Grilled Korean Short Ribs (aka Korean Beef Galbi)
These grilled Korean beef short ribs are marinated overnight in a traditional Asian pear, onion, and soy sauce-based marinade, and then grilled to perfection over an open flame. Tender, sweet, savory – this Korean short ribs recipe hits all the right notes!
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 5 lb flanken-cut beef short ribs *See notes
- 2 green onions sliced for garnish
For the Marinade:
- 1½ Asian pear cored and cut into chunks
- 1 medium sweet onion peeled and chopped
- 6 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 cup soy sauce
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup mirin
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
Instructions
- Make the marinade: Add all of the marinade ingredients to a large blender cup or food processor. Blend until smooth.
- Marinate the short ribs overnight: Add a spoonful of the marinade to the bottom of a 9" x 13" casserole dish and spread it out in an even layer. Lay one layer of short ribs down flat in the bottom of the dish. Spoon more marinade on top of the ribs. Continue layering ribs and the marinade (similar to building a lasagna). Lid or plastic wrap the casserole dish, and place it in the refrigerator overnight, or at least 8-12 hours for best results.
- Prepare the grill for direct heat cooking. Aim for a grill temperature of about 475-500℉.
- While the grill is heating up, remove the ribs from the marinade, allowing the excess to drip off, and transfer them to a baking sheet.
- Grill the Korean short ribs: Lay the ribs directly on the grill grates, leaving a bit of space in between each rib. Grill untouched on the first side for about 2-3 minutes, or until you see some nice caramelization and a little char. *These ribs are thin and will cook quickly, so don’t walk away. Use tongs to flip the ribs to the second side, and grill another 2-4 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches about 130℉ for medium rare.
- Transfer grilled short ribs to a serving platter. Garnish with sliced green onions and serve whole, or cut the ribs in between the bones into smaller portions if desired.
Notes
- Using a box grater - If you don’t have a blender, you can also use a box grater to grate the onion and Asian pear before whisking with the other marinade ingredients.
- For the short ribs - Look for “flanken-style” beef short ribs, which are thin slices cut across the bone. The Korean-style short ribs are only about 1/4" to 1/2" thick, and they have small oval-shaped pieces of the rib bones on one side where they are cut cross-wise. Most big box stores like Costco or Sam’s Club carry them.