I couldn’t believe how amazing these burgers were. The meat was so tender, juicy, and flavorful and the grilled kimchi was the perfect substitute for the greens that usually go in the burger. I also loved the Hawaiian bread for the hamburger buns, which gave it that nice subtle sweetness to the burgers. It was simple to make and made the house smell like a Korean BBQ restaurant, which was absolutely amazing. I’ll be sure to make this again!

Bulgogi Cheeseburger (adapted from Closet Cooking):

Yields 4 burgers

  • 1 pound ground beef (I used 96/4)
  • 1 cloves garlic, grated
  • 1/2 inch ginger, grated
  • 1/2 small onion, grated
  • 1/2 Fuji apple, grated and juice squeezed from pulp, discard pulp
  • 1/2 Korean pear, grated and juice squeezed from pulp, discard pulp
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 green onion, chopped
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
  • Gruyere cheese, grated
  • 1/2 cup kimchi, grilled
  • 4 Hawaiian bread sandwich buns

Carefully mix beef, garlic, ginger, onion, apple, pear, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, green onion, egg and panko bread crumbs. (Do not mash them.)

Lightly form 4 hamburger patties and press lightly into shape.

Prepare a charcoal or a stove-top grill.

Grill until charred on both sides and cooked to desired doneness.

Place cheese on each burger, close the lid or tent with foil, and cook until the cheese has just melted, about 1 minute.

(As you can see from this picture, it got a bit messy. I actually spent all night scrubbing these grill plates!)

Meanwhile, grill the buns, cut side down, for 1 minute, until toasted. Place burgers on buns and top with grilled kimchi, if desired, and serve hot.