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bowl of galbi jjim (Korean braised short ribs) with rice on grey napkin and wood table
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Galbi Jjim aka Korean Braised Beef Short Ribs

Rich, savory, fall off the bone tenderness. A holiday-worthy, meaty dish that's all kinds of comfort!
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time2 hrs
Soaking in Cold Water30 mins
Course: Dinner, Main Course, Stew
Cuisine: Korean
Keyword: Beef Short Ribs, Braised, Galbi Jjim
Servings: 4
Author: The Subversive Table | Lis Lam

Equipment

  • Dutch oven or Large Stockpot
  • Food processor

Ingredients

  • 4 lbs beef short ribs

In Food Processor:

  • 1 large onion (peeled + cut into chunks)
  • 1 pear or apple (large) (peeled, cored, cut into chunks - Korean pear, Bosc pear, Bartlett pear, Fuji apple all work well)
  • 8 cloves garlic (peeled)
  • 2 inch ginger (peeled + cut into chunks)

In Dutch Oven:

  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup Mirin (Korean sweet cooking wine)
  • 2 cups water
  • 5 dried red dates or jujubes (I used deseeded ones), optional
  • 1 lb Daikon (peeled + cut into 1-inch half moons)
  • 2 Carrots (peeled + cut into large chunks)

Instructions

  • First, soak the beef ribs in cold water for 30 minutes. This is an important step in Korean cooking to remove the the excess blood from the meat.
    stock pot filled with beef short ribs and bloody water
  • Meanwhile, puree the onion, garlic, ginger, pear or apple in a food processor. (Alternately, you can mince the garlic and ginger and grate the onion and pear/apple on a box grater.)
    food processor filled with pureed onion, ginger, garlic, and pear/apple
  • Drain water and rinse short beef ribs well. Add the short beef ribs back to the pot and add the pureed onion, garlic, ginger, pear/apple. Add soy sauce, sugar, dates, mirin, and water direclty on top. Give it a good stir.
    stock pot filled with thick cut beef short ribs, pureed onion, soy sauce
  • Cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer vigorously (covered) until the meat looks shrunken but is still bouncy, about 1 hour. The meat should not be tender yet but almost there. The braising liquid should look like it's soaked into the meat but there should be a lot of liquid in the pot.
    stock pot of braised beef short ribs
  • Add daikon and carrot. Simmer vigorously (covered) for another 30-45 minutes, until the meat is very tender and falling off the bone. The daikon and carrot should also be soft.
    pot of finished galbi jjim (korean braised short ribs) with gingham towel in corner
  • UNCOVER and simmer vigorously for 15-30 more minutes to reduce the sauce. The sauce should be thick and clinging to the ribs. Some people prefer more liquid in their sauce so feel free to reduce to your preference.
  • Garnish with green onion. Serve hot with rice and kimchi.
    set table with korean food in dark dishes

Notes

*What does a vigorous simmer mean?  This is not a low simmer, with 1 or 2 bubbles coming up from the liquid.  This is a vigorous simmer, with lots of little bubbles coming to the surface.  Bring to a boil first, then lower heat to maintain a gentle yet vigorous bubbling.