Gochujang is an extremely hot Korean pepper paste made from the gochugaru chili. It is the special ingredient in Korean barbecue, kimchee and many stews. Once a rare ingredient, it’s now available as gochujang paste in the international section of most grocery stores. Feel free to reduce the amount of gochujang if you like, as it really is quite spicy.
With the heat from the gochujang, the sweetness of the honey and hoisin sauce and the umami (meatiness) from the fish sauce and soy sauce, this barbecue sauce is ideal for grilled meats like pork and beef. Used more sparingly, it’s good on chicken too (dark meat is best). We like to use this sauce on baby back rib racks and it’s particularly good for pulled pork.