JANG Korean-Style Hot Sauce

A taste of Korea, fermented in clay vessels.

A Korean-style hot sauce built on house-made gochujang fermented in onggi vessels, loquat vinegar, doenjang, and Appalachian sorghum. The most labor-intensive sauce in the ONIMA lineup.

The gochujang in this bottle is fermented from scratch for six to twelve months inside onggi, the traditional Korean earthenware vessels that have held this kind of paste for centuries. Our onggi come from Adam Field, a potter in Helena, Montana who apprenticed in 2008 under Kim Il-Maan, a sixth-generation onggi master and Korean National Cultural Treasure. The clay breathes, the paste develops, and a year later it goes into the sauce.

The vinegar gets the same treatment. Loquats from a San Diego farmer's market, fermented first into wine, then into vinegar. Fresh Fresno and habanero peppers ferment separately for the chili backbone. Doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste, similar to miso but funkier) adds another layer. Sorghum from Appalachia rounds it out, the regional sweetener of Kentucky where ONIMA was started.

Every one of those components ferments on its own clock before any of them meet in the bottle. The build itself is the easy part. Most of the work happens in the months leading up to it. The finished sauce pours ruby red, hits salivating-savory on the first bite, builds a slow heat through the middle, and coats the tongue clean on the way out.

How to use it

Try it as a bulgogi marinade or finishing sauce. The gochujang depth works on beef the way it's been working in Korean cooking for centuries. Brush it on Korean fried chicken. Spoon it into bibimbap in place of plain gochujang. Mix it 50/50 with rice vinegar for a mandu dipping sauce.

JANG works outside Korean food too. A spoonful in a pot of tomato pasta sauce deepens the whole thing. It's great on smash burgers in place of ketchup. On pulled pork. On grilled cheese, inside before the cheese melts. Roasted carrots and sweet potatoes love the sweet-savory pairing.

A spoonful, not a pour. JANG is denser than most hot sauces because of the gochujang. A teaspoon does the work of a tablespoon.

Pairs naturally with:

• Bulgogi, galbi, Korean fried chicken
• Bibimbap and rice bowls
• Smash burgers and pulled pork
• Aged cheddar mac and cheese
• Roasted root vegetables
• Soft-scrambled eggs
• Carnitas and al pastor tacos
• Grilled cheese

What makes it different

• Gochujang we ferment ourselves. Almost no US brand does this.
• Fermented in onggi vessels for six to twelve months. Made by hand in Helena, Montana, by a potter who studied under a Korean National Cultural Treasure.
• Loquat vinegar made in-house. Loquats from a San Diego farmer's market, fermented twice into vinegar before the sauce build even begins.
• Appalachian sorghum as the sweetener. The regional answer to rice syrup, from Kentucky where ONIMA was started.

Heat, savory, acid

• Heat: 4 / 10. Medium. Pleasant build, fully coating finish.
• Savory: Dominant. Two fermented soy pastes plus six-to-twelve-month gochujang.
• Acid: Bright and fruity from the loquat vinegar.

Ingredients

Loquat vinegar, gochujang (rice, Aspergillus oryzae, fermented chili, salt), fermented Fresno and habanero peppers, doenjang, fermented black garlic brine, Appalachian sorghum, sesame oil.

Contains: soy, sesame, wheat.

Specs

• 5 fl oz (148 ml) glass woozy bottle
• Vegan
• Shelf life: 2 years unopened. Refrigerate after opening, use within 6 months for peak flavor.
• Made by hand in San Diego, California

FAQ

What is JANG?
A Korean-style hot sauce built around gochujang and doenjang, with the gochujang fermented in-house in onggi vessels made by Adam Field. 4 out of 10 heat. The name "jang" (장) is the Korean word for the family of fermented pastes and sauces that includes gochujang, doenjang, and ganjang.

What does JANG taste like?
Salivating-savory on the first bite, with a mild building heat and a full umami finish. Funky, deep, lightly sweet from the sorghum. Closest comparison is the first bite of properly aged kimchi.

What's gochujang?
A Korean fermented chili paste, traditionally made with red chili powder, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, salt, and a sweetener. JANG uses gochujang we ferment ourselves in onggi for six to twelve months.

What's doenjang?
Korean fermented soybean paste. Similar to miso, but funkier and saltier. JANG includes doenjang as one of seven ingredients.

What's onggi?
Traditional Korean earthenware fermentation vessels. They breathe, which is part of what makes them work. The onggi we use are made by Adam Field, a potter in Helena, Montana, who apprenticed in 2008 under Kim Il-Maan, a Korean National Cultural Treasure.

Is JANG gluten-free?
No. JANG contains gochujang and doenjang, both of which include wheat or wheat-derived inputs.

Is JANG vegan?
Yes.

How spicy is JANG?
4 out of 10. Medium. Builds in the mid palate and finishes with a full coating. The savoriness is the headline. Heat is supporting.

Is JANG sugar-free?
No. Sweetened with Appalachian sorghum (5% of the recipe), plus the traditional gochujang carries some sugar from the rice. No refined or added sugar.

Can I use JANG instead of regular gochujang?
Yes, in most applications. JANG is more vinegar-forward and more pourable than tub gochujang, so it works better as a finishing sauce or marinade than as a paste for stews. In bibimbap, ssam, or bulgogi, swap one-for-one.

Where is JANG made?
San Diego, California.