Grilled Korean-Style Short Ribs (Galbi)

For a delicious change of pace, give these sweety-savory Grilled Korean-Style Short Ribs (Galbi) a try. Thin-cut beef short ribs are marinated in a flavorful, garlicky soy mixture and cooked quickly on a hot grill. They’re fun, finger-licking good and perfect for your next cookout.

For many of us, the unofficial grilling season starts Memorial Day weekend, or if you’re in Canada, like myself, Victoria Day weekend. For our Victoria Day weekend gathering, I made a parrillada — a mix of grilled meat. Everyone’s favorite, which almost disappeared before I could grab one for myself, was hands down the Korean short ribs, also known as Galbi.

Galbi is a popular dish of grilled, thinly-cut short ribs that is served at many Korean restaurants. It can easily be made at home by marinating the ribs for a few hours, then grilling them quickly on a hot grill.

The traditional marinade is a super flavorful mixture of soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sugar, mirin (or apple juice) and sesame oil. Adding a pureed Asian pear is not essential, but the fruit is full of tenderizing enzymes that will quickly work on thin pieces of meat.

Straight off the grill, the ribs are juicy and tender with a bit of char and smoky flavor. You can serve them just as you would regular ribs; alongside potato salads, pasta salads, fries, etc. A side of fluffy white rice and kimchi is also recommended.

Friends, for your next grill-fest, set aside the usual burger patty and give these ribs a try. They are absolutely scrumptious and a breeze to make.

Recipe Key Ingredients And Notes

• Beef short ribs – For these Korean marinated short ribs, you will need flanken short ribs (shown in photo above). You can find this style of short ribs at most Asian markets or well-stocked grocery stores. Like all beef, this cut used to be very budget-friendly but has now become quite pricey. If I’m making this dish for a larger crowd, I like to call the Butcher shops in my area and see who has it in stock and who has the best prices. See section below for more information on flanken-style short ribs.

• Low-sodium soy sauce – Lends a lot of salty, umami flavor to the marinade. Important: If using soy sauce that is not low-sodium, add a 1/4 cup water to the marinade.

• Mirin – This is a sweet Japanese rice wine that adds a ton of flavor to marinades and sauces. It is similar to sake but slightly sweeter and with a lower alcohol content. For this recipe, if you can’t find it, you can use apple juice instead, with an extra tablespoon of brown sugar. (This is not a mirin substitute I would recommend in general. I find it works for this marinade based on my own recipe testing).
• Fresh aromatics – Yellow onion, green onion, and garlic are the aromatics that give loads of body and flavor to the meat. Fresh ginger contributes the floral yet subtle heat that is essential in this dish.
• Toasted sesame oil – The dark sesame oil adds a lovely deep, nutty flavor.
• Asian pear – Used also in bulgogi marinades, Asian pears contain an enzyme called captain that helps tenderize the meat. It also adds a subtle natural sweetness which helps balance the salty flavor from the soy sauce. If you can’t find Asian pears you can also use a Bosc pears or a sweet apple variety.
• Dark brown sugar – The sweet notes in these Korean short ribs come from the addition of brown sugar as well as the Asian pear. Sugar also helps brown and caramelize the ribs as thy cook. I add considerably less sugar than other recipes, so feel free to add 1-2 tablespoons more if you wish.

What Are Franken-Style Short Ribs?

Franken-style short ribs is what you will need to make these Korean marinated short ribs. Instead of being cut between the bones so they are square and chunky, flanken-style short ribs are cut long and thin across the bone.

Thick, chunky short ribs need to be braised low and slow to become tender. But beef short ribs can also be tender if they are very thinly sliced and quickly seared over a hot fire. For most Korean cooks, these long and thin short ribs are the equivalent of the American-style barbecued pork ribs.

It is important that the ribs are cut no thicker than 1/4-inch. Otherwise, they will need longer to cook which will result in chewy meat that is not tender.

Do You Need To Marinate The Ribs For Very Long?

Kenji J Lopez has long dispelled the myth that marinating meat for very long will actually tenderize it, or even give it more flavor. However, these thin-cut ribs are perfect for soaking up quite a bit of the salty, flavorful marinade.

That said, I’m not very good at planning ahead and I tend to get away with 1 to 2 hours of marinating. Shorter than that, I would worry the ingredients in the marinade would not have enough time to meld.

Marinate the ribs for as long as you can manage. If you have no time whatsoever to marinate, skip the pear, and don’t add mirin or apple juice. The less liquids, the more intense flavors you can get from the aromatics and salty soy sauce.

Rinsing The Flanken-Style Short Ribs

When ribs are cut flanken-style, some bone fragments and dust remains on the surface. A quick soak and rinse will remove this.

To be honest, if the ribs look super clean in the package, I sometimes skip this step. But most Koreans are very diligent to do this. In fact, some like to leave the meat soaking for about 20 minutes to remove excess blood. Lately, I err on the side of caution, and always rinse.

If rinsing, just place the ribs in a large bowl and fill with cold water. Drain them well and lightly pat dry with paper towels (they don’t have to be patted completely dry since they are going in a wet marinade).

If not rinsing, make sure to pat the ribs with paper towels which will remove any excess moisture and help clean them up.

Can I Use Another Protein?

If you can’t use short ribs, this Korean-style marinade will also be fabulous to use with skirt steak or chicken thighs. Denver steak, if you can find it, is essentially a boneless short rib so it would be perfect to use with this marinade. If the Denver steaks are a bit thick, place them in the freezer for 1 hour, then slice them in half lengthwise.

For a vegan protein, you can use tofu or try it with mushrooms. If using tofu, slice it in half lengthwise before marinating. If using mushrooms, buy the chunkiest mushrooms you can find and they will soak up the marinade and grill beautifully.

How To Make Korean-Style Short Ribs

This is such a fantastic dish for summer-time grilling. Best of all, once your short ribs are done marinating, the grilling time takes under 10 minutes. Note: The complete instructions can be found in the recipe card below.

Step 1: Rinse the ribs (optional). If rinsing the ribs, place them in a large bowl and fill cold water. Drain well and lightly pat dry with paper towels.

Step 2: Prepare the marinade. Add all of the marinade ingredients to the bowl of a food processor or blender. Process or blend into a smooth-ish pulp.

Step 3: Marinate the meat. Place the ribs in a baking dish or large ziplock bag. Pour marinade over short ribs and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Step 4: Grill the ribs: Remove from fridge 30 minutes before grilling. Transfer the ribs to a clean baking sheet or large platter, allowing the excess marinade to drip off and remain behind. Preheat a clean grill to high heat. Grill short ribs, flipping once, until lightly charred and caramelized,, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Step 5: Garnish with thinly sliced green onions, if desired. Serve the ribs whole as a main course or, using kitchen shears, cut the ribs into smaller sections, if you wish.

How To Cook Galbi (Korean Short Ribs) Without A Grill

If you don’t have an outdoor grill, you can cook the short ribs under the broiler. Set an oven rack 10 inches for the broiler and preheat the broiler. Place the short ribs in a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack and broil for 2-3 minutes a side. The heat intensity of broilers varies greatly so keep a close eye on the meat so it doesn’t burn.

Alternatively, you can cook the short ribs on the stove top in a cast iron pan. Make sure you have good ventilation as this method can get smoky.

Serving Suggestions

Korean short ribs are great alongside classic barbecue side dishes such as potato salads, pasta salads, oven baked potatoes, and grilled veggies.

However, another way more traditional way to serve the short ribs is by cutting the meat off the bone with kitchen shears. This way, the meat can be served in lettuce leaves with a bit of rice and kimchi.

Whole or cut short ribs can also be served with white rice and a simple cucumber salad.

Freezing And Storage Tips

• Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven, or a hot grill just until warmed though. They are also delicious cold, straight out of the fridge.
• To freeze: The uncooked marinated beef can be placed in freezer-safe bags and for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before grilling.

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