“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!!” — Kayla Whenever we shop at a Korean grocery store or our favorite Korean meat shop, we make different Korean dishes at home. They offer a wide variety of quality meat with cuts suitable for Korean and Japanese cooking. Today, I used the beef short ribs I bought from the meat shop and made a Korean-inspired marinade for us to enjoy. The ribs are grilled until tender and caramelized, infused with incredible flavor from the sweet, umami, and slightly spicy marinade. Oh, they’re so good that you can’t stop eating!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Absolutely foolproof — You just need to marinade the ribs with a simple homemade sauce and grill! No fancy grilling techniques required. A beloved family meal or a backyard BBQ party — These thin-sliced short ribs make a perfectly satisfying cut for fuss-free BBQ as they are easy to grill and ready for the table in no time. It’s all about the marinade — Sweet, tangy, aromatic, deeply savory with a spicy kick, this marinade delivers all the notes.
Ingredients for BBQ Short Ribs
My recipe is not exactly the same as a traditional Korean kalbi recipe, which often includes pureed fruit like Asian pear or kiwi and does not include gochujang. I keep the marinade more streamlined with pantry-stable ingredients and use gochujang to punch up the flavor. Believe me, it works just as well.
Bone-in beef short ribs
For the Marinade:
Soy sauce Mirin — The Japanese sweet rice wine helps tenderize the short ribs and lends a mild sweetness. More about it in this post. Brown sugar (packed) Gochujang (Korean chili paste) — This is the key ingredient for the marinade. It adds an unmistakably sweet, savory, and spicy flavors to the short ribs. Garlic (minced or pressed) Toasted sesame oil and toasted white sesame seeds Green onion/scallion
Cooking Steps Overview
Soak the bone-in beef short ribs in cold water and pat them dry. Whisk all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl. Pour the marinade over the ribs, turning them to coat completely. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight. Prepare charcoal or preheat a gas grill to 450°F (230°C). Remove the short ribs from the marinade and let any excess drip off. Grill until they are nicely seared and cooked on both sides. Serve and enjoy!
The Gochujang Marinade
This marinade is the bomb! Not only is it super flavorful, but it is also easy to put together and highly versatile. My family cannot get enough of it. You’ll need gochujang, which is a staple condiment in Korean cooking made from red chili, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, and salt. It’s sticky and thick, and when mixed with soy sauce, garlic, mirin, and toasted sesame oil, it turns into a delicious marinade that coats every part of the meat. I recommend marinating the short ribs overnight to allow the meat to be deeply infused with all the flavors. It’s worth stocking up a jar of gochujang in the pantry so you can make delicious Kimchi Fried Rice and Kimchi Nabe (the Japanese version of Kimchi Jjigae) as well.
Recipe Tips
You can grill the short ribs over charcoal or gas grill. Of course, a charcoal grill is always the best if you are after the heavenly smokiness. Careful not to overcook the marinated meats as they cook quickly.
Where to Get Korean Short Ribs
For this short ribs recipe, you want to get Korean short ribs, also known as kalbi or galbi. These are special cross-cut short ribs where the rib is cut lengthwise using a band saw, resulting in a thin cut of meat. All the Korean grocery stores in your neighborhood carry this style of cut. Some of the biggest Korean grocery store chains are H-Mart and T&T. Food blogger/Youtuber Maangchi has a list of Korean grocery stores here. Also, 99 Ranch Market (Chinese/Asian) and some American grocery stores with a good meat section usually carry them.
What to Serve with this Korean-Inspired BBQ Short Ribs
These short ribs are fantastic when served with plenty of crisp vegetables. I always serve them with steamed rice for a full meal too. If you are serving these at a party, pair them with veggies or sides that can be prepped ahead so all you need to do is to grill these up on the spot! Start with a big pile of fresh lettuce and spring onions. Here are more suggestions: Salads & Pickles: Quick Korean Fresh Kimchi, Asian Coleslaw with Sesame Dressing, Easy Pickles, Pickled Cucumbers Korean-style Side Dishes: Spinach and Bean Sprout Namul, Spicy Bean Sprout Salad Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram. Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on June 18, 2012. It was updated with more helpful content, a revised recipe, and new images on September 12, 2017, and republished on July 22, 2024.
