Momofuku Sweet & Spicy Korean BBQ Sauce
Background
Momofuku began in 2004 when chef David Chang opened his first restaurant, Noodle Bar, in the East Village of Manhattan. He aptly used the name Momofuku, which translates to "lucky peach" in Japanese, as a homage to the creator of instant ramen, Momofuku Ando. Chang opened his second restaurant, Ssam Bar, nearby and after a change from a Korean burrito shop to a more varied menu, that restaurant took off and was my personal entry into the Momofuku universe, being a spot I ate at often and couldn't walk by without grabbing one of their gua baos. From there, Chang opened one restaurant after another, eventually expanding outside of NYC to California and Las Vegas. Momofuku also has an extensive product line including ramen, chili crunch, seasoned salts, and various sauces which includes two barbecue varieties.
Aroma
The unmistakable fermented chili smell of gochujang is the number one trait when you take in a noseful of this sauce. While that dominates the aroma, it's definitely not as strong as gochujang alone thanks to a mellowing sweetness. A deeper whiff brings savory soy sauce into focus, while familiar notes from American barbecue come out too like vinegar, garlic, and onion.
Thickness & Texture
This maroon sauce has a glossy sheen to it and no visible spices, which could either be due to a lack of them or the dark, opaque hue masking them. The sauce has the slightest texture to it along with a medium thickness and syrupy consistency. After an initial large drop releases from a suspend spoon, the sauce flows in an even, medium speed pour and then changes to many drips before stopping and leaving a medium-thin coating of sauce on the silverware. In this, it's possible to see a lot of very small red spice specs.
Out of the Jar
Just like with the aroma, the first taste to jump out is gochujang. I feels like that funky pepper flavor should release a large wave of heat from the get go, but a molasses-tinted sweetness tempers the heat at first. As the sauce settles in on the tongue, vinegar and soy sauce enter at the same time adding a lot of tanginess and saltiness, with the savoriness also getting dialed up. The peppers kick in next, but remain at bay just enough for tastes of garlic and sesame to come out. Vinegar and gochujang then overwhelm most everything else as the sauce makes its exit, leaving a tart and spicy aftertaste that retains a background sweetness.
Slathered & Cooked
This sauce coated the chicken in a medium and even layer that set very well over indirect heat. When moved directly over the coals, there was no sauce loss at all with some caramelization where the leg was touching the grates. The gochujang was not as heavy handed after being cooked, with a molasses sweetness gaining prominence. While it would never be mistook for anything other than a Korean barbecue sauce, this did bring the flavor more into the realm of American barbecue, especially with garlic, onion, and vinegar all being present as well. While the sugar was dialed up, the heat was very much still there and had a good presence closer to when the chicken was done being consumed.
Put to Use
The hype of Ssam Bar left little doubt in my mind that David Chang had the ability to grow Momofuku into empire if he wished to do so, and that's what he did. A fan of the food, I bought into it and enjoyed the comings and goings like the magazine, TV shows, and sampling whatever the latest offering was. With the passing of time and living in NC for over ten years now, my old enthusiasm has waned, but not so much that I haven't tried the various Momofuku products that have been popping up on shelves, and it didn't take me long to purchase a bottle of barbecue sauce after first seeing it in my local grocery. Like most of what I've tried in the Momofuku universe, this Sweet & Spicy recipe didn't disappoint, delivering the exact Korean barbecue sauce flavor you would expect and done so in a manner that has some nice nuances to it. As much as I enjoyed it though, I also can't say it's so different from the Korean barbecue sauces that I craft at home or get from other Korean restaurants, making it something that feels like it could have more potential, or a lower price tag. You won't go wrong with this sauce though, and while the strong stamp of gochujang was a bit overpowering when used in a traditional American barbecue manner on chicken, this sauce is going to be perfect on heartier things like beef and pork, which are the more traditional pairings.
