Flanken Ribs Recipe (Kalbi Style)
Did I mention how much I love ribs? Pork ribs usually get the most love, but let’s not forget about beef. Beef ribs are well marbled and full of flavor, but the meat can be a bit chewy with a fair amount of grizzle. My favorite way to prepare short ribs is in the Korean style, called Kalbi.
This method involves using ribs that have been cut across the bones into thin strips, marinating to add flavor and tenderize, and then grilling hot and fast. Your local butcher probably has Flanken cut beef short ribs available or you can always find them in any well stocked Asian market. For this recipe, use short ribs that have been cut into ½” thick slices.
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Here are our flanken cut beef short ribs. Check out the fat marbling and notice the ends of the three bones showing. These are going to taste great when were done with them.
Here’s all of the ingredients that we’re going to use. The only one that’s a little out of the ordinary is the Asian pear. If you aren’t familiar, an Asian pear is probably more like an apple than a run of the mill Bartlett pear, except they aren’t near as sweet as an apple. If you have trouble finding an Asian pear, substitute a Fuji apple and you’ll be good to go.
To start the marinade, peel the Asian pear, apple, ginger and garlic and puree in a food processor. You could of course grate them all by hand, but that would take you a lot more time.
Next, add the soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, mirin, cayenne and pepper. Pulse to incorporate.
Stir in the sliced green onions (whites and greens) and the sesame seeds. Put the ribs in a zip lock bag or shallow container and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours, but better if overnight. Make sure to mix up the ribs in the marinade every now and then.
About 30 minutes before you are ready to grill, take the ribs out of the refrigerator and fire up your grill. Grill on high heat for 3 or 4 minutes per side.
Serve with rice, your favorite Asian hot sauce for dipping, a cucumber salad and beer. Don’t forget the beer. Enjoy!
Flanken Ribs Recipe (Kalbi Style)
Flanken Ribs Recipe (Kalbi Style)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef short ribs cut in 1/2 inch strips across the bones
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 Asian pear peeled, cored and grated
- 1/2 Fuji apple peeled, cored and grated
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger peeled and grated
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 green onions sliced
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
Instructions
- Peel and core Asian pear, apple, ginger and garlic. Put in food processor and pulse to puree. Alternately, you could grate by hand.
- Add soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, mirin, cayenne and pepper. Pulse to incorporate.
- Slice green onions. Add to marinade.
- Stir in sesame seeds.
- Marinate ribs in a zip lock bag or shallow casserole dish in the refrigerator at least 12 hours, preferably overnight.
- Remove ribs from refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling.
- Remove ribs from marinade. Grill on high for 3 or 4 minutes per side to desired doneness.
- Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
