Beck & Bulow Korean Budae Jjigae (Army Stew) Recipe
Budae jjigae is a traditional Korean stew that literally translates to “army stew”. The name comes from the stew that would be created during the Korean war from whatever food supplies were available. For this reason, it was often made with hot dogs, SPAM, instant noodles, and whatever other ingredients were accessible at the time. For this version, I decided to use our free range, grass fed bison hot dogs and duck bacon. If you have an Asian supermarket nearby, you’ll be able to find the Korean rice cakes, gochujang and gochugaru without a problem.
Also Read: Chilly Weather Bison Stew With Beer And Bone Broth
If necessary, the gochujang can be substituted by mixing some miso paste and sweet chili sauce with a dash of coconut sugar. The Korean rice cakes could be substituted with polenta - simply cut into slices and quickly sear - or leave them out entirely. The nature of this dish is to be thrown together with what’s on hand. Some other common ingredients for budae jjigae are canned baked beans, American cheese slices and whatever vegetables are in season.
Free Range Bison, Raised The Way Nature Intended
Our bison live free range on 20,000 beautiful acres here in New Mexico, or roam freely on our carefully selected partner ranches. They are pasture raised and never administered any amount of hormones, steroids or antibiotics. These are powerful, strong animals that live essentially wild with minimal handling. There were once 60 million bison roaming North America, and we hope to see their numbers increase back to even 1 million during our lifetime. By increasing the demand for ethically sourced bison meat, we can help to bolster their population. The more people that want to purchase this nourishing and nutrient dense meat, the more farmers will be encouraged to raise bison. This directly helps to increase the number of herds which assists in providing genetic diversity for the population.
Also Read: French Beef Stew With Red Wine, Herbs & Vegetables
To Eat Duck Bacon Or Boar Bacon? That Is The Question
Duck bacon is actually meat cut from the breast of the duck where there is a large amount of fat. Nonetheless, it’s incredibly similar in texture and flavor to more familiar varieties of bacon. Our ducks are raised in quiet, spacious barns on a small group of farms in rural Indiana. They are often raised by Mennonite or Amish farmers, and are lovingly cared for on family farms. They are White Pekin ducks, bred for their tender, mild flavored meat that is preferred by most people with an Americanized palette. This duck meat easily adapts to a wide range of flavor profiles and cuisines. As for whether our duck bacon or our wild boar bacon is better, you’ll have to decide for yourself - our team hasn’t yet been able to choose a clear winner out of these two delicious options.
Ingredients:
For the broth:
- 1 tablespoon gochujang paste
- 1 tablespoon gochugaru
- 1 tablespoon anchovy paste
- 5 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon rice wine
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
- 3 cups bison bone broth
Also Read: Paleo Crock Pot Bison Superfood Stew With Primal Blend
For the stew:
- 1 lb duck bacon, cooked and chopped
- 4 bison hot dogs, chopped
- 1 package enoki mushrooms, stems removed
- ¼ - ½ cup kimchi, chopped
- 1 egg
- ½ package organic firm tofu, sliced
- ¼ cup Korean rice cakes (tteok), sliced
- 1 package instant ramen noodles (noodles only)
- Chopped scallions
Instructions:
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the broth ingredients. Set this mixture aside.
- Add all of the ingredients for the stew (except for the egg, ramen noodles and scallions) to a large pot. Pour the broth mixture into the pot.
- Put the lid on the pot and bring to a boil. Cook at a strong simmer for approximately 10 minutes.
- Reduce the heat and continue to simmer. Add in the instant noodles and crack the egg into the pot. Cook until the noodles are soft and the egg is cooked all the way through, stirring occasionally.
- Serve and enjoy immediately. Garnish with chopped scallions.
Also Read: Stay Warm This Winter With Three Mushroom Bison Stew
Our Team Is Happy To Help
At Beck & Bulow, we pride ourselves on our excellent customer service. We’re always here to help if you have any questions regarding your meat, want help making selections, or are just looking for some cooking tips. Every time you call our office, you’ll be directly connected with one of our team members right here in Santa Fe, New Mexico where we’re based.
Every cut of meat is pressure sealed and flash frozen immediately after butchering at the peak of freshness. We work exclusively with master butchers who make every cut with care and precision. All orders are hand packed at our Santa Fe warehouse, shipped in a reusable cooler with dry ice and delivered straight to your doorstep. Check out our selections of humanely raised chicken, elk, bison, beef, lamb, wild boar, pork and seafood.
