Korean Cut Short Ribs w/ Ginger-Soy Marinade
For those uninitiated, Korean Cut short ribs refers to a butcher style of cross-cutting the ribs so that they are about 1/2-3/4″ thick. This is, of course, for the Korean dish Kalbi, which is unbelievably addicting. The ribs cut this way allow you to be able to grill, broil, or pan sear them quickly and makes it easier to eat with chopsticks. This grilled Korean Kalbi recipe is crazy delicious. This korean short ribs recipe was one of our first recipe posts back in 2008.
Korean Short Ribs Recipe
Still hazy in my pre-coffee morning stupor, Diane hit me with innocent question, “Are you going to cook that?…” It immediately kicked an, “Aww, dang it!” out of my mouth. Or at least something similar. A few days earlier we had purchased one of our favorite cuts of beef, the Korean-style-cut short ribs and I totally forgot about them in the fridge. Determined to redeem myself, I had my morning cappuccino (priorities, you know) then laid my focus into the short ribs.
Video: Making the Korean Style Short Ribs on the Grill
Best Marinade for Korean Cut Short Ribs
The Korean cut short ribs are quick and easy to prepare and cook. Sometimes too quick to cook, and if you are cooking on high heat or broiling and aren’t paying attention, you can easily blacken them. We love the balance in this marinade for the short ribs. It has a just enough of a brown sugar sweetness highlighted against the saltiness of the soy sauce, the savory character of the garlic and the brightness of the fresh ginger. Not too much on the brown sugar though, we didn’t want them tasting sweet.
You can Broil the Ribs in the Oven or Cook on the Grill
I focused for the whole 10 minutes it took to cook, and the ribs came out quite delectable. We love to broil then in the oven as they cook quick and it gives them a nice sear. They cook just as great on the grill, too. Since then we’ve made the recipe time and time again. Sometimes in the oven, other times on the grill. Just depends on the weather and if we’d prefer to cook outside or inside. If it is nice weather, grilled Korean kalbi or short ribs are exquisitely good!
Korean Short Ribs w/ Ginger Soy Marinade
Ingredients
- 4 lbs Beef Short Ribs (flanken cut) (cut @ 1/2-3/4″ thick)
- 3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 1/4 cup Oil , high flash point oil is best like grapeseed oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2-3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (depending upon the saltiness of your preferred soy)
- 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh grated Ginger
Instructions
- Rinse and pat dry short ribs.
- Combine marinade ingredients (oil, garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger.)
- Put ribs in a plastic bag or flat container to marinate them in, add marinate and carefully toss to coat ribs. Allow to marinate for about 30 minutes. (You can leave these out for the 1/2 hour marinade time, but if marinating longer, then you might want to refrigerate them as they marinade)
For the Oven
- Heat oven on broil, 550ºF with the rack about 6 inches below the top. Line 2 sheet pans with aluminum foil. Place a wire rack on sheet pans then lay ribs in a single layer. (If your oven only can broil up to 500°F - just cook for a few more minutes or as needed to get them to your liking.)
- Broil for 4-5 minutes each side or until cooked through and crispy.
For the Grill
- Heat grill (on medium-high to high heat if possible) or light charcoal and set up for grilling over direct heat.
- Remove short ribs from marinade and grill short ribs about 3-4 minutes per side, depending on your grill heat, short rib thickness, and personal preference. Serve as whole strips or cut between ribs for easier serving if desired.
Notes
Video
Nutrition Information per Serving
You’ll Love these other Recipes:
- Succulent & Tender Asian Pork Ribs with Sriracha-Hoisin Glaze
- Bourbon Maple Ribs Recipe
- Honey Mustard Spare Ribs
- Korean Style Zucchini Noodle Stir Fry w/ Pork & Kimchi
- Korean Gochujang Sauce Burger with Kimchi
Curious about Gochujang. Here’s a great article explaining what is Gochujang sauce.
This recipe was originally published in 2008 and was updated in 2021.
The weather was hot enough to grill these delicious ribs this past weekend. I can’t wait for the Summer to make these again. They came out amazing.
So glad to have found this great recipe — so easy! Last time I made flanked ribs I slow cooked them and they were great, but wanted something different for this time. Dinner tonight!
Just made these! Yeah, I know, late to the party. Better late than never. Will be making these again very soon. Oh, and chopsticks my ass, just pick ’em up and go to heaven.
It’s never too late to the party! Thanks for sharing and so glad you loved them.
I love these. I usually add some chopped up green onions and sesame seeds to the marinate. I have yet to find some one who doesn’t like them. There are awesome!
Hi! One of my Korean friends mother used to put a can of coke in her marinade. It was her “secret” ingredient, and it was AMAZING!!!
I think you redeemed yourself with the new set of grilled ribs, they look fantastic! It must have been a catastrophe the previous time with the carbonized ribs. I’ve accidentally over grilled meat and it is truly sad. Looks like a good recipe, I’ll try it out when I have time, Thanks!
Looks lovely. Kalbi is always, always, always served at every single important or semi-important Korean gathering/celebration. It has been and will continue to be an indication of the esteem in which we hold our guests and the significance of the occassion. American appetites and higher standards of living have allowed us the luxury of indulging in kalbi throughout the grilling season. I like how you’ve pared down the recipe to the essentials–very elegant and simple. The “recipe” my mother uses always includes garlic chives, cut into 1 1/2″ to 2″ pieces, a few good grinds of black pepper, a few minced garlic cloves, and a grated Asian (Korean) pear. Plus the usual soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil combo. And we prefer to grill vs broil, whenever possible. But perhaps that is because our oven must suck compared to yours–our broiled kalbi rarely gets that lovely char on the perimeters like you’ve achieved.
While I’m a traditionalist when it comes to kalbi marinades (no kochujang or miso, please) I am intrigued by @Don C’s suggestion of simmering the marinade with apples and mirin. Also, in LA’s Koreatown there is a soon-tubu chigae (ultra silken tofu stew–very spicy) place that serves a fragrant ginseng marinated kalbi.
Tried yours…turned out great. Also highly recommend incorporating garlic, green onions and kochu jang (korean hot paste for some heat or just plain miso for a mild savory flavor) into the marinade. If you want to go even further, try simmering (and subsequently cooling) the marinade with apples, sake and mirin (sweet cooking sake) and other ingredients, before adding the oil and meat.
Place ribs in a zip lock bag and marinate overnight in coke with the addition of ginger, sesame oil, garlic, and scallions. When you are ready to cook, take them out of the bag and dry them off. The acidity in the cola tenderizes the meat and then the sugars in the soda carmelize when grilled or broiled. Yummy! I have some marinating right now!
I loved short ribs recipe. But whenever I cook short ribs, they turn out rather tough and chewy. Any suggestions on how to make them more tender? I cook mine on an indoor stove-top grill.
Many thanks in advance.
Now that looks seriously tasty – I can’t get enough of ribs!
Why is the 1/3 cup of oil necessary? I have never used grape seed oil, will canola work?
Thanks
(Now that you mention it, you could easily reduce the amount of oil. However, we wouldn’t recommend to omit it all together because the oil will act as an emulsifier for the marinade, allowing to penetrate deeper into the meat. Because the excessive oil gets left in the marinade bag, we didn’t fret over the amount of oil. As far as types of oil, grape seed oil has a very high flash point (making it great for broiling) and a very clean flavor, but it can be easily replaced with your preferred oil. Since every oil has distinct flavor characteristics, canola is a good substitution choice because it also has a clean flavor. ) -WORC
Those short ribs look really tasty!
I bought short ribs yesterday, will be cooking them tomorrow. I was thinking of Rick Bayless’ Short Ribs with Poblanos, I think Mexican style will hit the spot after the traditional holiday meals of prime rib and mashed potatoes… Your ribs look fabulous, I have overcooked the Korean-cut ones myself. Definitely a shame. Happy holidays again.
LL
Your food pictures look amazing! I’d love to know how your setup is when picturing your food.
Charles
http://pampanguenacafe.wordpress.com
You have me drooling at 8:35 am in the morning. I am heading straight to the Asian store after this. Have a great Holiday !!!