Gochujang Meatloaf (Korean-style Meatloaf) and Onions Pickled with Mustard Sauce

“Outrageously delicious” is the best way to describe this meatloaf. The authors of K Food really hit the mark by dispensing with ground beef and instead employing ground pork for this recipe. There’s really no secret to success other than making sure to use the glaze.

One of the best ways to serve this is to cut the meatloaf into thick slices and sear them in a hot frypan before putting them on a toasted bun and topping them with onions pickled in mustard sauce. Note that the onions are best after 24 hours of pickling before you eat them, so please plan ahead if using on the meatloaf.

What you’ll need for the pickled onions

• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• Pinch of salt for soaking the onions
• 0.5 cups English mustard, or a similar type
• 0.5 cups superfine sugar (can be made by pulsing granulated sugar in a spice grinder a couple of times)
• 0.5 cups apple vinegar

What to do for the pickled onions

Soak the onions in salted water for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, a separate bowl large enough to hold the onions, mix the mustard, sugar and apple vinegar.

When the onions are done soaking, thoroughly drain them and mix them into the mustard sauce. Ensure that everything is mixed well. You can eat them right way, but it’s better to wait at least 24 hours so they can soften. I refrigerated mine in a glass jar to good effect.

What you’ll need for the meat loaf

• 1.25 lbs. lean ground pork
• 3 scallions trimmed and thinly sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1.5T gochujang (Korean red chili paste)
• Pinch of pepper
• 1 cup, fresh breadcrumbs (just pulse bread in a food processor)
• 0.5 a white or yellow onion, minced
• 1 egg
• 8.5 x 4.5-inch loaf pan (if using a bigger pan, just calculate the percentage it’s bigger and increase the ingredients by that same percentage.)

What you’ll need for the glaze

• 1.5T apricot jam
• 1T gochujang
• 0.5t honey (I used maple syrup, to good effect)
• 1t soy sauce
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 0.25t sesame oil
• 0.5T apple vinegar

What to do

Heat your oven to 350 degrees F and grease the loaf pan.

Make the glaze: mix all the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Set it aside.

Put all the meatloaf ingredients in a large bowl, and using a spoon or your hands, mix everything together until fully blended. Spoon the meat into the loaf pan and using an offset spatula, ensure the top is level, even into the corners. Bake for 45 minutes or so, until the meatloaf begins to pull back from the edges of the loaf pan.

Remove the loaf pan from the oven and skewer all over the top of the meatloaf with a long skewer. This will allow the glaze to permeate the meat. Pour the glaze evenly over the top of the meat and put it back in the oven for another 20 minutes. The internal temp of the meat should be at least 165 degrees F.

Serve hot or cold. If you manage to not eat it all in a day, it will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days, if covered.