I’m sharing a quick #dinspiration recipe today for a Korean marinade I made on repeat all summer. It’s garlicky, savoury, and just sweet enough to be completely addictive. (Like my early-Foodess Sticky Honey Garlic Chicken Wings). I served them with short-grain white rice, kimchi, and a quick salad made from julienned (with my julienne peeler) carrots and cucumbers lightly dressed with rice vinegar, and a pinch of sugar and salt.
Flank-style beef ribs are inexpensive, and can either be cooked quickly over high heat (as was done here) or simmered slowly on low heat until tender. If you can’t find them, substitute a flank or skirt steak, and serve it sliced thinly crosswise over rice.
In Korean recipes, Asian pears are frequently used in marinades because they contain enzymes that tenderize meat (papaya has them, too! Cool, huh?). They pear also adds a bit of sweetness, but mostly that’s the honey’s job, so don’t break a sweat looking for one. (I make the same recipe frequently without it.)
I happened to have asian pear on hand because my friend Jenny’s neighbour has an Asian pear tree. Jenny has an apple tree, and they split some of their harvest. And Jenny shared with me!
I have MAJOR fruit tree lust. There is a strong possibility I’m gonna ditch my high-rise for an acre of land with a small orchard and space for chickens. What do you think?
Korean Short Ribs Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ½ medium Asian pear (or 1/4 cup pineapple or apple juice)
- ¼ medium onion
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 ½ tbsp finely-grated ginger
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- ½ tsp cayenne
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 ¼ lbs flanken beef short ribs 1/4" to 1/2" thick
Instructions
- Combine all marinade ingredients (everything except the beef ribs) in a small blender or food processor and process until smooth. Pour over ribs in a shallow baking dish and stir to coat evenly. Cover and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
- Preheat grill over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Grill ribs over direct heat for about 3 minutes on the first side (or until ribs release easily and are well marked), with lid closed, then flip and cook 1-2 minutes on the other side. Transfer to a serving plate, tent with foil and let rest for 5 minutes.
Notes
- If you don’t have Asian pear, substitute 1/4 cup pineapple juice (it also has tenderizing enzymes and the flavor works beautifully here.)
- You may substitute brown sugar or maple syrup for the honey.
- Instead of grilling, ribs can be cooked directly under a preheated broiler, on a lightly-oiled stovetop grill pan, preheated for at least 5 minutes over high heat, or in an airfryer for about 5 minutes on 390ºF.
- 1/4″ thin ribs will grill faster and are more tender and the marinade penetrates more fully, but they fall apart more than the 1/2″ thick ribs. For beautiful presentation, choose thicker ribs.
- Substitute gluten-free tamari for a gluten-free version.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
