LA Galbi (Korean BBQ Short Ribs)

Marinated in a perfectly balanced sweet and savory sauce, the galbi meat is tender and succulent while still being nicely browned and caramelized on the outside.

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. If using kiwi or pineapple, use a small amount so you don’t over-marinate the meat as these are very strong tenderizing agents.

For convenience, you can blend the fruit, onion, garlic and ginger together in a mini blender. 

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, such as pickled garlic and kkaennip kimchi, complement the fatty meat especially well.

I often serve the short ribs with fresh kimchi salad type of dishes, such as fresh kimchi or bok choi kimchi salad. Japchae always goes well with meat dishes too. Still can’t decide? Check out my collection of 15 Korean Vegetable Side Dishes.

Last but not least, as with any Korean BBQ, serve with red or green leaf lettuce in which to wrap the meat, along with ssamjang (쌈장) or simply gochujang. Perilla leaves (kkaennip, 깻잎) and crown daisy (ssukgat, 쑥갓)  are great vegetables to add to your wraps, if available. 

More Korean BBQ recipes

LA Galbi (Korean BBQ Short Ribs)

4.27 from 108 votes

Main Course

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Marinating: 8 hours

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Print Recipe

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 You can blend the pear together with the next 3 ingredients.
• 1/2 medium onion, grated
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 6 plump cloves)
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger (about 1 inch chunk)
• 3 scallions thinly sliced
• 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.)

Notes

To broil galbi in the oven, set the oven to broil and preheat. Lay the meat in a single layer on a broiling pan and place it on the top rack of the oven, usually about 6 inches below the broiler. Cook until the ribs are slightly charred and caramelized, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip them over and cook for an additional 3 – 4 minutes. Watch closely not to burn them.

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This LA galbi recipe was originally posted on this blog back in August 2009. Here, I updated this time-tested recipe that I use all the time and everyone raves about with new photos and a recipe card.