Winter is the season for slowly braised meats and it’s hard to beat a bowl of falling apart tender beef in a warm and spicy chili sauce! Gochujang is a Korean style fermented chili paste that packs a ton of flavour and it makes for a great source of chili heat in a chili stew, instead of the more traditional chili powder or dried chilies. This is a pretty basic chili recipe with cubed beef, onion, garlic, tomatoes, paprika, cumin, coriander and oregano. The Korean style flavours come from the spicy gochujang along with salty soy sauce, sour rice vinegar and a balancing sweetness for brown sugar. This Korean style chili con carne is a tasty form of chili, with a slightly different flavour profile; pure comfort food in a bowl!
Korean Style Chili
A tender slow braised beef chili with spicy Korean gochujang!
ingredients
- 4 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch slices)
- 2 pounds stew beef (such as chuck roast), cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup coffee (optional)
- 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 6 tablespoons gochujang
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar (optional)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
directions
- Cook the bacon in a large saucepan before setting aside, reserving 1 tablespoon the grease in the pan.
- Add the beef and cook in the bacon grease over medium-high heat until browned on all sides.
- Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the garlic, paprika, cumin, and coriander and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the beef broth, coffee, tomatoes, gochujang, worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce, oregano, and bacon, mix, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the beef is falling apart tender, about 2 hours.
- Add the vinegar and season with salt to taste.
Option: Another option is to use whole chicken breasts or thighs, placing them in the slow cooker with everything and pulling them out, shredding and returning to the soup when it is done cooking.
Option: Skim off any excess fat from the broth.
Option: Serve garnished with sliced green onions, sour cream, shredded cheese, and/or kimchi on the side!
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That looks AMAZING!! I HAVE ALL the ingredients so I think it will be on the menu this weekend!
I assume this is BREWED coffee, not the grounds?
Yes it is! Enjoy!
What brand of gochujang do you use?
Thanks!
I do not really have a favourite brand, I tend to try different ones each time. LOL
Can this be cooked in a crockpot?
Yes you can! I have added crockpot/slow-cooker instructions below the recipe!
Made this today via slow cooker, added some chili oil before serving for spice, & garnished with sharp cheddar & sour cream. This was amazing – thank you! Will definitely make again.
I’m making this now, opting to finish it in the slow cooker. I’m extremely tempted to add beans/other filler because I worry it’s going to be too salty or spicy by itself. I was a little heavy handed measuring out the sauces and my broth was salted. Maybe it will be ok with rice hmm .
Beans are nice in this! Serving it on rice has a nice contrasting/tempering effect! Enjoy!
This was absolutely AMAZING!! I will definitely be adding this to my fall/winter recipe collection. So much flavor! Thanks for sharing!
Just made this chili for a cook-off and let me tell you, it was a smash hit. I did make a few tweaks.
Tossed in a can of drained and rinsed black beans at the end; they blend superbly with the beef and spices, adding a base layer of hearty texture. Added 1tsp of baking soda to the beef to help tenderize it. Also helps remove some of the acidic notes from the gochujang so the fermented/sweet/Umami notes can shine. (We add back acidity with the rice vinegar so you can choose your own adventure). Swap out that regular cup of Joe for some instant espresso. The depth it brings to your chili is a revelation. And for the pièce de résistance, sprinkle in some beef gelatin for a velvety sauce.
I swapped in an Instant Pot. Turn that beauty on to the sauté setting and get that bacon sizzling. Little tip: add some water to help render out that glorious bacon fat. Once your kitchen smells like bacon heaven, pull it out and tackle the meat in three separate batches for optimal browning. Then, it’s business as usual with the recipe. Dial in “Pressure Cook” for a quick 45 minutes and let the Instant Pot work its magic.
After a 15-minute natural release after the beep I finished with sliced green onions and a generous dollop of sour cream. The green onions offer a burst of freshness, while the sour cream provides a creamy counterpoint to the chili’s robust spiciness.
Served with my wife’s sweet potato cornbread and it was awesome. Highly recommended.
tldr:
Black beans offer a softer, creamier mouthfeel. Espresso sits as a background note to balance against the Gochujang spice. Gelatin gives the liquid component a more viscous, silky mouthfeel, making other flavors seem more integrated and the overall dish more cohesive. The green onions are a bright note. The crisp texture contrasts with the softer elements in the chili. Sour cream has a cooling tangy effect that acts as a palate cleanser between bites so you can reset and enjoy the next bite.
Cooked this last night for dinner. It was pretty flavorful, with a good balance of sweet and salty. It had a real spicy kick to it too, which my wife and I enjoyed, though it was too spicy for our two little girls (that said, not sure if that was due to the specific brand of gochujang we used, which was Sempio).
Overall, a solid chili and one we’d definitely cook again.
One other thing: I added two onions instead of one, and after eating it, I even think it could have done with a third onion (or a second can of diced tomatoes) just to balance the meat to veg ratio a little.