Non-traditional. Decadently saucy. Ooey-gooey with cheese. Cozy and comforting. Spicy Galbi Jjim is all kinds of savory deliciousness!

Not too long ago, I ordered Spicy Galbi Jjim at a Korean restaurant. I’d never heard of it before so I was curious.
How would Spicy Galbi Jjim compare?
Regular Galbi Jjim is a Korean classic. If you like Korean food, chances are you’ve eaten it. Tender, braised beef. Rich sauce flavored with soy sauce, garlic, onion and daikon. The flavor profile is salty, sweet, and garlicky. It’s NOT a spicy dish.

Spicy Galbi Jjim was delicious. And different from regular Galbi Jjim.
For one, it was spicy. Little pork ribs swimming in a sea of fiery red sauce. The pork feels lighter, the spicy sauce more potent and intense. There’s a saturated decadence to the onion-garlic-gochujang sauce that’s been stewed into oblivion.
Regular Galbi Jjim is rich and opulent, as bone-in, beef short ribs are apt to be. It’s the kind of showy, extravagant, formal dish that says: I went all out for you!
By contrast, Spicy Galbi Jjim is understated. It feels more casual and intimate. All those smears of slick, oily sauce. All those tender little ribs, falling off the bone. It’s the kind of food eaten with your hands, late at night, accompanied by lots of cold beer, with the people who’ve seen you at your best and your worst.
I knew I had to make this dish at home.

Ingredients:
Pork Baby Back Ribs. One entire rack, cut into indivividual ribs, make for a generous and decadent meal.
Onion, Garlic, Ginger, Jalapeno. The aromatics that simmer down into a luscious sauce. Don’t skimp on the amounts!
Dduk/Tteok — Korean Rice Cakes. These squishy rice cakes are the perfect accompaniment to a long-simmered, luscious sauce. Two big handfuls ensure the sauce remained the star of the show.
Mozzarella Cheese. A generous helping of melty mozzarella completes the ooey-gooey decadence!
Gochujang. The base of the fiery red, rich sauce. Gochujang is fermented goodness that makes everything braised taste better!

PIN FOR LATER:

How to make Spicy Galbi Jjim aka Spicy Korean Pork Ribs:
First, parboil the baby back pork ribs.
Koreans parboil meat bones to get rid of all the greasy bits that float to the surface. The result? Cleaner, less gamey-tasting meat. Unmuddled flavors: pork that tastes like pork, sauce that tastes like sauce.
How to parboil: Cover pork bones with enough water to just 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. Wash the pot with soap and water (there will be lots of fat and scum sticking to the sides). Rinse the bones and add back to the freshly cleaned pot.

Add water and sauce ingredients. Give it a good stir. Simmer (covered) until the meat is tender, about 45 minutes.


Uncover and simmer until the sauce thickens and reduces, about 20 more minutes.

Meanwhile, prep the rice cakes by soaking in some cold water. (If they are fresh rice cakes, this is not necessary. Koreans usually store rice cakes in the freezer. Soaking in cold water helps to defrost them.)

Add rice cakes and simmer (covered) until they are al dente — soft but still chewy, about 5 minutes. Turn the rice cakes around and squish them down into the sauce.


Off the heat, add the mozzarella. Cover until the cheese melts into pools of gooey deliciousness, about 5 minutes. Garnish and eat immediately. Serve with rice and kimchi. Enjoy!


Spicy Galbi Jjim aka Spicy Korean Pork Ribs
Equipment
- Shallow Braiser
- Colander
Ingredients
- 1 rack baby back pork ribs, cut into individual ribs (about 2-3 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 or Korean rice cakes
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese (grated)
- 1 green onion, chopped (for garnish, optional)
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds (for garnish, optional)
Instructions
- First, parboil the pork ribs. Cover pork ribs with enough water to just cover. Bring to a boil then boil furiously for 5 minutes. You will see scum and bits of fat floating to the surface.
- Drain the bones in a colander. Wash the pot with soap and water (there will be lots of fat and scum sticking to the sides). Rinse the bones and add back to the freshly cleaned pot.
- Add water and sauce ingredients. Give it a good stir. Simmer (covered) 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.
- Uncover and simmer until the sauce thickens and reduces, about 20 more minutes.
- Meanwhile, prep the rice cakes by soaking in some cold water. (If they are fresh rice cakes, this is not necessary. Koreans usually store rice cakes in the freezer. Soaking in cold water helps to defrost them.)
- Add rice cakes and simmer (covered) until they are al dente — soft but still chewy, about 5 minutes. Turn the rice cakes around and squish them down into the sauce to soak up the flavors.
- Off the heat, add the mozzarella. Cover until the cheese melts into pools of gooey deliciousness, about 5 minutes. Garnish with green onion and sesame seeds. Serve with rice and kimchi. Enjoy!
Notes
More Braised Korean Deliciousness:
Galbi Jjim aka Korean Beef Short Ribs

Bossam aka Korean Braised Pork Belly

Dubu Jorim aka Spicy Braised Tofu

Made this tonight with 2lbs of cut spare ribs. The sauce was so delicious- added a little sambal oelek, but otherwise made as is. Thank you for this- will definitely make it again.
I just made this today as written and it was amazing and so simple to whip up. Definitely adding this to my rotation. Thank you for sharing!
Hello! Recipe looks delish! I’m interested in making this dish using beef short ribs instead, how would I go about cooking it? I’m assuming the cooking times would vary and be similar to the traditional galbi jiim recipe? Thanks in advance!
Hi! I have a recipe for beef short rib Galbi Jjim as well. Enjoy !
https://thesubversivetable.com/galbi-jjim-aka-korean-braised-short-ribs/
Thanks, I actually wanted to make a “spicy” version that has the chili flakes/paste, the recipe you linked is the non-spicy version. I’ll go ahead try the pork version that’s spicy. Thank you!