Technically, barbecue is food (usually meat) that is slowly cooked using hot smoke. But Korean barbecue is actually meat that is marinated and grilled, usually over an open flame, and usually cooked in small, ready-to-eat pieces.
Korean barbecue also can refer to the sauces that are used to cook those meats, often redolent with flavors such as soy, sesame and the Korean chile paste gochujang, which itself has grown 117% on menus in the past four years.
Korean barbecue sauce is an idea bridge for consumers who want to experiment with global flavors in a familiar way.
Market research firm Datassential reports that 69% of the population has heard of Korean barbecue, but only 43% have tried it. Awareness is highest among Millennials and consumers in the Western United States.
Click through the gallery to learn more about this Flavor of the Week and see how one chain is using Korean BBQ on its menu.
