Looking for a delicious barbecue beef short ribs recipe? Fire up your grill because these Korean-style marinated bbq ribs will stimulate and please your taste buds!
Whenever we shop at a Korean grocery store, we would drive by our favorite Korean meat shop to pick up some meat. Since we don’t have good Korean restaurants in our neighborhood (they are about 40 minutes away), we usually get some ingredients and prepare our own feast at home. Today I used the beef short ribs I bought from the meat shop and made Korean-inspired marinade for us to enjoy.
BBQ Short Ribs with Gochujang Marinade
We’ve been using this marinade for quite some time and my family loves it. It’s really easy to put together and most of the ingredients can be found in your kitchen if you cook Japanese/Asian food often.
In this particular marinade, I used a fermented Korean condiment called Gochujang that is made from red chili, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans and salt. It has both spicy and sweet flavors and umami from fermented glutinous rice. With this condiment, you can make delicious Kimchi Fried Rice and Kimchi Nabe (Japanese version of Kimchi Jjigae) as well.
I recommend marinating the short ribs overnight to have the meet deeply infused with all the delicious flavors.
Where to Get Korean-style Short Ribs
All the Korean grocery stores in your neighborhood carry this style of cut. It’s called Kalbi or Galbi. Some of the biggest Korean grocery store chains are H-Mart and T&T. Food blogger/Youtuber Maangchi has a wonderful Korean grocery store list here.
Also, 99 Ranch Market (Chinese/Asian) and some American grocery stores with a good meat section usually carry them.
Grill Time!
You can grill the short ribs over charcoal or gas grill. Of course, a charcoal grill is always the best if you want to get the heavenly smokiness. Once the marinaded meats are placed over the hot grill, sear them until beautifully charred. They cook quickly, so you don’t want to overcook them.
Before you dig in, don’t forget to serve with plenty of crisp vegetables. A big pile of fresh lettuce, kimchi, spring onions, pickled cucumbers, and daikon salad would go very well with the meat. I always serve them with steamed rice for a full meal too.
Sweet juicy ribs bones, tender smoky meat with a tantalizing sauce. Oh, they were good! You want to enjoy these Korean BBQ short ribs with your loved ones!
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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BBQ Short Ribs
Ingredients
- 2 lb bone-in beef short ribs
Marinade:
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup mirin
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar (packed)
- 2 Tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced or garlic-pressed)
- 1 Tbsp roasted sesame oil
- ½ Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
- 1 green onion/scallion (finely chopped)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Soak the short ribs in cold water for 30 minutes to get rid of the blood, changing the water a few times. Pat the meat dry with paper towels.
- In a medium bowl, whisk all the marinade ingredients together.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight, turning the ribs a few times while marinating.
- Prepare charcoal or preheat a gas grill to 450°F (230°C). Clean and lightly oil the grill grate. For the best flavor, I recommend using charcoal instead of the gas grill. When you add charcoal to the grill, pile the charcoal to one side.We will use both indirect and direct grilling for short ribs.
- Remove the short ribs from the marinade and let any excess drip off; discard the marinade. Grill the short ribs directly over charcoal until nicely seared, flipping once to sear the other side. After searing, move short rib to the grill surface not directly over the charcoal to keep grilling (about 5-6 minutes total). Transfer to a serving platter.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days and in the freezer for a month.
Notes
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on June 18, 2012. The content, recipe, and images have been updated in September 2017.
This dish came out brilliantly (like all of your recipes). I reduced the sugar to 1 Tbsp, and added a grated kiwi and Asian pear (as tenderizers). The end result was delicious. Thank you!
Hi JRo! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your tip with us!
Adding grated kiwi sounds yummy!🤩
I’ve been making Korean Kalbi for decades. Most often, Koreans serve the meat cut between the bones and wrapped in a lettuce leaf rolled around rice, cabbage kimchee and Ssam , a traditional Korean condiment found right next to the gochujang. Look for the green plastic tubs. Aslo, adding a grated Asian pear to the marinade helps to break down the meat.
To KJ, the ribs used are crosscut short ribs, also known in America as Flanken ribs. If cut for Kalbi, they are thin and perfectly suited for quick grilling. Anything other than a quick grilling will toughen them up. They aren’t a cut that’s going to get fall off the bone tender. You’re probably thinking regular short rib that need an extended time to break down all the fat and collagen. Kalbi ribs are entirely different.
Hi Bkhuna, Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and sharing your cooking experience with us!
Great recipe! Make it every few months when it’s not too hot out. Family and I love it! Thanks for sharing it! It’s also works wonderfully as a jerky marinade too!!
Hi Kayla! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and for your kind words/feedback! I’m so happy your family enjoys this recipe. 🙂
Hi if i dont have gochujang. Can i omit this since we dont eat spicy? Do i need to replace anything? We do have the soybean paste? Thank you
Hi Joli! You can, but also know that this is one of the main “flavoring” seasonings which create layers of flavors. It’ll be more mild taste without it but that’s okay too. Soybean paste, do you mean miso or Korean soy bean paste? I think it’s okay to add a bit to boost flavor but not 2 Tbsp. 🙂
Hi Nami,
Wondering if you’ve ever used some of the Sugar Substitutes like Swerve.
Using Swerve has been successful in my Keto diet, but I’ve never cooked with it. I’m more of a sprinkle on fruit and stir in coffee type.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Marlene
Hi Marlene! To be honest, I’ve never used sugar substitute so I can’t share my opinion or feedback on this. You’re probably more familiar with keto or sugar substitute products. As I’m sharing general Japanese recipes, not health-specific, I can’t commit to a certain diet… so I’m all about trying to eat a smaller portion and wholesome food, which is a very traditional Japanese diet method. 😀 I wish I can help more… sorry….
Marlene,
I have some old recipes for bbq sauce that were featured in a 7/31/91 issue of the Raleigh N&O. One was “Orange Spice BBQ Sauce”.
Was this you ??
Unfortunately I cut up the page and the recipe got severed.
If this was you & your recipe, can you please send me the recipe ??
Hi,
Sorry, It wasn’t me. I also checked my saved recipes in case I saved a copy when you posted it but no, I didn’t do that either.
Happy Holidays!
Marlene