Fried-Spam Kimchi Grilled Cheese Sandwich
A tangy, porky spin on a classic, Matty Matheson’s grilled cheese is stacked with thick, hearty slices of Spam and a heap of tangy kimchi in a recipe from his cookbook “Soups, Salads, Sandwiches.”
When using a half can of Spam per sandwich by slicing the whole thing into four meaty steaks, the ground-pork product is the centerpiece; for a more equal ratio of ingredients, try halving the amount of Spam by slicing the steaks thinner and still using two steaks (albeit smaller ones) per sandwich. (Wondering what to do with leftover Spam? Try cubing and searing it, then adding it to fried rice.)
Matheson also subverts conventional grilled cheese method by using a skillet’s residual heat to warm the bread as the sandwich is built — but it’s primarily cooked in the oven, not on the stove. It’s an untraditional, kimchi-brightened version of one of the world’s most famous sandwiches, made all the more unique thanks to a gochugaru-flecked garlicky dipping sauce.
“There really is something special about Spam,” Matheson writes. “I think it’s one of the greatest and most versatile ingredients. It could be fried or grilled or smoked or boiled. Any way you cook it is fire, but here it becomes this perfect storm of flavor with fatty Spam, tangy, crunchy kimchi, buttery fried bread, and the cream town USA American cheese. This is just about as good as it gets.”
Matty Matheson's fried-Spam kimchi grilled cheese sandwich
For the sandwich: Slice the Spam into four steaks for thicker, Spam-forward sandwiches, or into eight steaks (and use only four of them) for a thinner and crispier Spam filling. Drain the kimchi and chop it finely. Pull out as much kimchi liquid as possible by draining the liquid off and pressing a lot of the juice out using kitchen or paper towels.
In a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil and sear the Spam until it’s a nice golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Set the Spam aside and wipe out the pan.
Using margarine or butter, butter one side of each slice of bread. “Use margarine if you are a margarine person like I am, because I never have room-temp butter,” Matheson says.
Heat your oven to 350 degrees. “The key to a grilled cheese,” Matheson says, “is to also put it in the oven.”
In the same pan you used to cook the Spam, place two slices of bread, buttered side down. Top one piece with two slices of the marbled cheddar and the other with one slice of the American cheese. Put two slices of Spam on the American cheese side, side by side, and kimchi on the marbled cheese side. Flip your Spam side onto the kimchi. Put the sandwich on a baking sheet.
Repeat by putting the remaining slices of bread into the pan and building your second sandwich. Place the second sandwich onto the baking sheet and into the oven.
Flip every 2 to 3 minutes for about 10 minutes. “Flip flip flip, it’s oozy, it’s cheesy, and the bread is nice and crusty,” Matheson says.
Cut each grilled cheese in half, right down the middle. A piece of Spam should be found in each half.
For the dip: In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, Sriracha, hoisin, gochugaru, garlic powder and lime juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. “Get a couple of [sandwich] bites in and then dip it,” Matheson says. “Or eat half and then eat the other half dipped. Or dip it from the first bite. If I dip, we dip, we dip, dip.”
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