Kkanpung Haxen fusion dish drives massive sausage sales at festival

The sausage menu achieved first place at the festival by selling 1,500 units, surpassing the Haxen menu which saw 741 units sold. Developed by Byung-hyun Kim and Lee Bong-won, the Kkanpung Haxen fusion dish helped contribute to a total consumption of over 2,200kg of food.

Germany traditional food Haxen met Korean-style Kkanpung sauce to captivate a festival site. The collaboration between Byung-hyun Kim and Lee Bong-won, revealed through SBS 'Same Bed, Different Dreams 2: You Are My Destiny', achieved unexpected results by presenting 'Kkanpung Haxen' using German-style pork knuckle, Haxen.

The birth of 'Kkanpung Haxen', a combination of Germany Haxen and Kkanpung sauce

The core of this project was to apply K-style to Haxen, of which approximately 30,000 units are supplied to Oktoberfest. Noting that Haxen is a type of German-style pork knuckle, Byung-hyun Kim suggested Korean-style Kkanpung cooking techniques. 'Kkanpung Haxen', made by tossing Haxen meat with Kkanpung sauce, was prepared on-site using an immediate cooking method.

During the cooking process, the Kkanpung sauce—utilizing green onion oil, chili oil, sugar, and salt—served to balance the greasy taste of the Haxen. Those who tasted it on-site responded that the crispy texture unique to Haxen harmonized well with the sweet and spicy taste of the Kkanpung sauce. In particular, the inclusion of cucumber was evaluated as a "godsend" for balancing the flavors. The dish received praise that the sauce compensates for the fact that the characteristic crispiness of Haxen can sometimes be too hard, suggesting it could even be sold as a spring menu item.

Surpassing chicken to rank 1st in sales, exceeding 640 units in 3.5 hours

The reaction at the festival site was immediate. The initial goal was to surpass the strong competitor, K-chicken, to achieve the highest sales volume. Immediately after sales began, it appeared that chicken menus were monopolizing orders, but sausage and Haxen menus began to catch up with successive orders.

After 3 hours and 30 minutes of sales, the sausage menu exceeded 640 units, overtaking chicken to rise to 2nd place. Following this, the sales speed accelerated further when the limited menu 'Kkanpung Haxen', which Lee Bong-won participated in developing, began to receive full-scale orders. Prepared in a limited quantity of 50 units, Kkanpung Haxen drew attention at the site as it was quickly exhausted due to its visual appeal and taste. When the first order for Kkanpung Haxen came in, Lee Bong-won paid close attention to the decoration to enhance its visual presentation.

Recording a complete sell-out at the festival with 1,500 sausages sold

The final results tallied after the festival concluded exceeded expectations. The sausage menu set an overwhelming record with 1,500 units sold as a single item. The Haxen menu also saw 741 units sold, with a total volume of over 2,200kg consumed. This figure represents nearly a complete sell-out of the prepared stock. The sausage sales volume was nearly twice as high as the Haxen sales, recording an overwhelming 1st place.

Regarding this collaborative menu, Lee Bong-won remarked, "It feels like a combination of Jjamppong and Haxen," adding the idea that it would be even better to eat finely sliced Haxen together with noodles or vegetables in one mouthful. Based on this success, Byung-hyun Kim and Lee Bong-won concluded their activities on-site by expressing their ambitions to move toward a global stage together again next year.

Source: SBS (YouTube)