From our Korean friend, Sharon White.  We make these several times a month, as we can’t get enough.  These sweet, savory Korean-style ribs are deeply flavorful and hard to resist. Traditionally grilled over wood, kalbi is made with thin-cut, flanken-style beef short ribs sliced across the bone—commonly available at Asian or Korean markets, such as H-Mart. The marinade balances richness with natural sweetness, typically from ripe Asian pear, but canned pineapple offers a dependable alternative year-round. Green kiwi adds both sweetness and natural enzymes that help tenderize the meat.  We usually do on propane grill, but wood fire is even beeter.

For best results, let the ribs marinate for at least 24 hours. When cooking, go longer than you might expect—this allows the fat to render and connective tissue to fully break down. Properly cooked kalbi will release cleanly from the bone with minimal resistance.

An 8-ounce can of pineapple chunks provides the right amount for this recipe. Green kiwi is preferred over yellow for its flavor and tenderizing effect. Use a clear rice wine such as michiu, cheongju, or mirin. Because flanken-style ribs are cut with a band saw, they may contain small bone fragments—rinsing them helps remove these. Kitchen shears are handy for trimming meat from the bone.

Garnish with sliced scallions if desired. For a traditional Korean ssam-style meal, wrap bite-sized pieces of beef in fresh lettuce leaves with a bit of short-grain white rice, kimchi, and ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste).

For 4 lbs of L.A. Style Korean short ribs, you marinate them in (all amounts are approximate, feel free to adjust to your taste):

  • 2-4 pounds of L.A. style beef flanken/Korean ribs
  • 2 c. water
  • 1/3 c. soy sauce
  • 4 t. ketchup and BBQ sauce
  • 2 t. liquid smoke
  • 1 t. Worcestershire
  • 1 T. cider vinegar
  • 1 T. Brown sugar to 1/2 cup depending on how sweet you want them
  • Diced garlic
  • Chopped green onions and/or garlic
  • 1 Asian pear diced, or similar amount of canned pineapple or kiwi (you can omit all without a lot of effect)
  • Pepper
  • 1 T. Korean Beef Seasoning Salt
  • a dash of sesame oil if you have it
  • 1 T. kocheejung (Korean Hot Pepper BBQ sauce)

 Marinate 2 hours to overnight with all ingredients above and the ribs.  Grill on a very hot grill to medium-rare, which is only a few minutes each side.  Serve with rice and seaweed paper, together with more kocheejung for dipping.  Serve with kimchi and Korean sides, if available.

An interesting version of the marinade from Roy Choi’s cookbook includes 1 kiwifruit peeled, 2 T. toasted sesame seeds and 1 c. fresh orange juice, in place of the vinegar.  He purees the marinade in a blender.  Some others add pureed Asian pear and mirin for a sweet tasting marinade.

Serve with kocheejung, which can be made at home or bought in many stores, or Ssamjang, a Korean dipping sauce which is also easy to make at home or buy at Korean grocers:

  • Ingredients
  • ¼ cup doenjang (fermented soybean paste)
  • 1 T. gochujang (hot pepper paste)
  • 1 T. maple syrup or honey
  • 1 stalk of minced green onion
  • 1 clove of minced garlic
  • ¼ cup chopped onion
  • 2 t. honey or mirin
  • 2 t. toasted sesame seeds and/or pistachios
  • 2 t. sesame oil

Directions

Use a spoon to mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.
Transfer it to a small bowl, and serve with rice and lettuce, or with meat BBQ.