Kalbi – Korean Marinated Short Rib

I’m actually extremely proud of this recipe. No, I didn’t make it up, but I’m sure glad I found it anyway! And I’m glad I made enough for 4 extra meals.

I always wondered how Korean restaurants got the marinated short rib so tasty and what the right mix of sauces/spices was. And every time I asked someone, there was a different answer. Lots of sugar, a can of coke, mirin, and whatnot. But one thing that seemed the most common was the Korean/Japanese/Asian Pear. Now, I’d never heard of Asian Pears before last year, and even then, I’d never actually seen one of these mythical pieces of fruit. Essentially, it’s a pear that looks like an apple. A yellow apple.

But anyway, they’re super sweet and add a really nice taste to the marinade, along with some freshly chopped garlic and scallions. Marinate overnight and throw on the grill (or grill pan in my case) and wham, tasty…tasty kalbi.

I found the original recipe somewhere on some blog on the Internet and in my haste to copy it down, forgot the site it came from. So if I could provide a link-back I would but despite my most earnest efforts, I failed. I did find another recipe (and several others) on CityMama that was similar to the one I used so I’ll link that instead for now.

I didn’t have the traditional thin sliced short rib across the bone, but I did have some short rib from Whole Foods in the freezer that I picked up on sale a couple weeks back, so that was going to have to do.

Kalbi – Korean Marinated Short Rib

Serves 6-8 with rice and side veggies
Time : Overnight to marinate, 15-20 minutes to cook

Ingredients:
- ½ cup light soy sauce
- ½ cup sweet vermouth or dessert wine
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- few grinds of black pepper
- 2-3 scallions, chopped
- drizzle of honey (optional)
- 1 asian pear, grated
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 3 lbs short rib (bone or boneless), sliced thin
- 2 scallions, chopped, for garnish

Method:
1. Mix the marinade together with the sliced short rib in a sealed bag, set aside overnight.
2. Add some oil to a skillet or wok, stir fry beef in batches.
3. After the beef is finished, leave the marinade in the pan for a few minutes longer until it starts to get thick. Pour over the beef.

Notes:
- The portions can be halved or quartered as you see fit. This recipe makes a LOT
- The marinade can be cooked beforehand as well.
- The marinade may be too much for that amount of meat, some of it can be saved but it doesn’t really preserve well