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United States

Galbi

Galbi, meaning “ribs” in Korean, are made with an adapted cut in the United States. Regular galbi in Korea is cut across and along the bone, with the meat butterflied away to create a thin piece of meat still connected to the bone on one side. Korean immigrants arriving in Los Angeles in the 20th century were unable to find the right cut of meat to prepare their galbi traditionally, and innovated by switching to use of flanken-cut short ribs, with the meat cut laterally across the rib bones. LA-style galbi is much simpler to prepare than the original Korean version of this barbecue dish of marinated grilled beef.

Recipe Servings: 4

Prep Time
20 minutes
+ 8 hours resting
Cook Time
5 minutes
Total Time
8 hours 25 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal

Ingredients

  • 3½ lb la-style beef short ribs
    ⅓ cup soy sauce
    ⅓ cup water or cooking wine
  • ¼ cup and 1 tsp honey, divided
  • Ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 ripe bosc pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
  • 6 cloves of garlic, divided (5 whole, 1 minced)
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 tsp chopped ginger
  • 2 Tbsp and 1 tsp sesame oil, divided
  • 2 Tbsp soybean paste
  • 1 Tbsp hot pepper paste
  • 1 stalk green onion, chopped
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds
  • Whole lettuce leaves, for wrapping
  • 2 green chile peppers, finely chopped
  • 1 cucumber, cut into long, ½-inch thick strips
  • 1 carrot

Directions

  1. 1. Prepare the ribs, trimming excess fat and rinsing several times in cold water. Then soak in cold water for 10–20 minutes.
  2. 2. To make the marinade, in a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, water or cooking wine, ¼ cup honey, and ground black pepper. In a blender, add the pears, 5 cloves of garlic, the onion, and the ginger, pulsing until the liquid becomes creamy and white. Add the pear mixture to the soy sauce base, along with the 2 tablespoons of sesame oil.
  3. 3. Rinse the short ribs in fresh cold water a few last times, removing any bone fragments. Drain and add the ribs to the marinade, covering thoroughly. Refrigerate overnight.
  4. 4. Heat a grill, barbecue, or heavy frying pan. Cook the meat for about 5 minutes, turning.
  5. 5. To make the dipping sauce, combine 2 tablespoons soy bean paste, 1 tablespoon hot pepper paste, 1 stalk of chopped green onion, 1 clove of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, and the sesame seeds in a small bowl with a spoon.

  6. 5. Rinse and drain the lettuce leaves. To serve, cut the meat from the bone, place on top of a lettuce leaf, add dipping sauce and chile pepper, and fold to eat in a bite.

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