ sauce is thin and typically errs on the more spicy side with the optimal taste and texture to use as a marinade or to make a spectacular compound butter. Its American cousin is sweeter and more dense with a bevy of unexpected uses ranging from swapping it in place of pizza sauce to using it to dress a salad. The subtle and not-so-subtle differences between the two demonstrate the versatility of each one, proving that, as the saying goes, the sauce is boss.
Two sauces alike in dignity
The highlights of a typical Korean BBQ sauce recipe include a base of soy sauce or tamari combined with fresh onions and ginger, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, spices, and corn starch as a thickening agent. Conversely, a standard American style sweet and tangy BBQ sauce recipe typically starts with a base of tomato ketchup and adds either white vinegar or white wine vinegar along with brown sugar, molasses or honey, and a variety of savory spices. The biggest similarity between the two is the vinegar content, though of differing flavor profiles. Both have a mild level of heat with Korean BBQ sauce using Sriracha or a similar chili paste and American BBQ sauce using paprika and chili powder.
Being on the thinner side, Korean BBQ sauce makes a particularly good marinade for a variety of meats, vegetables, and more. You could even try a fusion of cuisines by adding Korean BBQ sauce as a mop on your ribs or smoked meat towards the end of the grilling or smoking process. Thicker American BBQ sauce is great for basting chicken or mixing with hearty pulled pork. Try using a small amount of the sauce to dress thinly sliced Korean BBQ beef for another unique fusion of cuisines.
