Korean Grilled Marinated Short Ribs (Yangneom Galbi)
One of the most popular Korean BBQ items, this recipe from Hooni Kim’s “My Korea” pulls off a perfect balance of sweet, salty and umami.
- Makes6 servings
- Cook Time4 hours
- Active time plus cooling45 minutes active, plus grill prep
- 5
Yangneom galbi, commonly referred to as just “galbi,” which translates from the Korean as “rib”—is what comes to mind when most people think of Korean barbecue. Thin-cut beef short ribs marinated in a garlicky soy mixture and cooked quickly on a hot grill are sweet, salty, meaty, fatty, charred, chewy-tender and utterly delicious. This recipe, from Hooni Kim’s “My Korea,” uses thin flanken-style short ribs. This cut of short rib includes three sections of crosscut bone to which a strip of meat is attached. Flanken-style ribs are sold in some supermarkets, but typically are too thick for galbi, so shop carefully. The ribs to purchase should be no thicker than ¼ inch. Finding them may require a trip to the butcher or to a Korean market, if you have one nearby. If you cannot find thin flanken-style short ribs, use about 2½ pounds skirt steak; cut the steak into 6- to 8-inch sections and marinate for no more than four hours. Asian pear, an ingredient in the marinade, is seasonal and is easiest to find in the fall and winter. If not available, Kim recommends using an apple in its place. Galbi is commonly served with lettuce leaves for wrapping pieces of meat and ssamjang, a pungent, salty, umami-rich condiment for spreading onto the lettuce. But feel free to skip these flourishes, as the ribs are great with only steamed rice and kimchi.
Don’t put the ribs onto the grill directly from the marinade. Transfer them from the marinade to a plate, allowing the excess to drip off. If the meat is soaking wet with marinade, it will stick when it makes contact with the grill grate. Also, don’t crowd the ribs on the grill, which will impede browning. If needed, cook them in two batches.
Step 1
In a blender, combine the pear, garlic, ginger, sake, soy sauce, sugar, mirin and ½ teaspoon pepper. Blend until smooth, 15 to 20 seconds. Pour the mixture into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
Add the short ribs, turning them to coat with the marinade, and arrange in an even layer; the ribs should be mostly submerged. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours, turning them once or twice to ensure they marinate evenly.
Step 2
Prepare a charcoal or gas grill. For a charcoal grill, ignite a large chimney of coals, let burn until lightly ashed over, then distribute evenly over one side of the grill bed; open the bottom grill vents. Heat the grill, covered, for 5 minutes, then clean and oil the grate.
For a gas grill, turn all burners to high and heat, covered, for 15 minutes, then clean and oil the grate.
Step 3
Transfer the short ribs from the marinade to a large plate, allowing excess marinade to drip off. Place as many ribs as will comfortably fit on the grill grate (on the hot side if using charcoal).
Cook, uncovered, until nicely charred on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs, flip the ribs and grill until the second sides are nicely charred, about 2 minutes, then transfer to a platter. If not all ribs fit onto the grill, cook the remainder in the same way.
Step 4
Serve the ribs with lettuce leaves and ssamjang. To eat, smear a little ssamjang on a piece of lettuce, cut a piece of meat from the bone and wrap it in the lettuce.
