My favorite thing about culinary school is that we got to learn dishes from all around the world. Our whole third semester was taking international classes where we cooked foods from tons of different countries. This was my first experience cooking a lot of international food, especially Asian. I am from the South East, where Asian food isn’t super common besides a Panda Express. So getting to try authentic Asian dishes and work with Asian ingredients in culinary school opened my eyes to a lot of new cuisines.

One of my favorite Asian cuisines I got to try was Korean food, specifically a short rib dish called Galbi Jjim.
Galbi Jjim is a traditional Korean dish known for its savory and sweet flavors, featuring braised short ribs, my favorite food! The dish is made by marinating beef short ribs in a flavorful mixture and then slow-cooking or braising them until they become tender and melt in your mouth. The marinade typically includes ingredients such as soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and often includes Korean pear for sweetness.

I instantly fell in love with Galbi Jjim for it’s sweet and salty flavor profile, and fall off the bone meat. It has inspired many of my dishes that I make today, by mixing and matching different ingredients into my traditional braised short ribs dish. This Korean inspired braised short rib recipe is influenced by a lot of the ingredients in Galbi Jjim, while using traditional French cooking techniques for the braise. It is definitely not authentic Korean, nor authentic Galbi Jjim, but it is lick the bone delicious!

Ingredients and Substitutions:

  • English style short ribs – these are the thicker cut short ribs that are perfect for braising. I wouldn’t use any other cut unless it was boneless short ribs.
  • Asian pear – this is used to sweeten the sauce that we braise the short ribs in. Try to find an Asian pear, but if you can’t a normal sweet pear will suffice.
  • Tamari – I use tamari instead of soy sauce because it is naturally gluten free. You can also use coconut aminos or soy sauce here.
  • Jujube – these are dried Asian dates. They are sweet and flavor the sauce at the end. If you cannot find these, you may substitute normal medjol dates.
  • Mirin – mirin is a rice wine that is used for cooking. It is used here to flavor the sauce that the short ribs are braised in. If you cannot find it, I would instead use fresh squeezed lime juice.

Steps and Tips for Making these Short Ribs:

  • Salt the short ribs the day before and refrigerate overnight for optimal flavor.
  • Blend the sauce ingredients. This includes the asian pear, onion, garlic, ginger, tamari, honey, mirin and sesame oil. This is basically the braising and flavoring liquid for the dish.
  • Sear the short ribs until they are golden brown.
  • Add the sauce ingredients to the pot with the short ribs. Add beef stock if needed to make sure the liquid comes up 3/4 of the way of the short ribs.
  • Braise in the oven with a lid on until they are fork tender. This usually takes 2.5-3 hours.
  • Return the pot stovetop, remove the short ribs, and add the remaining ingredients like the carrots, jujube, and pearl onions and simmer until those are cooked through. This both reduces the sauce so it is thick, and cooks those ingredients. Serve over the short ribs.
@kellyscleankitchen

Lets make Korean inspired short ribs and chat about culinary school #shortribs #galbijjim #cooking

♬ Wes Anderson-esque Cute Acoustic – Kenji Ueda
  • SERVINGS:  6
  • PREP TIME: 20 Mins
  • COOK TIME: 3 Hrs
  • TOTAL TIME: 3 Hr 20 Min

This recipe is the perfect with a homemade rice pilaf!

Ingredients:

  • 6 english cut, bone in short ribs
  • salt and pepper
  • avocado oil
  • Sauce ingredients:
    • 1 Asian pear, core removed and chopped
    • 1/2 onion, chopped
    • 6 garlic cloves
    • 1/2 cup tamari
    • 1/4 cup honey
    • 1/4 cup mirin
    • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 2-4 cups beef stock as needed
  • 8 carrots, peeled and oblique cut
  • 8 dried jujube
  • 1 cup pearl onions
  • 3 scallions, thinly sliced

Preparation:

STEP 1.

Salt and pepper the short ribs and leave uncovered in the fridge overnight.

STEP 2.

Preheat the oven to 325*F.

STEP 3.

Blend all the sauce ingredients in a blender until smooth. Add beef stock if needed to blend.

STEP 4.

In a dutch oven, add avocado oil over medium high heat. Working in batches to not overcrowd the pot, sear the short ribs on all sides until golden brown.

STEP 5.

Once all the short ribs are seared, return them to the pot. Add the sauce ingredients. Add beef stock as needed so the liquid comes up 3/4 of the sides of the short ribs. Bring up to a simmer, top with a lid, and transfer to the oven for 2.5 hours. Remove once they are fork tender and easily can shred.

STEP 6.

Remove the short ribs and set aside. Place the pot stovetop and bring the sauce up to a simmer and add the carrots, jujube, and pearl onions. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the items are cooked through and the sauce is thickened. Pour over the short ribs, top with scallions, and serve.

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