Korean Grilled Marinated Short Ribs (Yangneom Galbi)

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.