Korean Style Beef Short Ribs

You will love my recipe for Korean-style beef short ribs, sometimes referred to simply as galbi. Marinate flanken cut ribs with soy sauce, sesame oil, and other ingredients for at least an hour, preferably overnight. Then bake the ribs in an oven with an optional step to broil until slightly charred. You can also BBQ the short ribs on a grill or pan-fry in a skillet.

Disclaimer: Please check that all ingredients are suitable for your allergies and be sure to ask your medical care team regarding any allergy related questions (I do not share medical advice). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

What is Galbi?

Galbi is the Korean word for rib and could also refer to a marinated beef short rib BBQ dish. I usually buy flanken cut beef short ribs to make galbi at home. Butchers cut rib bones into thin strips of meat with ribs. This recipe is sometimes called “LA Galbi” due to Korean immigrants living in Los Angeles using franken cut ribs.

We could enjoy Korean cuisine by adapting as needed for food allergies at home. Our family avoided eating at Korean restaurants because sesame is a common ingredient in many pre-marinated dishes.

Galbi is typically grilled at the table or on a BBQ. Alternatively, you could bake them in an oven or fry a few at a time in a skillet. My preference is to bake in an oven followed by broiling for 1-2 minutes to char them a little bit.

Shopping for Ingredients

You can find most of the ingredients at a conventional supermarket. Ask your butcher if they can cut or source flanken style ribs for you. You may find nice options at a Korean supermarket or well-stocked Asian supermarkets. I found out they’re called flanken ribs when I ordered beef short ribs to make a stew but Whole Foods delivered ribs to make galbi. (Their photo is still incorrect after all these years!)

You will need about 2-3 pieces of flanken ribs per person, or approximately 3/4 to 1 pound per person. I bought 4 pounds of ribs and had 12 pieces. Look for trays with leaner pieces of ribs, even lean pieces have plenty of marbling for flavor. I definitely avoid the trays with ribs that are have more than 1/4 inch of fat.

If you can, buy a big Asian pear that is about the size of a softball. Asian pears adds natural sweetness to the marinade and also tenderizes the meat. If you aren’t able to use Asian pears, you can try substituting with pineapple juice or kiwi.

How to Prep and Marinate Beef Short Ribs

It’s important to give the galbi a rinse to remove any fine bone fragments from the meat. Limit cross-contamination by filling a large bowl with cold water. Add the ribs and gently rub the bones and meat to dislodge any bone fragments. Then take the ribs out of the bowl and drain in a colander.

Did you know that a sugar rub will tenderize meat? I rub about 1 teaspoon of brown sugar into each piece of flanken beef and allow them to tenderize in a bowl while prepping the rest of the marinade. Resist the urge to save time by adding the sugar to the marinade.

Combine the marinade ingredients and then coat the beef with the marinade and refrigerate for at least one hour. Or marinate overnight in your refrigerator.

This is a great summer time dish. I prep in the morning when my kitchen is still cool and can enjoy the rest of the day. About 20-30 minutes before dinner, I bake the ribs and make vegetables and side dishes.

After I made put the galbi in the oven, I couldn’t throw away the marinade and decided to marinate some chicken drumsticks. The chicken drumsticks marinated in the reused marinade as amazing. I added a Soy Garlic Chicken Drumsticks, a Korean Style and Sesame-Free Recipe to the blog with another from-scratch marinade variation.

Allergy Aware Galbi

This recipe is free of peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, fish, egg, and dairy as written.

If allergic to wheat, use tamari sauce. See What’s in Nut Free Wok’s Cupboard? Nut-Free Ingredients for other ingredient suggestions.

People allergic to soy might like to try either of my two recipes for soy-free soy sauce. My original soy-free soy sauce recipe is a simple one made from pantry ingredients.

Or make cow tongue or a beef hind shank as an entree. The resulting sauce is full of nutrients and umami flavor that you can use as a delicious soy-free soy sauce.

Sesame is a difficult allergen to substitute and most of the time I just omit it. But in this case, I would add a scoop of soynut butter or sunflower seed butter and blend it into the marinade.

Related Recipes

I am totally content to eat galbi with rice and Easy Mung Bean Sprouts Stir Fry as pictured above. If you want another Korean inspired side dish, we love to eat Delicious Beef Japchae, A Korean Glassy Noodle Stir Fry.

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I may mention the names of stores and/or brand names of products that I use because readers ask and I share products and sources which I use and think may be helpful to readers, all opinions are my own. Please note that manufacturing practices and ingredients can change at anytime without notice and readers are always responsible for assuring allergen safety before buying or consuming foods. NutFreeWok.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Thank you for reading!