A Korean classic with a twist — a wickedly spicy twist! Tender, fall-off-the-bone, baby back pork ribs, swimming in a sea of fiery red Gochujang sauce. Cozy, comforting, and so incredibly delicious — make Pork Rib Spicy Galbi Jjim with gooey cheese and chewy rice cakes for the ultimate one-pot meal!

this recipe

Not long ago, I ordered Spicy Galbi Jjim at a Korean restaurant.

When the dish arrived at the table, it was unlike any Galbi Jjim I’d encountered before. Every bite was decadent and delicious — and spicy!

I knew I had to make this dish at home.

What is Spicy Galbi Jjim?

Spicy Galbi Jjim is a braised Korean dish that’s characterized by tender, fall-off-the-bone pork ribs and a luscious, rich, Gochujang-based sauce. Spicy, aromatic, and intensely flavorful — it belongs to the Korean family of stewed meat dishes.

Most people are familiar with Beef Galbi Jjim, which is similar but made with thick-cut short beef ribs. Flavored with soy sauce, garlic, daikon, and red dates — it’s very indulgent and extravagant, owing to the long cook time and expensive price tag. You’ll find it served at holidays like Chuseok, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

By contrast, Pork Rib Spicy Galbi Jjim is made with Baby Back Pork Ribs. The budget friendly price point plus a generous shower of mozzarella and squishy rice cakes makes it just as delicious and showy. A definite show stopper at the table!

Ingredients:

• Pork Baby Back Ribs. Look for meaty pork ribs with even marbling. You’ll need one entire rack of ribs for this recipe. Cut into individual ribs for faster cooking and easier eating.
• Onion + Garlic + Ginger. The essential aromatics!
• Jalapeno Pepper. Adds another flavor dimension without being overly spicy.
• Dduk/Tteok or Korean Rice Cakes. Long, tubular rice cakes hold their shape and absorb the sauce well. The squishy, chewy texture provides a nice contrast to to the ribs.
• Mozzarella Cheese. A generous helping of melty mozzarella completes the ooey-gooey decadence!
• Gochujang. Korean fermented chili paste. Spicy, sweet, and deeply flavored.
• Soy Sauce. Deep, umami flavor.
• Gochukaru. Korean dried chili flakes.
• Sugar. A little sweetness to balance the spice.
• Mirin. Korean/Japanese sweet cooking wine.
• Sesame Oil. Aromatic nutty flavor.

Instructions:

• ESSENTIAL STEP: Parboil the pork ribs. Cover pork bones with water to cover. Boil furiously for 5 minutes. You will see scum and bits of fat floating to the surface and blood leaking out of the bones. Drain the bones in a colander. Rinse the bones with water. Wash the pot, as there will be lots of fat and scum sticking to the sides.

The rest of the steps come together quickly:

1. Combine pork ribs and sauce ingredients. Give everything a good stir to combine.
2. Cook pork ribs. Cover and simmer until the meat is tender, about 45 minutes.
3. Reduce sauce. Uncover and simmer until the sauce thickens and reduces, about 15 more minutes.
4. Prep rice cakes. If rice cakes are frozen, soak in cold water to defrost. If rice cakes are fresh, separate them.
5. Add rice cakes. Cover and cook until they are soft and chewy, about 5 minutes.
6. Add mozzarella. Turn off the heat and add the mozzarella. Cover until the cheese melts into pools of gooey deliciousness, about 5 minutes.
7. Serve and enjoy. Garnish with green onion, red chili pepper, and sesame seeds. Serve bubbling hot with rice and kimchi.

PRO Tips:

• Make in advance. A convenient dish to make in advance, cook up to 2-3 days beforehand. Add rice cakes and mozzarella right before serving.
• Serve with rice and kimchi. Rice is the perfect complement to all those saucy ribs. Kimchi is an easy side that adds a sharp, acidic bite of freshness and crunch.
• Cook in shallow braiser. Although a regular stock pot also works, a shallow braiser makes it easier for all the ribs to fit in one layer on the bottom of the pot. Also good for serving at the table.
• Don’t forget to garnish! Add color and freshness with green onion, chopped red chili pepper, and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Otherwise, the final dish is very dreary and orange-brown.

More Braised dishes to love:

• Beef Galbi Jjim (Korean Beef Short Ribs)
• Bossam (Korean Braised Pork Belly)
• Dubu Jorim (Spicy Braised Tofu)
• Braised Lotus Root
• My North Korean Grandmother’s Pork Belly
• Kimchi Jjim (Braised Kimchi with Tofu + Pork Belly)

Spicy Pork Rib Galbi Jjim

The Subversive Table | Lis Lam

Tender, fall-off-the-bone, baby back pork ribs, swimming in a sea of fiery red Gochujang sauce. Cozy, comforting, and so incredibly delicious — make Spicy Pork Rib Galbi Jjim with gooey cheese and chewy rice cakes for the ultimate one-pot meal!

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine Korean

Servings 4

Calories

Equipment

• Shallow Braiser
• Colander

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 rack baby back pork ribs, cut into individual ribs (about 2 lbs)

Braising sauce:

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 inch ginger, minced
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup Gochukaru (Korean chili flakes)
• 2 Tbsp Gochujang (Korean fermented chili paste)
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp Mirin or rice wine (Korean sweet cooking wine)
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 3 cups water

Additional:

• 2 cups dduk/tteok or Korean rice cakes
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese (grated)
• 1 green onion, chopped (for garnish, optional)
• 1 red chili pepper, chopped (for garnish, optional)
• 1 Tbsp sesame seeds (for garnish, optional)

Instructions

 

• Parboil the pork ribs. Cover pork ribs with enough water to cover. Boil furiously for 5 minutes. You will see scum and bits of fat floating to the surface.
  
• Drain and wash the pork ribs. Remove the pork ribs and drain in a colander. Rinse bones well with cold water, rubbing to remove the scum and fat particles. Wash the pot, as there will be lots of fat and scum sticking to the sides.
  
• Cook pork ribs. In the freshly cleaned braiser, add clean, parboiled pork ribs and braising sauce ingredients. Give it a good stir. Bring to a boil then lower heat to medium low. Cover and simmer until the meat is tender, about 45 minutes.
  
• *Poke the meat with a fork to check for tenderness. If the fork slides into the meat easily, it's tender enough.
• Reduce sauce. Uncover and simmer until the sauce thickens and reduces, about 15-20 more minutes.
  
• Prep the rice cakes/tteok. If using frozen rice cakes, soak in cold water to defrost for 15 minutes. If using fresh rice cakes, separate and set aside on a plate.
  
• Add rice cakes. When the pork ribs are tender and the is reduced and thick, add ric cakes. Cover and simmer on medium low until soft but still chewy, about 5 minutes. Make sure to turn the rice cakes around and squish them into the sauce to soak up the flavors.
  
• Add the mozzarella. Turn off the heat. Scatter the mozzarella all over. Cover and let the residual heat melts the cheese into pools of gooey deliciousness, about 5 minutes.
  
• Garnish and serve. Add chopped green onion, red chili pepper, and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Serve with rice and kimchi. Enjoy!

Notes

*This dish is not really that spicy.  The rice cakes and the cheese dilute the spiciness factor. Make sure to spoon up the sauce over the ribs to really taste the spiciness. If you’d like it spicier, I suggest adding 1-2 Tbsp more Gochukaru.

Keyword Galbi Jjim, Pork Ribs, Spicy

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