Galbi Chim

This is one of my favorite Korean dishes of all time. Braised Korean Short Ribs are slow cooked so they are fall off the bone tender. Plus, the sauce has the perfect amount blend of sweet/salty so it complements the short ribs very well too. I always request this when I visit my parents, and my mom made this for me for my Christmas meal. Another perk? I have my mom's recipe now too! This is definitely a keeper and something I'll try making myself one day for me and Dr. Sweetpea.

Kalbi Chim (Aka Braised Korean Short Ribs)

(Source: My mom)

4 1/2 pounds thick cut, bone in short ribs***
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup mirin
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon ginger, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 of an asian pear, finely grated (optional)
1/4 cup green onion, sliced
1 - 2 tablespoons sesame oil
Black Pepper
1 large carrot, cut into large chunks and edges rounded
1/2 a large daikon radish, cut into large chunks
1 medium onion, cut into large chunks

Place the bone-in short ribs in a large stockpot filled with water. Leave the meat in this pot for about two hours to rinse the meat of access blood. Drain pot and using a sharp knife, cut the short ribs into large chunks with the bone attached onto each piece of meat. Using a small knife, cut two little slits into each piece of meat (about 2/3  of the way through the meat but not all the way to the bone). Once this has been done to all the short ribs, place them back into the empty stockpot.

In a large bowl, mix the sugar, mirin, soy sauce, and water. In a blender, add the chopped ginger, garlic, pear, and green onion. Puree this mixture together. If it's not pureeing well, add a few tablespoons of water to help it along. Add this pureed mixture into the soy sauce mixture and mix well. Set aside.

Add 2 cups of water into the stockpot containing the shortribs. Add half of the soy sauce mixture into the stockpot and stir. Place on stove and cook on high until it comes to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 1 hour. After 1 hour has gone by, skim some of the fat off the surface. Add the remaining soy sauce mixture and the carrot, onion, and daikon radish. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil again on high then reduce the heat to medium and cook another hour. Taste the sauce that is in the stockpot and add more soy sauce, sugar, and mirin to taste. My mom added about another 1/4 cup of soy sauce and a few spoonfuls of sugar and mirin. Cool and serve with rice.


***To give you an idea of what your short ribs should look like, I found an image online and posted it below. This cut of meat is typically called Flanken Style Short Ribs*** Picture from Finecooking.com