Korean Meatballs

The listing here includes 1 lb. of pork, which is usually enough for two people. Feel free to mulitiply this for a family sized portion; it's already adapted to be able to do up to a cookie sheet's worth or two of meatballs. I haven't tried freezing them, but should probably be fine to do so before or after cooking; may just lose a little of the ginger potency.

Meatball Ingredients

• 1 lb ground pork
• 1 tablespoon gochujang paste
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce (don't overdo this one; I know more seasoning is usually better, but the soy will take over the flavor FAST)
• Fresh ginger, at least one bulb
• 4 cloves minced or about 2 tablespoons of garlic (jarred is really fine, but not powder)
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup green onions, plus extra for garnish later
• 1/2 cup (one of the short tubes from the family size box) of Ritz or other buttery table crackers
• Toasted sesame for garnish, optional

Sauce Ingredients

• 4 cloves minced or about 2 tablespoons of garlic (jarred or powdered)
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup soy sauce (don't overdo the soy sauce here, either)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon gochujang
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• OPTIONAL: dash of sriracha sauce
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• Extra fresh ginger from the meatball list

Process Part 1: Meatballs

1. Preheat oven to 450 F


2. Microplane the ginger; at least one bulb's worth for a single pound of meat. Set it aside in a small container with the tablespoon of rice wine vinegar for at least five minutes, or while you work on the next few steps.


3. Splat the meat into the bowl it will be mixed in; make a little hollow in the middle and/or spread it out pretty flat to get the seasonings evenly on, then spread and/or sprinkle it with the gochujang, soy sauce, salt, and garlic.


4. Crush the crackers and slice the green onions. Extra green onions beyond the half cup should be set aside for garnish. Add these, and half to 2/3rds of the ginger-and-vinegar, to the meat.


5. Mix thoroughly until it's all combined and sticky, and roll into balls. 1 pound of meat should make 12 meatballs.


6. Put these in the oven at 450 F for 20 minutes, until crispy brown and done through. Work on the sauce while they're in the oven.

Process Part 2: Sauce

1. in a wok or saucepan, add sesame oil, garlic, and any remaining ginger mix. Stir over medium heat for about 1 minute.


2. Deglaze and mix with the additional rice vinegar, soy sauce, optional sriracha, and water, quickly, before allowing the fragrances to burn.


3. Also stir in the brown sugar and gochujang, stirring over heat until dissolved.


4. In a separate container, mix the cornstarch with a few tablespoons of COLD water, until there are no chunks and it is a uniform slurry. Slowly, while stirring, add this to the hot saucepan.


5. Keep stirring until the whole sauce is thick.

After the meatballs come out of the oven, drain the grease off the pan. Pour the sauce over top, and garnish generously with toasted sesame seeds and extra green onion slices. Goes great with plain rice.

Also, feel free to check out the Korean Scotch Eggs. They're closely related to this, but with eggs and breading... like meatballs with prizes!