BEST Galbi, Korean Grilled Beef Short Ribs!
I’ve shared galbi recipe a while ago and shared how and what you can do with the marinade. I used beef, pork and chicken so I decided to make a recipe that dedicated to beer ribs. Which is the most loved cut of meat for Korean bbq.
I mentioned a lot in the past that when it comes down to Korean bbq and grilling, I know what I’m talking about. Because my dad is a organic farmer, a butcher and Korean bbq restaurant owner.
I will answer a top 3 questions about gabli in this post.
First, what is the right name? Galbi or Kalbi?
The answer is, “Galbi” is more close the the original pronunciation so I prefer to spell “Galbi”
Ok, then what’s “LA Galbi” and why is it called by the name?
The most popular theory is that the first generation of Korean Americans who settled in Los Angeles in the 20th century were not familiar with the general cuts of the meats in United States, so they were in the process of searching for meat that fits the Korean culture.
In order to produce Korean traditional style ribs (Galbi) that can be marinated in Korean seasoning and grilled, the ribs must be butterflied 2 to 3 times with a knife. This is very special butcher skill that takes a while to learn and master. Also it takes a long time labors to achieve the result.
In the states, the labor cost is so high. Therefore, it was too expensive for poor Koreans immigrants to buy. So, while looking for cheap meat, they came up with a solution with Flanken style cut, a form that could be cut right away with a cutter machine instead of a knife.
This signature look of LA galbi got so popular now, even people in Korea enjoys too!
Lastly, Gabli vs. Bulgogi
Galbi is rib, galbi means literally ribs. So if it’s not made with ribs, it’s not gabli. There are many Korean dishes ha “Gabli” as a part of the name, because it’s cut of meat – even it’s not beef nor grilled.
However, bulgogi must have savory & sweet (sometimes spicy) flavor and cooked on fire. “But” means fire and “Gogi” means meat.
For bulgogi, commonly used thin cut meat, it can be beef, pork, chicken or any protein.
There are so many variation of bulgogi out there, I can name them all day and night long.
Alrighty, I think we cleared up some of the questions about galbi, so are we ready to jump into the recipe now?! Let’s get started!
For this recipe, you will need 3 lb of beef short ribs. I used 1-inch thick beef short ribs because it’s more meatier but you can use thiner cut of short ribs that more commonly found at grocery stores.
Score beef short ribs about 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep in a criss corss pattern on both sides.
Beef is ready, so let’s make marinate!
These are the ingredients for the marinate:
- 1/2 cup matganjnag, Korean flavored soy sauce (you can use 1/3 cup soy sauce + 1 tbsp sugar mixture for substitute.)
- 1/4 cup mirin or apple juice
- 1/4 cup 100% maple syrup or honey
- 2 tbsp Maesilaek or 1/2 Korean pear, diced
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 green or golden kiwi (approximately 1 tbsp) or pineapple (If your beef short rib is thiner than 1-inch, use only half amount of kiwi.)
- 15 to 20 cloves garlic
- 1/2 medium size onion, diced
Add all the ingredients for the marinate in a 4 cups measuring cup and blend all together with a hand bender. You could use a blender too.
Pour marinate over short ribs, make sure each pieces are covered with marinate evenly. You could use ziplock bag if you preferred.
Cover, marinate for 6 to 8 hours in a refrigerator.
Slice 1 onion and chop 2 green onions for serving.
Preheat a cast iron grill pan over medium heat. Brush grill pan with 1 tbsp cooking oil. Place short ribs on hot oiled grill pan and cook until it’s done your desired doneness and edges are nicely charred, about 8 to 10 minutes. Flip occasionally. Do batches as needed.
If you are using outdoor grill, go ahead and grill ribs 8 to 10 minutes.
A tip: Don’t throwaway leftover marinade! Pour marinade into a sauce pan and bring it to boil. When it starts boiling, reduce heat to medium and cook sauce about 10 minutes. Skim as you needed. This will be a delicious dipping sauce for galbi!
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Wash cast iron grill pan right after cooking ribs (immediately while it’s still hot) carefully with running hot water. I use bamboo wok brush to clean my cast iron pans.
I always use bamboo wok brush to clean my wok and cast iron pans.
Dry throughly and spread a thin layer of vegetable, avocado or flaxseed oil over grill pan. (you can use this method for any cast iron pan) Place back to stove and reheat over medium heat.
Brush extra 1 tbsp cooking oil and place sliced onion. Arrange short ribs top of oinon and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy with warm cooked rice, kimchi and your favorite side dishes!
BEST Galbi Korean BBQ
- Total Time: 6 hours 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 lb beef short ribs
For the Marinate
- 1/2 cup matganjnag, Korean flavored soy sauce*
- 1/4 cup mirin or apple juice
- 1/4 cup 100% maple syrup or honey
- 2 tbsp Maesilaek or 1/2 pear
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 green or golden kiwi (approximately 1 tbsp) or pineapple*
- 15 to 20 cloves garlic
- 1/2 medium size onion, diced
For Serving
- cooking oil
- 1 medium size onion, sliced
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1/2 tsp sesame seed
Instructions
- Score beef short ribs about 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep in a criss corss pattern on both sides.
- Place all ingredients for marinate in a 4 cups measuring cup and blend all together with a hand bender. You could use a blender too.
- Pour marinate over short ribs, make sure each pieces are covered with marinate evenly. Cover, marinate for 6 to 8 hours in a refrigerator.
- Preheat a cast iron grill pan over medium heat.* Brush grill pan with 1 tbsp cooking oil. Place short ribs on hot oiled grill pan and cook until it’s done your desired doneness and edges are nicely charred, about 8 to 10 minutes. Flip occasionally. Do batches as needed.
- Wash cast iron grill pan right after cooking ribs (while it’s still hot) carefully with running hot water. I use bamboo brush to clean my cast iron pans. Dry throughly and spread a thin layer of vegetable, avocado or flaxseed oil over grill pan. (you can use this method for any cast iron pan) Place back to stove and reheat over medium heat.
- Brush extra 1 tbsp cooking oil and place sliced onion. Arrange short ribs top of oinon and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy with warm cooked rice, kimchi and your favorite side dishes!
- A tip: Don’t throwaway leftover marinade! Pour marinade into a sauce pan and bring it to boil. When it starts boiling, reduce heat to medium and cook sauce about 10 minutes. Skim as you needed. This will be a delicious dipping sauce for galbi!
Notes
- You can use 1/3 cup soy sauce + 1 tbsp sugar mixture to substitute matganjang.
- If your beef short rib is thiner than 1-inch, use only half amount of kiwi.
- If you are using outdoor grill, go ahead and grill ribs 8 to 10 minutes.
- Prep Time: 6 hours
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
21 comments
I can’t wait to try this in the vegan version
Yes! I think slicing up king oyster mushrooms and marinating them in this marinade and grilling them would taste fantastic!
Hi Seonkyoung!! I’m allergic to kiwi and pineapple 🙁 are there any substitute?
ps your recipes have overtaken my meal plans 🥰🥰
You can substitute it with a pear, or just skip these ingredients, it just won’t make the meat as tender. (:
Hello SeonKyoung onni!! i’ve tried this recipe at home last night, the taste was soo good! but i am not sure why it burnt really quickly? is it because i am using a frying pan instead of the grilling pan? since i don’t have a grilling pan, i just cook them with the frying pan… can i get some tips on how to avoid having the galbi getting too burnt or charred (some burnt really bad like black ) ? thank you!! 😀
This has my daughter’s stamp of approval, and she is not a beef eater.
I made this last night and it was delicious. Excellent recipe and easy to follow, I BBBQd the meat over charcoal. Initially I thought that the raw onions might be overpowering, but they were the perfect accompaniment, adding a nice bright flavor. I also took the opportunity to make your Korean potatoes and Stir Fried Chinese greens to make a complete meal. We have leftover meat so l’ll make “Korean” tacos with that later this week.
Can you use this marinade for galbi jjim?
Can I refrigerate for 24 hours or will that be too long?
Can these be made ahead of time and kept warm or would it dry out the ribs?
I made this last night with some short ribs from Hmart! It was so legit like my favorite Korean bbq in flushing. I think I can stop looking for Galbi recipes! I’ve found my favorite one, thank you!!
can we marinated the day before?
Yes you can!
I’ve made this recipe once so far. I am going to be making it again tomorrow. Honestly it is better than in a restaurant!!! Especially when you get to decide where to source the meat from. I will make this again and again for sure. Worth the overnight marinade if you have the time.
We tried this recipe and the flavor is great but the ribs are very tough. Are they suppose to be? Any suggestions?
So good! Did kbbq at home and my guests loved this recipe. I let it marinate overnight and it was well worth it. Meat wasn’t tough at all. I bought the galbi from hmart.
So glad I could help!
Hi! I was only able to find 2 pound packages of meat at hMART. Can I still use the original measurements for the marinade for 3 pounds of beef? Or do I have to change the measurements
Thank you for your help 🙂
Sorry for the late reply! Im pretty sure you figured out already, but here is my answer. You could cut the recipe and use only 2/3 of it. Or you can make the whole recipe and keep the 1/3 extra for other meal. Help this helps!
Hi, I only have 매실청 (syrup) instead of 매실액 (extract). It’s a bit confusing since the names are used interchangeably in recipes and explanations. Anyway, if it can be substituted, would I just have to omit the 2 TBSP of sugar? Thank you!
Sorry for my late reply Sara. They can be substituted with one and another. They are basically same things but some has much more sugar and syrup. Some has more fruity, tangy and fermented taste with less sugar so it’s good to check its ingredients before purchase. I would taste the sauce without the sugar then and add more to taste. Happy cooking!