These smashburger tacos are inspired by one of my favorite Korean dishes - Bulgogi Beef! This easy viral recipe is so much fun to play around with while also being totally delicious.
Table of Contents
What is Bulgogi Beef Smashburger Tacos
Bulgogi Beef Smashburger Tacos are a fusion dish that combines elements of Korean cuisine with the popular American fast-food item, the Smashburger.
Bulgogi, a traditional Korean dish, consists of marinated and grilled beef that is known for its savory and slightly sweet flavors.
In my recipe, the Bulgogi beef is smashed onto a hot griddle, creating a deliciously caramelized crust while retaining its tender juiciness.
The succulent beef patty is then glazed in a deliciously sweet and savory korean inspired sauce and is topped with crunchy kimchi, scallions and an easy gochujang mayo.
My Bulgogi Beef Smashburger Tacos offer a delightful and unique play on this trending recipe that I know you will love!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Gochujang Mayo - For this easy sauce, you'll need mayo, gochujang, sesame oil, and sugar. If you don't have it, you can swap it for spicy mayo.
- Bulgogi Glaze - This is another quick and easy sauce that's made with gochujang, honey, sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds, water and rice wine vinegar. If you don't have some of these ingredients, you can buy store bought Korean bbq sauce and use that instead.
- Ground beef - You could also swap for turkey or lamb or even chicken.
- Flour tortillas - Feel free to use whatever kind of tortillas you'd like.
- Kimchi - I love kimchi on these but if it's not your thing, try quick pickled cucumbers or even my smashed cucumber salad.
- Scallions - If you don't have scallions, you could also use cilantro or even chives.
How to make it
Making these Korean inspired Bulgogi Beef Smash Burgers is easy! You'll want to start with the sauces.
For the gochujang mayo. simply mix all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
For the bulgogi beef glaze, you'll do the same thing. Just mix all the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Now it's time for the smashburgers themselves!
Begin by dividing the meat into 7 balls. Roll the beef into balls and season with salt and pepper.
Get a griddle or a large cast iron super hot over high heat. Once it starts to slightly smoke, add the 3-4 beef balls at a time and top with a flour tortilla. Use a press to smash down and flatten the ball onto the tortilla.
Grill until a golden char develops on the meat and then flip. Turn off the heat and cook on the other side for a minute or two or until the tortilla is slightly crispy and golden - watch it to make sure it doesn’t burn.
Once flipped, add a spoonful of the bulgogi glaze on top of the meat to let it soak in.
Repeat this process for all the remaining balls of beef.
Once they’re all grilled, top each one with kimchi, followed by a drizzle of the gochujang mayo and a sprinkle of scallions.
Serve immediately and enjoy.
What goes with Smashburger Tacos?
For a side, I suggest my Xi'an Famous Foods Chinese Inspired Smashed Cucumbers Salad recipe or my Bang bang broccoli.
As for dessert I highly suggest my no bake mango sticky pie .
Want more smash burger recipes? I suggest my Smash Burger Grilled Cheese or my Butter Smash Burgers.
Frequently asked questions
What is so special about a Smash burger?
The smash burger is super popular because it creates a super thin and crispy burger. This process is known as the Maillard reaction.
What is the smashburger taco trend?
You've probably been seeing smashburger tacos all over instagram and tiktok and for good reason - it's delicious! You basically create a ball of meat and smash it into a tortilla. Then it's finished with toppings and sauce to make the whole thing extra delicious.
What are some of the popular smashburger taco trends?
By far the most popular version is the big mac recipe! I've also seen people do greek inspired smashburgers with lamb, a falafel smash burger and so on! Modern Proper did a breakfast sausage smash burger and that looked amazing!
Save this recipe for late
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Recipe
Bulgogi Beef Smashburger Tacos
Ingredients
For the Gochujang Mayo
- ½ cup Mayo
- 1 tablespoon Gochujang
- 1 teaspoon Toasted Sesame Oil
- ¼ teaspoon Sugar
For the Bulgogi Glaze
- 2 tablespoon Gochujang
- 2 tablespoon Honey
- 1 tablespoon Toasted Sesame Oil
- 1 tablespoon Toasted Sesame Seeds
- 1 tablespoon Water
- 1 teaspoon Seasoned Rice Vinegar
For the Smashburger
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 7 Flour Tortillas
- 1 recipe Bulgogi glaze above
- 2 cups Kimchi
- 1 recipe Gochujang Mayo above
- ½ cup Scallions
Instructions
For the Gochujang Mayo
- Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside
For the Bulgogi Glaze
- Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside,
For the Smashburgers
- Divide the meat into 7 balls. Roll into a ball and season with salt and pepper.
- Get a griddle or cast iron super hot over high heat. Once it starts smoking, add the 3-4 beef balls at a time and top with a flour tortilla. Use a press to smash down and flatten the ball.
- Grill until a golden char develops on the meat and then flip. Turn off the heat and cook on the other side for a minute or two or until the tortilla is slightly crispy and golden - watch it to make sure it doesn’t burn.
- Once flipped, add a spoonful of the bulgogi glaze on top of the meat to let it soak in.
- Repeat this process for all the balls of beef.
- Once they’re all grilled, top with kimchi, gochujang mayo and a sprinkle of scallions.
- Serve immediately and enjoy.
Emily
Made this tonight! Easier than I thought it would be! My only challenge is that my burgers were more on the medium rare side… so I need to work on the timing. I picked up Kimchi from a Korean BBQ restaurant instead of making my own. Definitely will make
This again!