The smell of Kalbi hitting a hot grill is something I will never get tired of. It’s one of those aromas that instantly brings people to the kitchen — and trust me, once your neighbors catch a whiff, they’ll be knocking on your door.
Growing up in an Asian household, Korean BBQ was always a celebration food. Kalbi — those gorgeous thin-sliced beef short ribs marinated in a salty-sweet-tangy sauce — has a way of making any meal feel like a special occasion. The marinade is the magic here: pureed pear, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, honey, and sesame come together into something that tenderizes the meat and caramelizes beautifully on the grill. Just 4-5 minutes per side and you have ribs that peel right off the bone.
Marinate overnight if you can. But even a couple of hours will have your family at the table before you can call them. Let’s fire up that grill!
We usually eat these on the weekend or special occasions. You can make them without using a marinade to mix it up a bit. All you have to do is add some salt and pepper before grilling them.
Having grown up in an Asian household I prefer to marinate them. When marinated for 3 hours or overnight (recommended), the meat gets very tender and you can taste the succulent sauce. The sauce adds a beautiful marriage of salty-sweet-tangy to the texture and creates flavorful juicy ribs that are a joy to eat. In my opinion, the marinade elevates the taste of the beef and increases the tenderness of the meat. When cooked correctly the meat should easily peel away from the bone and not be chewy. Beef ribs are well served with rice, noodles, lettuce but you can just gnaw on them fresh off the grill with a cold beer or you preferred libation. When this dish hits the table, yo will be able to tell by the looks on the faces of your family that this will no doubt become a staple for communal dinning in your household.
Grilled Korean BBQ Beef Short Ribs (Kalbi)
Equipment
- Food Processor or Blender
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs thin sliced beef ribs
Marinate
- 2 pears or 1 asian pear
- 6 garlic cloves
- ½ onion
- 2 tbsp ginger
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup mirin can substitute dry sherry, sweet marsala wine or dry white wine
- 2 tbsp honey
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a food processor, add all the marinated ingredients except the sesame seeds. Puree until smooth.
- In a large bowl, add the meat and marinated mixture together. Using a gloved hand; fold/turn the meat until the ribs are fully covered.
- Add sesame seeds to the large bowl and fold/turn until the ribs are uniformly coated.
- Marinate for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight.
- Preheat the grill on to high. Cook 2-3 minutes per side.