South Korean Galbi is found all over the country. The Koreans are famous for their BBQ. Sometimes it is spelled Kalbi. The secret to this dish is the shredded Asian pear in the marinade. It acts as a tenderizer and also a provides wonderful sweet sour flavor.
The meat is also important. Flanken ribs or Korean short ribs (a bit thicker than flanken style) are the proper cut to use for this dish. The BBQ marinade is also used on a dish called Bulgogi. The difference is the cut of meat is usually thinly sliced ribeye and stir fried as opposed to BBQ. Which ever meat or cooking method you use, this marinade is simply delicious. It is also best if you can marinade the meat overnight for best flavor.
I used my regular grill however it is common that this dish is made with a BBQ built in to the middle of the table. It is perfectly sloped so the fat runs off the meat. This dish is also served with numerous side dishes called Banchan that the Koreans are also famous for. The banchan side dish recipes are found here south korean banchan
Please note the recipe below does not include the marinade time so plan accordingly.
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South Korean Galbi (Korean BBQ)
Korean BBQ is world renowned. I think it is the marinade that makes it so special. Try to find an Asian pear if you can it works beautifully.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs beef flanken style or short ribs
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup soju or coke can be substituted
- 1/4 cup sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup asian pear grated, if you can't find an asian pear use an apple or pear
- 1/4 cup onion, white or brown grated
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger minced or paste
- salt to taste
Instructions
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Pat your meat dry
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In a bowl thoroughly mix together all the marinade ingredients
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Using a glass bowl or ziploc bag, combine the meat in the marinade making sure to coat the meat well.
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Allow the meat to marinade in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours however overnight is much better.
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Remove the meat from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before grilling.
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Heat your grill to medium high heat
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Cook the meat until the desired doneness. Please note the flanken ribs only take a few minutes a side where as the meatier short ribs take a bit longer to cook.
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Serve with banchan
