This post is sponsored as part of a blogger recipe challenge hosted by Lucky Foods.
One bite of these delicious beef stuffed peppers and your taste buds will be immediately high-fiving the flavor receptors your gustatory cortex (that’s the part of your brain responsible for the perception of taste).
This recipe for Korean BBQ Beef-stuffed Peppers with Gochujang Butter Crumb Topping and Kimchi Mayo Drizzle definitely has some funky fusion flavor. It’s all inspired by Korean street food and some of my favorite Tex-Mex Southern cooking techniques – like stuffing peppers with stuff and putting buttery cracker crumb toppings on anything and everything.
I love stuffing and roasting peppers with beef and other delicious ingredients but I decided to think beyond Chile Rellenos. Putting delicious Korean BBQ in a Poblano pepper just seemed like a mouth-watering thing to do – my hunch was correct!
Caramelized onions and very thinly sliced sirloin steak* come together in a couple hot minutes in a skillet, and are married with a sauce with sweet-savory flavor and a pop of ginger. I used the convenient and very authentic Kalbi Sauce from Lucky foods.
In one of my Tex Mex pepper creations, I’d typically go overboard on cheese – but that didn’t seem like a match for this Asian stuffed pepper recipe. Instead, a light-bulb went off with “buttery crumb topping” lighting up in my mind.
Kinda like those rich and buttery crumb toppings made with classic crackers like Ritz or Club Crackers us Southerners like to put on near everything, from casseroles to fish to fruit desserts. Except, I made this a spicy cracker crumb topping using Gochujang paste (again from Lucky Foods) in the melted butter. These lightly spicy and umami-elevated buttery crumbs pile on top the beef mixture and hit the broiler to crisp up and turn golden buttery brown.
Finally, a drizzle of creamy Kimchi mayo from Lucky foods for the finishing touch along with some cool, fresh shaved green onion stalk, carrot and cilantro. Every bite of this Korean BBQ pepper so good, so many directions of texture and flavor.
Making this recipe inspired by Asian street food was so easy thanks to Lucky Foods. Lucky Foods is a proud purveyor of Asian heritage-inspired foods with clean ingredients. The family behind this family-run business immigrated to the US in the 70s, started with a single restaurant, then a popular spring roll product, and now has expanded to include a variety of wholesome products. These Asian condiments include the Korean and fusion sauces I used in this recipe (under the Seoul label) using fresh ingredients and aromatic spices – you will never find MSG, GMOS, or added colors and/or preservations in any products from Lucky Foods.
Learn more about Lucky Foods products, where to purchase them, and more recipe ideas at LuckyFood.com or on Facebook and Instagram
For a more interactive demo of the recipe, please visit my Idea Pin on Pinterest.
Inspired by Asian street food, this dish of Korean BBQ beef stuffed peppers is bursting with insane spicy, sweet flavor and a unique crunchy crumb topping with a hint of heat!
- 2 poblano peppers halved, ribs and seeds removed
- 1 cup finely sliced/chopped white onion
- 1 tbsp. sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1/2 lb. sirloin steak very, very thinly sliced (or equivalent “steak-umm” type product)
- 1/3 cup Kalbi sauce I used Lucky Foods brand
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 tsp. Gochujang paste I used Lucky Foods brand
- 10 + buttery crackers like Ritz or Club crackers crushed to make about ½ cup crumbs
- ¼ cup Kimchi Mayo I used Lucky Foods brand
- Garnish as desired: shaved green onion stalks carrots, cilantro, etc.
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Heat oven to 350F degrees. Place prepped peppers in a baking dish, cut side ups. Roast in oven for approximately 20 minutes or until softening and lightly browning on edges.
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Meanwhile, add chopped onion to skilled with oil and stir constantly over medium heat until turning a dark golden brown. Stir in coconut sugar and cook for an additional minute, taking care not to burn. Transfer to plate.
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Stir fry beef quickly over medium-high heat, for just two to three minutes until just barely cooked through. Add onions back in and cook, stirring, for another minute. Stir in Kalbi sauce.
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Stuff beef mixture into roasted peppers.
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Melt butter in small skillet, stir in Gochujang paste until combined. Stir in cracker crumbs.
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Pile buttered cracker crumbs over top of beef mixture in peppers. Stick under broiler on High for about 2 minutes, or until browning and getting crunchy on top.
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Remove and drizzle with Kimchi mayo and garnish with desired ingredients such as shaved green onion stalks, carrots, cilantro, etc.
Note: Instead of slicing sirloin, I used an equivalent amount frozen sirloin patties (pre-sliced and formed) found in the freezer meat section.