Kalbi Beef Short Ribs - Improving Sear and BBQ Flavor

[Charley Langer]

Donw Noʻu ka hauʻoli

[Charley Langer]

bbqLuv and Steve B I live in California now. I’m not sure PBR and Bud are allowed in this state. 😂 I actually had a Lagunitas IPA.

[Steve B]

Same here. Sooooooo freakin good. Just got hooked up with this last year.
Love em.

[Steve B]

You’re killing me with the PBR with everything.
😂😂😂😂
I would be using BUD WI SER 😁😁

[bbqLuv]

Did you pair them with Soju and not PBR?

[Donw]

Very close to how we do them too. They are delicious this way. Thanks for posting. Mahalo!

[CaptainMike]

Thanks, Charley, I always enjoy your contributions.

[Charley Langer]

I have not tried an Asian pear. Hmm... 😋

[TripleB]

I love Kalbi short ribs. Love the aroma and caramelization you get on the ribs. Once for a school fundraiser, i grilled over 100 lbs ribs. They couldn’t get me off that grill.

have you ever tried using an Asian pear in your marinade? I just always buy my ribs marinated from the Korean market, but would love to try this recipe. Thanks and your ribs look great.

[Charley Langer]

I lived in Hawaii for 10 years and became addicted to Kalbi Short Ribs. I really like Meathead's marinade recipe, but I'm not so in love with putting wet meat on the grill. Just a few adjustments really improve things, in my humble opinion.

After marinading, I like to blot the ribs with paper towels and remove as much of the marinade as I possibly can. And then I coat the ribs with avocado oil. This keeps the meat from steaming on the grill and gives it a better BBQ flavor, in my opinion. I also think this recipe benefits from the Grill Grate micro-smoking technique that Meathead describes. I throw a bunch of wood pellets in the Grill Grate grooves and get everything smokin' hot before placing the short ribs on the grill.

So, here's my modified recipe:

Kalbi Beef Short Ribs

Ingredients
1 cup of soy sauce
1/2 cup water (or orange juice, or beer after boiling off the alcohol)
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon hot sauce
6 cloves garlic, pressed, crushed, or minced
4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1/2 small onion (about 1/4 cup), chopped coarsely
Salt (to taste)
4 pounds beef short ribs, bone-in, cut thin

If possible, make the marinade a few hours in advance to allow the liquids to pull flavor out of the onion, garlic, and ginger.

Method
1) Dump all ingredients into a zipper bag or a bowl and mix thoroughly. (I like to run the marinade through a blender before adding it to the bowl/zipper bag.)
2) Let the meat marinate in the fridge for at least an hour and up to 18 hours (I do it for 18 hours routinely). Move the meat around occasionally so all of it is exposed to the marinade.
3) Remove meat from the bowl/zipper bag and blot excess marinade from the meat with paper towels. Blot off as much as you reasonably can. Coat the ribs with avocado oil.
4) Get the grill hot. (This recipe really benefits from the Grill Grate micro-smoking technique.) Place the meat on the grates. With the lid off, cook for 2-3 minutes per side. Season with Morton’s Kosher salt and coarsely ground pepper to taste while grilling.