Donal's Family Kitchen30 Minutes

Korean Style Sloppy Joe Sliders

Name: Korean Style Sloppy Joe Sliders
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 tbsp sesame oil; Bunch of spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced; 3 carrots, julienned; 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced; 500g minced beef (15% fat); 2 tbsp soft dark brown sugar; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tbsp rice vinegar; 2 tsp gochujang; 12 brioche slider burger buns; 3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds; For the pickled chilli cucumber:; 1 cucumber, peeled,thinly sliced; 1 green finger chilli, thinly sliced; 75ml rice wine vinegar; 75ml water; 3 star anise; 2 tbsp caster sugar; For the burger sauce; 2 tbsp gochujang (or to your level of spiciness); 6 tbsp mayonnaise

Ridiculously indulgent and ideal weekend fare, these sliders are pepped up with Asian kitchen staples. I’ve suggested gochujang for spice here but go with whatever spice level you prefer.

Donal SkehanFrom the series · Donal's Family Kitchen

30 min totalServes 4Easy

Time30 min

Serves4

SkillEasy

ShowSuper Food In Minutes

Method

Heat the oil in a frying pan (skillet) and gently fry the spring onions (save a handful to garnish), carrot and garlic for 5 minutes until tender. Add the minced beef and increase the heat to brown all over.

Add the sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, gochujang and a splash of water and bubble gently for 20 minutes, adding a splash more water if it starts to get too dry.

Meanwhile, put the cucumber and chilli in a bowl. Pour the vinegar into a small pan with the same amount of water and the star anise and sugar. Heat until the sugar has dissolved, then pour the hot pickling liquid over the cucumber and chilli and set aside for at least 10 minutes.

To make the burger sauce, mix the gochujang and mayonnaise until combined.

Spread with the gochujang mayo, toast the brioche buns. Fill with the sticky mince. Scatter with the remaining spring onions, top with the pickled cucumber, toasted sesame seeds and serve.

Cook's notes

Brown the mince properly over a high heat before the liquids go in — that colour is where the savoury depth comes from.
Let the mince bubble gently for the full twenty minutes so it turns sticky, adding a splash more water if it starts to get too dry.
Get the cucumber pickle on first so it has at least ten minutes in the hot star anise liquid; that sharpness is what balances the sweet, spicy mince.
Gochujang brands vary a lot in heat, so taste as you go in both the mince and the mayo — start gentle and build up.
Toast the brioche buns and spread the gochujang mayo right to the edges; it seasons every bite and stops the buns going soggy under the sticky mince.

Serve with Serve with extra toasted sesame seeds and the spare spring onions scattered over, and a bowl of prawn crackers or plain rice on the side. A cold lager or a light Riesling works with the sweet heat.

Make ahead & storage The mince keeps for up to three days in the fridge and reheats well with a splash of water. Store the pickle separately in its liquid, where it will keep for a week and only improve.

30 Minutes

Recipe by Donal Skehan · From the series Donal's Family Kitchen · Photography © Appetite Media
Published 13 July 2026 · Updated 15 July 2026