Kalbi, a staple in Korean cuisine, translates to “ribs” in English. While the term encompasses various types of ribs, in the context of American Korean barbecue restaurants, it predominantly refers to beef short ribs. These ribs are cut in a specific way, resulting in long, thin pieces that are perfect for grilling.
The Specific Cut of Beef Short Ribs for Kalbi
The traditional cut for Korean-style kalbi involves slicing the beef short ribs across the bones, creating thin, flat pieces with one smooth bone along the short edge. This cut allows for even cooking and maximizes the surface area for marinating.
However, an alternative cut, known as “LA galbi” or “flanken cut,” has gained popularity. This variation features cut bones peeking out along the long edge, resembling a short rib “finger.” This method, developed by Korean immigrants in Los Angeles, caters to the thinner rib-eye cut preferred by American butchers. The LA galbi cut allows for faster marinade penetration and has become increasingly popular in both the US and South Korea.
Other Options for Kalbi
While beef short ribs are the most common choice for kalbi, other cuts of meat can be used as well. Pork spare ribs are a popular alternative, often marinated and served as “dwaeji-galbi.” Additionally, “dak-galbi” utilizes spicy stir-fried chicken, and “tteok-galbi” features grilled short rib patties.
Marinating and Grilling Kalbi
Kalbi is typically served marinated, with the marinade varying depending on the type of meat used. Beef kalbi is often marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, garlic, scallions, ginger juice, black pepper, sesame oil, and toasted sesame seeds. Pork kalbi marinades can be either soy sauce-based or gochujang (chili paste)-based.
Galbi is typically grilled on tabletop grills by the diners themselves. The meat cooks quickly over medium-high heat, and the remaining marinade is brushed on during grilling to achieve a glazed finish. Once cooked, the kalbi is often cut into pieces with kitchen scissors and wrapped in lettuce leaves, perilla leaves, or other leafy vegetables. These wraps, called “ssam,” usually include a piece of grilled meat, ssamjang (a spicy soybean paste), raw or grilled garlic, and a sauce made of soybean paste and chili paste.
Kalbi, a cornerstone of Korean cuisine, is typically made with beef short ribs cut across the bones into thin, flat pieces. However, the “LA galbi” or “flanken cut,” featuring cut bones along the long edge, has gained popularity. Other options include pork spare ribs, spicy stir-fried chicken (“dak-galbi”), and grilled short rib patties (“tteok-galbi”). Kalbi is typically marinated and grilled, often by the diners themselves, and served wrapped in lettuce leaves with various accompaniments.
Step by Step Overview
Grated kiwi, grated Asian pear, soy sauce, brown sugar, freshly minced garlic, sesame oil, and black pepper are combined to begin the Korean marinade:
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 are thin strips with three bones on top and a few inches of meat below. Even though these are a little bit skimpier than usual, the exquisitely marbled meat is still visible:
Combine the beef and marinade in a ziptop bag:
Marinate this for 4 hours, and as long as overnight.
It’s now time to cook the beef, and grilling is the preferred method (check out Grilled Ribeye and Grilled Flank Steak, for example). But I’ve discovered that broiling them is the next best option if using a hot grill isn’t possible.
After placing the marinated beef on a sheet pan with a wire rack on top, discard any leftover marinade:
Broil for 3–4 minutes on each side at high heat, or until they are caramelized and deeply brown:
You can pan-fry them if that’s also not an option, but the caramelization won’t be as uniform. They’re still good though.
Serve over rice, and if you’d like, top with sesame seeds or sliced green onions.
Traditionally, you would use kitchen shears to cut in between the top bones of the long strip of beef if you wanted to cut it into bite-sized pieces. Enjoy!.
The perfect cut you need! Boneless wagyu short rib from the cap
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Step 2d: Prepare a large, deep baking dish and preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Put all of the ingredients, including the sauce, extra water, and salt, in a large covered cast-iron pot. When the beef is very tender, bake it for three hours, tightly covered with two layers of foil. Gently remove beef pieces (they will be soft). Add sesame seeds, chopped chives, or green onions to steak. Serve this with boiled rice and potato salad.
What is Kalbi? Kalbi, sometimes known as galbi, is a flavorful Korean beef dish made with short ribs. Galbi (ê°ë¹) means “rib” in Korean hangeul. In a technique known as “LA Galbi,” the ribs are sliced through the flanken style of the bone. The thin, bone-in beef strips are typically cooked over charcoal and marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, brown sugar, and nashi pear to make them tender. But unlike other beef galbi, this one is boneless, sliced thicker, and braised in a sauce either on a barbecue or in an oven, stovetop, or pressure cooker. This indicates that you can cook up a lot of this and prepare it in advance, and that it’s great for making ahead of time to serve a crowd. Perfect for a food truck or a big party celebration!.
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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.