Korean Burgers (Nowon Copycat) Recipe + Video

Between the kimchi, secret sauce, pickles, and rich beef, this Korean burger hard to beat.

The Legendary Burger

This burger is directly inspired by the Legendary Burger from Nowon, a Korean-American restaurant run by Chef Jae Lee in NYC.

In a video by Bon Appetit, they showed the world the ins and outs of this famous burger, and told us that we couldn’t make it home.

So by all means, let’s make it at home.

Here’s the original video by Bon Appetit.

Here’s my video of how you can make this Korean burger at home.

Ingredients

Beef

• 5 lbs of high-fat ground beef, around 75/30 meat-to-fat
• 1 1/2 tbsp. of umami blend (see below)

Umami Blend

• 2 tbsp. of salt
• 1 tbsp. of garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. of ground pepper
• 1 tbsp. of onion powder
• 1 dashi packet 

Pickles

• 3 English cucumbers
• 4 cups of white vinegar
• 2 cups of granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup of salt + 1 tbsp.
• ¼ c. of chili flakes
• 8 cloves of garlic, minced

Kimchi Mayo

• 1 cup of kewpie mayo
• ¼ cup of kimchi
• 2 tsp. of toasted sesame oil
• 2 tbsp. of soy sauce
• 2 cloves of garlic (10 grams)
• 10 grams of ginger (1 inch knob)
• 1  tbsp. of gochugaru

Roasted Kimchi

• 2 tbsp. of roasted scallion oil (I used the leftovers from this recipe)
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup of kimchi
• 2 tsp. toasted sesame oil 

Other

• 20 slices of American cheese
• 10 milk bread burger buns
• Finely diced white onion

Directions

Pickles

1. Sprinkle 1 tbsp. of salt on a cutting board and roll the cucumbers in it two cucumbers, pressing the salt into the skin of the cucumbers
2. Allow the cucumbers to sweat for five minutes, then rinse the cucumbers in cool, running water. Dry the cucumbers.
3. Use a mandolin to cut all of the cucumbers into slices about 3/4 of an inch thick and place them in a large mixing bowl or tupperware container.
4. To make the brine combine the vinegar, sugar, and half cup of salt to a saucepan.
5. Bring to a boil, whisking to dissolve the salt and sugar, then add the chili flakes and garlic, and remove from the heat.
6. Let the brine cool to room temperature before pouring over the cucumbers.
7. Cover the cucumber bowl with cling wrap and brine in the fridge for 2 days before transferring to glass jars.

Umami Blend

1. Add all ingredients to a small bowl, toss to combine, and use a funnel to transfer to small shaker. I wash out and reuse the containers from spices.

Kimchi Mayo

1. Add all ingredients to a personal-sized blender and blend until smooth.
2. Transfer to a small glass jar and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Roasted Kimchi

1. Heat a medium-sized pan over medium-high heat, then add 2 tbsp. of roasted scallion oil.
2. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds before adding the kimchi as well.
3. Saute for 2-3 minutes, until the kimchi takes on a darker red and begins to caramelize.
4. Transfer the kimchi to a cutting board and chop finely so that there are no large pieces and its easy to eat on the burger.
5. The roasted kimchi can be stored in the fridge for up to a week is a very versatile topping.

Grilling the Burgers

1. Separate and shape the beef into 20 equally sized patties, 4 ounces each. If you want super even patties use a kitchen scale, otherwise just eyeball it.
2. Preheat a Blackstone or similar flat top over high heat and spread a thin layer of oil across the surface.
3. Place all the patties on the hot surface and immediately smash with a burger/meat press.
4. Season each generously with the prepared umami blend and grill for 2 minutes.
5. Once you see the meat juices begin to rise, flip all of the patties and grill for 1 more minute.
6. Add American cheese slices to all the patties and immediately stack half of the patties on the other half so you have 10 double smashed patties.
7. Add a quick splash of water, and close the lid on your Blackstone, allowing the cheese to melt for about 1 minute.
8. Remove all the patties and place on a wire rack to rest.
9. While the patties are resting, brush melted butter over 10 milk bread burger buns, which are vital for these Korean burgers.
10. Lower the heat on your Blackstone to medium and wipe up the excess grease.
11. Add the buns to the flat top and toast until very crispy, about 2-3 minutes.
12. Remove the buns from the flat top and turn off the heat.

Assembly

1. Place both haves a toasted bun with the crispy side up.
2. Spread the kimchi mayo on both the top and bottom bun.
3. Place a bit of diced onion on the bottom bun, followed by a layer of roasted kimchi. Place 3 pickles on the top bun.
4. Place a double patty on the bottom bun and flip the top bun onto the patty.
5. Your Korean Burgers are finished!