Marinated in a perfectly balanced sweet and savory sauce, the galbi meat will be tender and succulent while still being nicely browned and caramelized on the outside.
Cut of meat — galbi (beef short ribs)
Galbi marindade
These days, people use all sorts of things to tenderize short ribs, which are a tough cut of meat, including kiwi, pineapple, cola, etc. My favorite is Korean/Asian pear, which is a traditional ingredient used for galbi. Grated onion and alcohol, in the marinade, also tenderize the meat. These ribs have a smooth balance of sweet and savory flavors!
If you cannot find Asian pears, use an apple instead. Some Korean chefs swear by kiwi or pineapple but you will have to make sure you don’t over-marinate the meat as these are very strong tenderizing agents.
Don’t rush the marinating part! The meat should really marinate the meat for 6 – 8 hours, otherwise it will not be as tender and flavorful as is could be. The thicker the meat, the longer you’ll want to marinate.
Which side dishes shall I serve along with my LA Galbi?
Aside from rice, any of the traditional side dishes (banchan) on my site will do, but pickled dishes complement the meat especially well as their acidity enhance the meat’s umami.
Try my Cucumber Kimchi, my Bok Choi Kimchi Salad , or my Green Onion Kimchi.
Did you make and love this LA galbi recipe? Please rate the recipe below by either clicking the stars in the recipe card or with a comment! And make sure to share your creations by tagging me on Instagram! Stay in touch by following me on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
LA Galbi (Korean BBQ Short Ribs)
Ingredients
- 3 - 4 pounds cross-cut beef short ribs about 1/3-inch thick
Marinade
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 cup rice wine or mirin
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1/2 Korean/Asian pear grated
- 1/2 medium onion grated
- 3 scallions thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds optional
Instructions
- Rinse the ribs to wash off bone dust, and drain well. Pound the meat lightly with a meat tenderizer, or stretch it out with your hands. This step helps tenderize the meat, but you can skip it if you want.
For the marinade:
- Mix all marinade ingredients well. Marinate the meat for 6 – 8 hours (overnight for best results). The thicker the meat, the longer you’ll want to marinate.
- Preheat the grill over medium-high heat. Grill the short ribs, turning only once, 2 – 3 minutes on each side. It’s best to grill over charcoal or wood charcoal (soot bul), but a gas grill or a grill pan over the stove top works well too. (See note for the oven broiling method.)
Hi! Can you use vinegar mixed with sugar instead of Mirin?
I would not use vinegar for the marinade. It’s better to leave cooking wine if unavailable. Hope this helps.
The flavor is great but I think I will use something else for tenderness. I used a Korean pear and it came out less tender than when I don’t use one at all. Maybe it would have worked better if the pear was sliced rather than grated.
This is such a great recipe, thank you so so much for sharing it! I’ve made this several times using several different thicknesses, it was a banger each time. The thin sliced ribs were definitely the best, it caramelizes better that way but it wasn’t awful on thicker cuts. Thanks again, there’s no way I was trusting anyone on Allrecipes with this one, I’m very grateful.
Nice stuff. First time making korean food bbq and nailed it on my cast iron skillet
If you’re using the all purpose marinade, what should you add to it and how much marinade should I use?
Can I double and freeze half?
Hi Christine – I explained it in the all purpose marinade post. Yes, you can freeze the ribs, but the marinated meat may not taste as good as freshly made.
Thank you for this recipe. Since an Asian grocery store just opened in my town, I can get the right cut of meat plus some really good kimchi to serve too. I’m making it for the second time tonight. It’s such a big hit in my family. Thank you!!!
Happy to hear that! Thank you for using my recipes and taking the time to write me the feedback!
Your La Galbi is the best… just loved the flavor.
Aww so happy to hear that! Thank you so much for the great review!
My korean born husband loves this recipe thank you so much I know he misses his traditional food since his mom passed and I’ve been trying to learn. So far I do a pretty good bulgoki, japchae and kimchi-chigang (sp) but now this too thanks again!!
aww that’s awesome! Thanks for letting me know and for the rating! Hope you find many more recipes you and your husband.
This marinade is delicious! Thank you! Will make these ribs often!
Great to hear! Thank you for trying it out and for the feedback!
They are all soooooo good!
Just FYI,
My grand mother and mother have used this cut of meat for their okinawan(recipe) bbq ribs since the 1940’s maybe earlier. We simply called it bbq short ribs growing up.
As for kalbi? It wasn’t main stream in L.A till the mid1980-90’s. In Hawaii the first stop for the majority of korean immigrants arriving in United States. Kalbi thus was already established in Hawaii circa 1970’s in the Korean restaurants there. So I’m not sure why so many people call it L.A kalbi? Any true Korean will know, that it was in Hawaii that kalbi(lateral cut) type was established way before any mainland cities including L.A. Another thing traditionally, kalbi is cut along the bone and not laterally against the bone. Imo, kalbi of the lateral cut should be called as such
“lateral cut kalbi” if anything?
Cheers
I have 3-4 lbs of thinly sliced chuck roast…I would like to use this recipe, but do you think it would work for the type of meat that I have?
Yes it will, but if it’s thinly sliced, you’d be better off to use the bulgogi recipe: https://www.koreanbapsang.com/2010/05/bulgogi-korean-bbq-beef.html. Enjoy!
Lol..I always thought LA meant lateral not Los Angeles! I’m Korean, originally from LA!
Hi Hyosun,
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I’ve tried twice now and will my go to recipe for galbi because it’s just so delicious! My family loved it too 🙂
That’s awesome! Thanks for letting me know.
Regarding marination: do you marinate overnight in th refrigerator or in the freezer? If in the refrigerator, what’s the maximum number of hours can it stay in refrigerator only?
Marinate in the refrigerator. It should be okay for up to 2 days.
This marinade is also good on chicken and pork..I’ve tried both but beef is still the best match. My kids loved it everytime I cook it. Thanks for a great recipe.
You’re welcome! I’m thrilled to hear your kids love it. Happy cooking!
Hi!
I made this twice. The first time turned out great as I used it right away. Second time, I froze the marinade in advance and it wasn’t as tasty. Do you not recommend freezing the marinade?
Do you know if this marinade would be good on chicken?
Thanks!
Hello Hyosun,
I definitely try out this recipe. I love galbi and usually buy Korean BBQ galbi sauce but now with this recipe, I can make it from scratch. Wow!
I will update you how my galbi turns out. I always buy the LA galbi cut, which is more tasty and authentic than the English cut.
Thank you very much for sharing the recipe.
Anne
Anne – I’m so glad to hear you’ll make you own marinade. It’s very easy and will be much more fresh and tasty! Enjoy!
Looks really delicious! !
Annyeonghaseyo! Just letting you know that your marinade’s really good. Followed your recipe last night but I also added half a kiwi for a little extra enzyme action. Grilled the ribs up for lunch earlier and everybody enjoyed them. I love grilled meat and the Korean way of eating it as ssam makes me feel like I’m eating healthier and a little less guilty 🙂
Oh by the way, this is off topic but when I watch Korean drama/variety shows, I sometimes see people eating brown eggs usually on trains or at the sauna. They look like boiled eggs but they’re brown after peeling. How are they cooked?
Annyeonghaseyo! That’s great! Thank you for letting me know. I have never made sauna eggs but remember one of my fellow bloggers posted about them. Here’s her link: http://mykoreankitchen.com/2013/03/06/how-to-make-korean-sauna-style-eggs/
Ah so that’s how it’s made. Interesting. Thank you for the info.
Oh my gosh! I’m so glad I found your blog. I have a husband who loves korean food so much. Specially galby!!! I was getting tired of cooking galby in the grill and now I know how to cook in the oven and It’s great!!!! Thanks for sharing this 🙂
You’re welcome! Hope you and your husband enjoy many of my recipes.
The ribs! I could eat a heaped plateful 🙂 Thanks for the information about the two types of cuts.
Thank you, Cynthia!
such beautifully grilled and addictive summer treat,looks luscious with that yummy marinade 🙂
Thank you!
Hi Hyosun! Can I use mool yut (sp?) instead of honey? If so, clear or brown? Thank you! Kara
Hi Tara – Yes you can. Either one is fine. Thanks for trying it out!
Hi Tara – Yes you can. Either one is fine. Thanks for trying it out!
Hi Hyosun! These short ribs look so juicy and tasty, the photos have done them justice 🙂 I’ve been looking around for these short ribs at the butcher, though have yet to find them. These will be great for bbq with summer coming up!