Korean-Inspired Bacon Is Way More Flavorful Than What You've Been Frying

The most flavorful part of a pig has got to be bacon, which typically comes from the pork belly. Nothing activates those salivary glands quite like that perfect ratio of fat and lean meat, especially when it's sizzling in a skillet. It can enhance the flavor of everything from burgers and baked potatoes to soups and salads, but you might wonder how this meaty morsel itself could be made even tastier. The answer — give it a Korean twist.

Though this easy hack rides on the coattails of the Korean barbecue hit, it shouldn't be confused with Korean-style bacon called samgyeopsal, which is just one of many bacon types you should know how to use. While samgyeopsal is unmarinated and grilled, this hack involves glazing or marinating bacon in Korean-style ingredients and frying or baking it as you always would. It works by amping up the inherent salty, umami, sweetness of any thick-cut, American-style bacon, while also adding a spicy kick, and can be done with as little as a handful of ingredients.

The simplest version requires just a little gochugaru (Korean chilli powder), soy sauce, brown sugar, and sesame oil. The mixture, which can be thinned out with a little water if necessary, is applied with a spoon or glazing brush after the bacon has baked and mostly done. Once evenly coated, pop the pan back in the oven briefly till the bacon crisps up. It's perfect served alongside Korean steamed egg or over a bowl of steamed rice, kimchi, and Korean mayak eggs (soy sauce marinated eggs) for breakfast. (Drooling.)

Of course, you can get a little more creative than just those few ingredients, adjusting amounts to your tastes. Other items that you can incorporate include gochujang (Korean red chili paste), minced garlic, grated ginger, rice vinegar, honey (instead of brown sugar), and white pepper for an extra spicy kick. 

Like things a little stickier and sweeter? Try glazing your Korean-inspired bacon with a mixture of deeply fragrant plum jam, Korean sweet rice wine vinegar (ssal-sikcho), soy sauce, and finely grated ginger and shallots, all simmered in a pan until slightly reduced and syrup-like. Fine-tune the flavors to your palate, adding a little superfine sugar to increase sweetness or viscosity and a sprinkle of gochugaru if you'd like a touch of heat. 

If you want a deeper, richer, more fully infused flavor, try marinating your thick-cut bacon in a mixture of soybean paste or Korean miso (known as doenjang), soy sauce, sugar, ssal-sikcho, minced garlic, sesame oil, and black pepper in a bag in the fridge for at least an hour or so before cooking. And you can even garnish with sesame seeds and/or green onions once the marinated bacon is done cooking. This version is delicious over rice with a side of spicy cucumber salad (oi muchim) or radish salad (musaengchae) for an easy lunch or dinner. Try all of these suggested flavors, marinating your bacon longer for more intense flavors and shorter for more subtle applications. Whether you spice it up, sweeten it, or make it more deeply savory, there's plenty of room for playful experimentation as you rub, marinate, or glaze your bacon's flavor up to eleven.