Kalbi beef is a classic Korean BBQ Short Ribs dish, perfect for summer grilling, but wonderful to make any time of year. I share cooking options for outdoor grilling and also how to broil the short ribs in your oven. This recipe has my Korean mom’s secret ingredient in the marinade for extra tender short ribs!
As Korean food has become more and more popular in the US, Kalbi beef has played a huge part in paving the way to that popularity. It’s one of the main staples of Korean BBQ, and people rightfully go bonkers over how good it is.
Korean kalbi is a special-cut beef short rib (often labeled Korean style short ribs or flanken cut) that’s marinated in a sweet and salty marinade, and grilled until caramelized and deeply brown.
It’s the food of my childhood and something my Korean mama has made for me for years and years. Every time my mom threw a party, there was always kalbi. Always.
And sometimes my mom would decide that we just needed to make and eat lots of kalbi, and she’d consequently call it a party. Even when no one else was coming over. My mom’s thinking was on point!
“Galbi” translates to English as “ribs,” and at Korean-style barbecue restaurants in the United States, the term has become overwhelmingly synonymous with beef short ribs cut through—rather than parallel to—the rib bones into long, thin pieces.
Step by Step Overview
To get started on the Korean marinade, combine grated kiwi, grated Asian pear, soy sauce, brown sugar, fresh minced garlic, sesame oil, and black pepper:
Mix this together, and then you have your marinade:
Now it’s time to grab your beef!
Below are Korean-style short ribs, also called flanken short ribs.
They have three bones on the top and a couple inches of meat below, and come in thin strips. These are actually a little bit skimpier than normal, but nevertheless, you can see how beautifully marbled the meat is:
Combine the beef and marinade in a ziptop bag:
Marinate this for 4 hours, and as long as overnight.
Now it’s time to cook the beef! The preferred method is to grill them, as I think beef is best when grilled (hello Grilled Ribeye and Grilled Flank Steak). But when a hot grill is not an option, I’ve found that the second best method is to broil them.
Set the marinated beef on top of a wire rack on a sheet pan, and discard any excess marinade:
Broil on high heat for 3-4 minutes on each side, until they are deeply brown and caramelized:
If that’s not an option either, you can pan-fry them, but they don’t caramelize as evenly. They’re still good though.
Serve with rice, and garnish with sliced green onions or sesame seeds, if desired.
If you wish to cut the long strip of beef into bite-size pieces, it is customary to use kitchen shears to cut in between the bones on top. Enjoy!
The perfect cut you need! Boneless wagyu short rib from the cap
Who would get the tickets? I knew I was first but who knew that? For a second I wondered, “What if this family of four just says they were first? Its four against one”. Also the father of the family was doing something a bit odd. He kept standing right in front of me, like he was trying to get me to move or take my place. He was literally inches from me with his back to me right in my personal space. But I stood my ground, I wasnt budging an inch. I may be small but I will fight. Im basically a raccoon.
Step 2 d- Oven instructions: Preheat oven to 180C/350F and have a large, deep baking dish ready. Place the entire mixture including the sauce and the additional water and salt into into a large cast iron pot with lid. Cover well with two layers of foil and bake for 3 hours or until beef is very tender. Gently remove beef pieces (they will be soft). Sprinkle beef with chopped chives or green onions and sesame seeds. Serve this with boiled rice and potato salad.
What is Kalbi? Kalbi or galbi is a delicious Korean beef dish using beef short rib. Galbi (ê°ë¹) means “rib” in Korean hangeul. The ribs are cut in a style called “LA Galbi” where it is cut through the bone flanken style. The thinnish, bone-in strips of beef are marinated in a sauce of soy sauce, brown sugar and nashi pear (to tenderise it) and are usually cooked on a charcoal grill. However this beef galbi is different, its boneless and sliced thicker and it is braised in a sauce either in the oven, stovetop or pressure cooker rather than on a barbecue. This means that its great for making ahead of time, to serve a crowd and you can cook up a lot of this and prepare it ahead of time. Perfect for a food truck or a big party celebration!
Seeing them in real life was like seeing a celebrity in the flesh. We noticed people sitting in the enclosure feeding them. “How do they get to do this? I want to go to there,” I said to Mr NQN and when it was over I spoke to the keeper. It turns out that you can book a capybara encounter but its not easy and it is a very hotly contested ticket. There are only 4 people allowed in the group and only 1 or 2 groups a day. I was told that I had to go to the zoo entrance before they open at 9am and buy a ticket then. Theres no fast track of online way to buy tickets and it is first come first served. It was a Monday morning so my chances were better than on a weekend. “Make sure to get there early though,” they said warning me.
Re-butchering Beef Short Ribs for Korean Galbi
FAQ
What cut of meat is galbi?
What kind of meat is galbi anyway?
What cut of beef is used for short ribs?
What is the difference between short rib and LA Galbi?
What kind of meat is galbi?
Galbi, also known as kalbi, is a type of grilled meat in Korean cuisine. Galbi (갈비) means rib bones in Korean, so typically when the word is applied to proteins, it refers to the part of meat that comes with the bones. Galbi usually refers to beef short ribs, but you can also get pork galbi, which uses spare ribs.
Is galbi a short rib?
Galbi, Korean for short ribs, is the epitome of Korean BBQ. Many western cultures consider short ribs to be chewy and tough, requiring a long-cooking process such as braising to become tender. However, galbi can be enjoyed cooked over the grill because the meat is sliced very thin. What’s the Difference Between Galbi and Bulgogi?
What is grilled beef galbi?
The perfect way to experiment is with this recipe for grilled Beef galbi. It’s a sweet and savory Korean Short Rib dish that will have you salivating all season long. What is Korean Beef Galbi? Before we dive into the recipe, let’s first cover what galbi is.
What does galbi taste like?
Once grilled, galbi has a slightly smoky, sweet-and-salty taste. Because the beef short ribs get tenderized during the marinating process, the marbling of fat in this cut of short ribs makes each bite so flavorful and delicious. And, because the meat is attached to the bones and cooked with them, the meat stays juicy and tender. Prepare your meat.