Ingredients
Scale
For the Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 teaspoons gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced green onions, plus more for garnish
- ½ cup finely crushed buttery round crackers (like Ritz)
- toasted sesame seeds for garnish
For the Glaze:
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- ¾ cup beef broth or water
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon gochujang
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Mix the meatballs: Put ground beef in a big bowl. Spread gochujang all over the meat. Then add salt, pepper, and soy sauce on top. Add ginger, garlic, green onions, and cracker crumbs. Mix everything with a fork until it looks even.
- Chill the mixture: Cover the bowl and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes. This helps the flavors mix together.
- Heat your oven: Set oven to 450°F (220°C).
- Make the meatballs: Wet your hands with water. Roll the meat into 12 balls that are all the same size. Put them in a cast iron skillet.
- Bake them: Cook meatballs for 20 minutes until they turn brown and look nice.
- Start the glaze: Take meatballs out and put them on a plate. Pour out most of the grease from the skillet but leave about 1 teaspoon.
- Cook the sauce: Put the skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute until it smells good. Add rice vinegar and soy sauce. Then stir in brown sugar, beef broth, gochujang, sesame oil, and Sriracha. Let it bubble and cook until it gets smaller by about one third.
- Thicken it: Mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Turn heat to medium-low. Pour this mixture into the sauce while stirring fast. Keep cooking until the sauce gets thick and cuts in half.
- Finish: Put meatballs back in the skillet. Spoon sauce over them many times. Cook for 3-5 minutes so they get hot and covered with sauce.
- Serve: Put sesame seeds and green onions on top before serving.
Notes
- Wet your hands when rolling meatballs so the meat doesn’t stick
- Don’t mix the meat too much or the meatballs get tough
- Use a cookie scoop to make all meatballs the same size
- Let the sauce reduce slowly so it gets really thick
- Taste the sauce and add more gochujang if you want it spicier
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Rest Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking and Simmering
- Cuisine: Korean-Inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 meatballs
- Calories: 558 kcal
- Sodium: 2,502 mg
- Fat: 39 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 23 g
- Cholesterol: 97 mg