Enjoy a Korean classic at home with LA Galbi or Korean BBQ Beef Short Ribs! Thinly sliced beef ribs are marinated in a salty-sweet-garlicky marinade with lots of pureed onion and pear. Throw on a hot grill to achieve that smoky flavor with charred edges. YUM!
What is LA Galbi?
LA Galbi is a popular Korean dish made with thinly sliced beef short ribs marinated with a savory sauce and barbecued over a hot grill. The marinade contains pureed onion and pear, soy sauce, sugar, and plenty of garlic. The flavor is sweet and salty and incredibly delicious.
In Korean cuisine, LA Galbi is considered a luxurious dish. Beef Short Ribs are juicy and tender. And expensive! They are served at special occasions, like Christmas and birthdays.
The name LA Galbi comes from the Korean diaspora living in Los Angeles in the 1980’s and 1990’s . Traditional Korean Galbi is made from thick English cut short ribs that are butterflied so they fold and wrap around a long bone. When Korean immigrants living in LA couldn’t find this cut of beef, they innovated by using flanken-style or lateral cut beef ribs sliced across the bone. These beef ribs are thinly cut across the grain, making for extra tender ribs. In the process, they created a uniquely Korean American innovation.
Nowadays, most people associate Galbi with this cut of beef. But before the Los Angeles Korean Americans, no one made Galbi this way.
For me, LA Galbi is classic party food. No potluck or barbecue is complete without this tantalizingly delicious dish. Korean BBQ meat at its best!
Ingredients:
- Onion. Pureed onion is the base of the marinade. Gives great flavor and texture.
- Asian pear. Pureed Asian pear (also called Korean pear) adds a subtle sweetness and great texture. Swap with a Bosc pear, Bartlett pear, or Fuji apple, if unavailable.
- Soy sauce. Salty, deep, umami flavor! Don’t use the low-sodium kind, if possible — it won’t taste the same.
- Garlic + Ginger + Green Onions. The essential aromatics. Don’t skimp on any as they add a lot of bite and garlic potency.
- Maesil Cheong. Korean green plum syrup. Optional — if you have it, add a little. If you don’t have any, that’s ok, too.
- Mirin/Mirim. Korean or Japanese sweet cooking wine. Removes the gamey flavor and scent of meat.
- Brown Sugar. Adds sweetness.
- Sesame Oil. For rich nutty fragrance and flavor.
- Coca-Cola. Tenderizes the meat and ensures all those caramelized bits and ends. Can be subbed with Sprite, Ginger Ale, or Root Beer. Make sure it’s not sugar-free soda! If you don’t drink soda, add 1 Tbsp more sugar and 1/2-3/4 cup cold water so the ribs are completely submerged in liquid.
How to make Korean BBQ Grilled Beef Short Ribs:
- Make puree. In the bowl of a food processor, add onion, Korean pear, garlic, and ginger. Puree until it makes a thick paste. The texture should be similar to baby food — mushy and completely ground down. (Or grate everything on a box grater.)
- Make marinade. In a large bowl, add soy sauce, brown sugar, Mirin/Mirim, and green onion. Add the pureed onion/pear mixture. Mix well.
- Marinate beef. Add beef short ribs. Mix well with your hands. Add sesame oil and mix again. Add Coca-Cola directly on top of the ribs. Mix again. The ribs should be completely submerged! Cover and marinate overnight.
- Grill. Cook over a hot grill until cooked through with charred edges, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and enjoy!
PRO TIPS:
- Marinate overnight. For best results, marinate for at least 8 hours. The marinade needs time to soak in!
- Grill over high heat. A charcoal grill gives the best flavor. A gas grill is the most convenient. Watch carefully as it can burn easily if not tended.
- Serve with scissors. To eat LA Galbi the Korean way, serve with scissors. Heavy duty kitchen scissors are a great tool to snip meat into bite-size pieces. Cut the long strips of galbi into thirds — with meat attached to every bone. That way, you won’t need a fork and knife.
- Strain the onion-pear mix. If you prefer, the onion-pear puree can be strained. Use a fine mesh strainer or add to a cheesecloth and twist until the juice comes out. Creates a clear marinade and less texture so it won’t stick as much to the grill.
How to serve
- Serve with lettuce wraps and/or perilla leaves, rice, kimchi, and ssamjang. An easy but special meal!
- Serve with a side of cold noodles — Naeng Myeon or Bibimguksu or Spicy Cold Soba Noodle Salad. Summer perfection!
- Add various Korean side dishes like Korean Potato Salad, Spicy Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim), or Soy Sauce Quail Eggs.
- For a party, serve LA Galbi with Cheese Tteokbokki, Spicy Pork Belly Bulgogi, or Korean Fried Chicken.
FAQ
I like to add Coca-Cola as a way to embrace and honor the Korean diaspora. A decidedly Korean American twist, it’s a delicious way to tenderize the meat and create all those caramelized bits.
Typically, Koreans completely submerge Galbi in liquid by adding a bit of water at the end. Korean Americans started adding soda instead. So creative! And ingenious!
A note: Soda occupies a unique place in the Korean American experience. My Korean American childhood was filled with soda. Sprite, Coca-Cola, Mountain Dew, Fanta — these fizzy, sugary drinks were considered a delicious treat and good for digestion. We drank soda on the regular.
The movie Minari captures some of that experience. The family’s devotion to Mountain Dew is both comical and amusing. Another time, I watched David Chang‘s mom make Bindaetteok on Ugly Delicious. Her secret ingredient? Sprite, for that added sparkle.
All to say, I think only Korean Americans would have thought to add Coca-Cola to Korean BBQ Short Ribs.
To cook without a grill, use the oven BROIL function. It’s the best way to get that smoky, charred flavor and crispy, caramelized edges. I’ve listed instructions in the recipe card below.
The BROIL method comes from many years of cooking Galbi in small NYC apartments with no grill access. Turn on the exhaust fan, if you have it, and open the windows if there’s too much smoke!
Yes, the marinated ribs can be frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost by placing in the fridge overnight. I recommend shingling the ribs in a single layer, in a large plastic ziploc baggie. Double bag the ribs or place them on a tray in case the liquid leaks out everywhere.
There are 5 places where I’ve found thinly sliced, laterally cut beef short ribs or LA-style ribs:
Korean grocery stores. Beautiful, well-marbled, nicely trimmed beef short ribs can be found at H mart, Galleria, Paldo, and other Korean markets. The average cost is $29.99 per lb (CAD, 2023). The price point is high but the quality is very good. Sometimes, they can also be found in the frozen section for a slightly lower price.
Chinese grocery store. Look in the butcher section behind the glass-walled partition at Chinese grocery stores like T&T, Foody World, or Bestco. There will be large 3-4 beef short rib sections. Ask the butcher to slice thinly for bbq grilling (but not too thin!), which is a free service. You can’t beat the price at $9.99 per lb (CAD, 2023). Sometimes, they will even go on sale for $5.99 per lb! Look for a nicely marbled section that is not too fatty with even thickness from one end to the other end. The best price point but the quality is not always consistent.
Local grocery store. From time to time, I’ve seen LA-style ribs at local grocery stores such as President’s Choice, Safeway, Albertsons, etc. But they are not always available. The price point is mid-range — lower than the Korean market but not as low as the Chinese market.
Costco. From time to time, I’ve also seen thinly sliced beef ribs at Costco. Good quality ribs but again, not always available. The price is mid-range, similar to local grocery stores at about $23.99 per lb (CAD, 2023).
Specialty Butcher Shop. At local specialty butcher shops, you’ll find high-quality beef short ribs — well-marbled, nicely trimmed, and meaty. The price point is the highest at $34.99 per lb (CAD, 2023). I’ve never bought these ribs so I can’t comment on the flavor.
More Korean meat recipes:
LA Galbi (Korean BBQ Beef Short Ribs)
Equipment
- Big Bowl
- Food Processor (or box grater)
- Grill
Ingredients
- 3 lbs LA style beef short ribs, 1/4 inch thick
Food Processor:
- 1/2 large onion, peeled + cut into large pieces
- 1/2 large Korean pear, peeled, cored, + cut into large pieces can be subbed with Bosc pear, Bartlett pear, Fuji apple
- 6 large garlic cloves, peeled
- 1/2 inch ginger
Marinade:
- 1/2 cup soy sauce (Don't use the low-sodium kind!)
- 5 Tbsp brown sugar *regular white sugar also works
- 1/2 Tbsp Maesil Cheong green plum syrup
- onion/apple/garlic/ginger puree (from food processor, see above)
- 4 green onions, trimmed + diced
- 2 Tbsp Mirin
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil (add last)
- 1 300ml/ 10 oz can Coca Cola (do not use a sugar free version)
Instructions
Prep the marinade:
- Make puree. In a food processor, add onion, Korean pear, garlic, and ginger. (You can also grate everything with a box grater.) Set aside.
- Make marinade. In a large bowl, add soy sauce, brown sugar, Maesil Cheong (optional) and Mirin. Mix until sugar mostly dissolves. Add onion + apple puree. Add green onions. Mix again.
- Mix together. Add beef short ribs to the marinade and mix together, with hands. Make sure every rib is well coated. Drizzle with sesame oil and mix again.
- Add Coke. Pour Coca-Cola directly on top of the ribs. It will foam and bubble. Mix well. Cover and marinate overnight in the fridge.
Grill:
- Prep. When ready to grill, remove from the fridge and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Heat grill on high and make sure to oil the grates well.
- Grill. Grill ribs on each side until cooked through but still tender, about 6-8 minutes total. Be careful not to overcook or burn the ribs. Charred edges here and there are OK.
- Serve. Transfer to a plate and serve with rice, lettuce wraps, ssamjang, and banchan (Korean side dishes) of choice. Enjoy!
Oven:
- If you don't have access to a grill, a good substitute is using the oven BROIL function. Line a sheet pan with foil and reposition oven racks so they are 5-6 inches from the heat source. Preheat for 10 minutes on HIGH heat.
- Place single layer of Galbi on the sheet pan, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Broil until cooked through, about 6-8 minutes total. Flip about halfway so that both sides get evenly cooked. Plus, you'll get those little charred edges. Warning: the marinade contains a high amount of sugar so be prepared for the marinade to burn and smoke on the sheet pan.
- Serve with rice, lettuce wraps, ssamjang, and banchan (Korean side dishes) of choice. Enjoy!
Oh no, I didn’t read all the way and doubled the recipe including the coke… should I be worried?!?
It should be ok!
We just put ours in the oven to marinate, I can only find the tall cuts not the lateral cuts at most Korean bbq places so I butterflied them to marinate. I also didnt have any of the plum extract on hand but i had cut up a not quite ripe mango so i threw a couple cubes in the food processor since it was sour and sweet. It smells so good. Were gonna try the bro method tomorrow for dinner
In your IG video, you put everything in the food processor. Is separating out the marinade steps better?
You can do either. In the video, I add everything together for convenience. But in the directions and step by step, I had previously separated the steps because my old food processor leaked. Also, to allow for people who choose to grate the pear and onion. I will change the recipe to make it more clear. Thank you!
Can I omit or sub out the green plum syrup?
Yes, feel free to omit if you don’t have it! When I’ve run out, I don’t include it.
I just made it tonight to grill tomorrow.
Can’t wait to see you it turns out!