Korean BBQ Short Ribs (Kalbi)

 KOREAN BBQ SHORT RIBS (KALBI)
Printable Recipe

• 3 pounds Korean short ribs (Asian Market)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/8 cup mirin (rice wine aka saki) 
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 1 small Asian pear or apple, peeled/minced
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced 
• 1 tablespoons dark sesame oil
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 green onions, thinly sliced (optional)

1. Sprinkle brown sugar over beef & mix well to evenly coat. 

Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes while preparing marinade. 

  

2. Roughly chop onion & pulse till minced in food processor, or use a knife to finely mince. 

 3. Peel & roughly chop Asian pear, pulse till minced in food processor, 

or use knife to finely mince. 

 4. Mince garlic. In a bowl, whisk together all ingredients. 

(garlic, onion, pear, soy sauce, water, rice wine, sesame oil, & pepper).

 5. Place short ribs in a ZipLock bag, add marinade, press out excess air from bags, & seal. Turn bag over several times to ensure beef is evenly coated. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.

 6. Heat gas or charcoal grill to medium-hot. Drain excess marinade off beef. Grill short ribs, turning once, to desired doneness, about 3-4 minutes per side.

Plate Finished Product

7. Garnish with thinly sliced green onions, if desired. Serve while hot.

STORY BEHIND THE DISH

I came across this dish at a former students high school graduation party. The Nguyen family had a party for their daughter Jenny & made amazing BBQ chicken & these tasty Korean BBQ short ribs. I fell in love, they are sweet yet savory, tender, & delicious. The do sell a Korean BBQ marinade at many Asian markets, which is also a great taste, but I wanted to recreate this dish with a healthier marinade that had less sodium & sugar. I used used some ingredients from the original recipe & found a great marinade from Food Network that matched almost exactly what I was looking for, the finished product was worth the extra time.

MODIFICATIONS

  This is a pretty straight forward & easy recipe to follow, the longer you marinate the meat the more tender and flavorful it will be. They serve best on a bed of rice & they pair well with my Veggie Stir-Fry or Chinese Chicken Salad. Don't forget, you can always substitute soy sauce for gluten free soy sauce to make this a gluten free dish!