Korean food is pretty wonderful when it comes to marinating meat. It’s probably one of the top characteristics of the cuisine. The right salty/sweet combo and ingredients like garlic, lots of it of course, that tenderize the protein into perfection. 

This is simple to make, with the marinade doing most of the work for the flavor and texture. Kalbi tastes great when cooked in a pan like I did for this post, but is also amazing on the grill. Because Koreans ... we know what's up when it comes to bbq-ing. 

Kalbi 갈비 Marinated Short Ribs

Ingredients
About 4 serving sizes

2 lbs. kalbi
⅓ cup soy sauce
¼ cup rice vinegar
2 Tablespoons sesame seed oil
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
7 garlic cloves
3 green onions (optional)

Steps
1. Rinse the kalbi to clean off any bone fragments. Pat dry with paper towels. Cut with one bone per piece. Put into a large Ziploc bag.

2. Whisk the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame seed oil, brown sugar, black pepper, and sesame seeds together. Pour over the ribs in the plastic bag.

3. Cut the roots off of the ends of the green onions, then rough chop the whole stalk into ¼“ pieces. Roughly mince the garlic cloves. Put both into the plastic bag with ribs and marinade.

4. Tightly seal the bag with no air in it, then mix around the ribs from the outside of the bag to spread the marinade over each piece. Refrigerate at least two hours or overnight.

5. Shake off the marinade and cook in a pan about 3-5 minutes on each side. Serve warm and top with green onions and sesame seeds to garnish.

Note
Cook a piece of the ribs before refrigerating to make sure that the marinade is how you want it. Keep in mind that it will become a little saltier and flavorful after marinating.