Thin-Cut Kalbi Short Ribs for a Japanese BBQ Night at Home

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The Japanese-BBQ house special is a marbled short rib sliced paper-thin and flashed over live fire — at restaurant prices, with restaurant butchery. The realistic home move is thin-cut USDA Choice bone-in short rib (ask for it flanken-style, or LA galbi at a Korean market), soaked in a bright soy-mirin-Asian pear marinade that does the tenderizing for you. Ninety seconds a side on a screaming grill or grill pan, then eat it straight off the fire with rice, lemon and a sesame-salt dip.

Ingredients

• 2 lb bone-in beef short ribs, cut flanken-style 1/4 inch thick (LA galbi cut)
• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup grated Asian pear (about 1/2 pear, skin removed)
• 3 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp sake or dry sherry
• 3 tbsp packed light brown sugar
• 4 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

• 3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp flaky or kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• 1 tsp shichimi togarashi or gochugaru, optional
• 4 cups hot steamed short-grain rice
• 2 cups napa cabbage or butter lettuce leaves, for wrapping
• 1 tbsp neutral oil, for the grill

Instructions

1. Pat the short ribs very dry with paper towels and lay them out on a sheet pan. If any pieces are thicker than about 1/3 inch, lay a piece of plastic wrap over them and flatten gently with the bottom of a small skillet — thin and even is what makes this cook in seconds. Season lightly with the 1 teaspoon kosher salt.
2. Make the marinade: in a large bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, grated Asian pear and its juice, mirin, sake, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, sesame seeds, scallions and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper until the sugar dissolves.
3. Add the beef and turn each piece so it is fully coated, separating any slices that are stuck together. Cover and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours. Do not go past 6 hours — the enzymes in the Asian pear will turn thin-cut beef mushy.
4. Make the sesame-salt dip: stir 3 tablespoons sesame oil with 1 teaspoon flaky salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a small bowl. Set out the lemon wedges, shichimi togarashi, cabbage or lettuce leaves and hot rice so everything is ready before the beef hits the fire.
5. Heat the grill hard: for charcoal, build a full chimney and spread it in a single layer, grate 3 to 4 inches above the coals; for gas, all burners on high for 10 minutes; indoors, heat a cast-iron grill pan or skillet over high heat for 5 minutes with the exhaust fan running. Oil the grate or pan lightly with neutral oil on a folded paper towel.
6. Lift the ribs from the marinade and let the excess drip off for a few seconds — wet, sugary marinade flares up and burns. Discard the used marinade.
7. Grill the ribs in a single uncrowded layer, 60 to 90 seconds per side, until the edges are deeply caramelized and the meat is just cooked through with a hint of pink at the center. Work in 2 or 3 batches; the beef is done long before you think it is. If flare-ups start, move the pieces to a cooler part of the grate for a few seconds.
8. Pile the finished ribs on a warm platter as they come off and let them rest just 2 minutes. Snip between the bones with kitchen shears if you like, then serve immediately with rice, cabbage leaves, a squeeze of lemon and the sesame-salt dip for dunking each bite.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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