Global Grilling with Galbi

It’s grilling season, finally! The weather in Chicago has vastly improved within the last week which inspired me to clean up my deck over Memorial Day weekend so that I could officially enjoy my urban outdoor space this summer (as you can tell, my Golden Retriever, Rizzo, enjoys the deck too!). I grill all year round, but there’s something about warm weather, and being able to comfortably enjoy a meal al fresco, that always makes me happy.

I originally planned to grill some hot dogs for Memorial Day, until I ran across some flanken style short ribs in the grocery store. I don’t always find flanken style, so I knew I had to take advantage of the find! Flanken style short ribs are thinly cross cut short ribs. Instead of having one bone running through it, like a traditional short rib cut between bones, flanken style has three or four bones visible in every piece as they are cut across the bone. Flanken style short ribs are popular in Asian cuisine – they are typically marinated and grilled. The end result is charred but tender and flavorful, because the ribs are already cut against the grain, which is critical when slicing any meat, and they have plenty of fat to provide flavor!

Galbi or Kalbi is the Korean-style of flanken short ribs. Galbi is similar to bulgogi in flavor but made with short ribs instead of thinly sliced boneless beef. It’s imperative that the short ribs be marinated for galbi, so it’s not something you can make on the fly if you’re in a rush, but once marinated, you’re just minutes away from a delicious meal! At a minimum, you should marinate your ribs for two hours, but I really find that they’re better when marinated overnight.

You can serve the short ribs as is, or pair with white rice or lettuce leaves for a more complete meal. Kimchi and Asian pickles are popular accompaniments. I served mine over some soy-sesame noodles, so feel free to get creative. I think you’ll find that these short ribs take your global grilling game to the next level!

Galbi (Korean Style Flanken Short Ribs)

Servings: 6

Active Time: 15 minutes

Inactive Time: 2-24 hours

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 2.5-24 hours

3 pounds flaken style short ribs (1/2 in thick)

2/3 cup soy sauce

2/3 cup mirin (rice wine)

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 tbs gochujang (more if you like spice!)

1/4 cup sesame oil

2 teaspoons black pepper

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated

5 cloves of garlic, minced

3 scallions thinly sliced

Sesame seeds, for garnish

1. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, gochujang, sesame oil, black pepper, ginger, garlic, and 2/3 of the scallions.

2. Place the flanken short ribs in a shallow baking dish.

3. Pour over marinade.

4. Cover and refrigerate 2-24 hours.

5. Remove the meat from the refrigerator an hour before cooking.

6. Heat your gas grill on high, or use direct heat with a charcoal grill, and grill short ribs until 3-5 minutes per side, until nicely charred (you can use a broiler in a pinch, but I really prefer a grill!).

7. Plate the ribs and top with remaining scallions and sesame seeds. Serve with rice, lettuce leaves, or in my case, soy-sesame noodles.

I hope you’ll give these flanken style short ribs a try, and that they inspire you to up your grilling game by visiting our patio for a grill class. We have some great options coming up in June and July:

• Hands-On Fiesta on the Grill Saturday, June 3 6pm Just 2 seats left!
• Hands-On Regional Street Tacos Saturday, June 17 6pm
• Hands-On Shellfish on the Grill Friday, June 23 6pm
• Hands-On Rendezvous Under the Stars Saturday, June 24 6pm
• Hands-On Date Night on the Patio Friday, June 20 6pm
• Hands-On Grilling Boot Camp Saturday, July 15 10am
• Hands-On Global Grilling Saturday, July 15 6pm

Our retail store also has some great options from thermometers to spice blends, to up your grilling game at home. Visit us Wednesday through Sunday in Lincoln Square!