Galbi (Korean Grilled Short Ribs)

Name: Galbi (Korean Grilled Short Ribs)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 4 h
Total time: 4 h 25 min
Cuisine: Korea
Ingredients: 120 ml (½ cup) soy sauce; 1 Asian pear, or 1 ripe pear, peeled and grated (about 150 g); ½ onion, grated; 5 cloves garlic, grated; 15 g (½ in piece) fresh ginger, grated; 3 tbsp light brown sugar; 2 tbsp mirin or rice wine; 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil; ½ tsp black pepper; 1½ kg (3¼ lb) flanken-cut beef short ribs, 1 cm (½ in) thick, cut across the bones; 3 scallions, sliced; 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds; lettuce leaves, steamed rice, kimchi, ssamjang or gochujang, kimchi usually contains fish sauce or salted shrimp; ssamjang and gochujang contain soy and usually wheat

Thin-cut beef short ribs in a sweet soy-pear marinade, charred fast

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 25 min
Total: 4 h 25 min
Level: Easy

Galbi are beef short ribs cut thin across the bone (flanken or LA-style), marinated in soy, garlic, sesame and grated Asian pear, and grilled hot and fast. The pear adds sweetness that helps it char and a mild tenderizing enzyme.

Ingredients

Marinade

120 mlsoy sauce (½ cup)
1Asian pearor 1 ripe pear, peeled and grated (about 150 g)
½oniongrated
5 clovesgarlicgrated
15 gfresh ginger (½ in piece)grated
3 tbsplight brown sugar
2 tbspmirin or rice wine
2 tbsptoasted sesame oil
½ tspblack pepper

Beef

1½ kgflanken-cut beef short ribs (3¼ lb)1 cm (½ in) thick, cut across the bones
3scallionssliced
1 tbsptoasted sesame seeds

To serve

lettuce leaves, steamed rice, kimchi, ssamjang or gochujangkimchi usually contains fish sauce or salted shrimp; ssamjang and gochujang contain soy and usually wheat

Diet: Dairy-free
Allergens: soy, gluten, sesame, sulphites, fish, crustaceans
Origin: Korea

Method

Rinse the ribs in cold water to remove bone fragments and pat dry.
Mix all the marinade ingredients. Coat the ribs and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight (no more than 24 hours, or the pear makes the meat mushy). 4 h
Set up the grill for direct high heat, 250°C (480°F)+ (475°F+). Clean and oil the grate.
Lift the ribs from the marinade, letting the excess drip off. Grill until caramelized and charred at the edges, 2–3 minutes per side. Move them if flare-ups get fierce. 6 min
Cut between the bones with scissors into bite-size pieces. Scatter with scallions and sesame seeds. Serve with lettuce for wrapping, rice, kimchi and ssamjang.

Why it works

Grated Asian pear contains a protein-digesting enzyme (a protease) that softens the surface of the thin-cut meat, and its sugars caramelize quickly on a hot grill. The thin cut means the meat cooks in minutes while the high heat chars the sweet surface, so the ribs are tender without slow cooking.

Common mistakes

Marinating too long: the enzymes soften the meat into a mushy texture.
Medium heat: the ribs stew rather than char. Go as hot as you can.

Variations

Bulgogi: Use the same marinade on thinly sliced ribeye — see Bulgogi for a stovetop version.

Make ahead and storage

Marinate the day before. Cooked galbi keeps 2 days.

Notes

Grill-pan/oven fallback: cook in a smoking-hot cast-iron pan or ridged grill pan in batches, 2–3 minutes per side, or under a very hot oven grill (broiler) close to the element, 3 minutes per side. Ssamjang and gochujang contain soy and usually wheat. Fish and crustaceans only from the kimchi; check its label.