Los Angeles Style Korean Barbeque Beef Short Ribs - L.A. Galbi (L.A. 갈비)

Los Angeles style Korean barbeque beef short ribs, or L.A. Galbi, uses flanken cut beef short ribs and has its origins in Los Angeles’ Koreatown. Flanken cut means the beef short ribs are cut across the bone into thin strips. This cut of beef short ribs is readily available in the USA and differs from the galbi found in Korea (although according to Wikipedia, this style has made it back to Korea).

I made my own sauce for this recipe, as opposed to a store bought version used in my previous recipe, Korean Barbequed Beef Short Ribs (Kalbi). The secret to the marinate is using a whole pear in the marinade (together with Korean Fermented Soybean Paste – Doenjang - and Korean Hot Pepper Paste – Gochujang) which tenderizes the beef. The beef is marinated for at least 48 hours (the longer the better!) before cooking.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 lb.

1 kg.

Flanken cut beef short ribs

 

Sauce Ingredients

1	1	Pear
12 cloves	12 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), lightly crushed
1 in.	2.5 cm	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), cut into pieces
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Korean Fermented Soybean Paste (된장, Doenjang)
1 Tbs.	30 ml.	Korean Hot Pepper Paste (고추장, Gochujang)
½ cup	125 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
½ cup	125 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)

 

Equipment

		Food processor or blender
4 qt.	3.8 L.	Covered bowl
		Tongs and an oil coated paper towel
22.5 in.	57 cm.	Covered charcoal or gas grill (or larger)

 

Korean Fermented Soybean Paste
(된장, Doenjang)

Preparation Instructions (Two Days Before Cooking)

1. Peel and core the pear, and place it into a food processor or blender. Add the lightly crushed garlic and ginger pieces to the food processor. Turn on the food processor until the ingredients are mixed together and place the contents into a covered bowl that will be used to marinate the beef short ribs.
2. Add and mix together the rest of the sauce ingredients into the covered bowl: Korean Fermented Soybean Paste, Korean Hot Pepper Paste, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil.
3. Add the flanken cut beef short ribs to the covered container and marinate the beef for at least 48 hours in the refrigerator. Take the beef out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.

Cooking Instructions

1. Prepare the charcoal or gas grill for direct

   

   Korean Hot Pepper Paste
   (고추장, Gochujang)

   cooking following the manufacturer’s instructions. Light the charcoal or preheat the gas grill accordingly. Soak the wood for smoking (pecan, oak, or any other wood can be used) for one hour if desired. I use dry and not soaked wood.
2. If using a charcoal grill, arrange the lighted coals on one half of the grill to produce a very high heat. The side of the grill with the coals (the “hot” side) will be used to grill the beef and the side without the coals (the “cool” side) will be used for smoking the beef. For a gas grill, follow the manufacturer’s instructions as to which burners to leave on for direct cooking. Clean the grill grate and then, using tongs and a paper towel coated with oil, lubricate the grate to prevent the beef from sticking. Put the smoking wood onto the coals or as per the instructions for the gas grill.
3. Place the beef on the hot side of the uncovered grill for 1½-2 minutes until browned. Turn the beef over to brown the other side for 1½-2 minutes. Move the beef to the cool side of the grill when browning is complete.
4. Cover the grill and allow to smoke for 3 minutes. Remove the beef from the grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Be careful not to overcook the beef. The temperature of your fire and previous experience with your grill will determine the total cooking time for the beef.