Two-Cut Korean BBQ Beef Platter with Three Banchan

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The $88 premium beef combo, rebuilt around two cuts a home cook can actually buy: pear-marinated boneless short rib and paper-thin brisket seared bare on a ripping cast-iron grill pan. Three fast banchan, a bowl of nutty ssamjang, and lettuce for wrapping turn it into a full tabletop spread without a single vent hood upgrade.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb boneless beef short rib, sliced 1/4 inch thick (or flanken-cut, deboned)
• 1/2 Asian pear, peeled and grated
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 4 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

• 1 lb beef brisket, shaved paper-thin (frozen shabu-shabu slices work)
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp flaky or kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

• 3 tbsp doenjang (Korean soybean paste)
• 1 tbsp gochujang
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 scallion, minced
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp water

• 2 Persian cucumbers
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp gochugaru (Korean chile flakes)
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 clove garlic, grated

• 8 oz mung bean sprouts
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

• 8 oz Korean radish or daikon, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 2 heads red leaf or butter lettuce, leaves separated
• 8 perilla leaves (optional)
• 3 cups cooked short-grain white rice, hot
• 1 head garlic, cloves thinly sliced
• 2 tsp neutral oil, for the pan

Instructions

1. Marinate the short rib first: whisk the grated Asian pear, soy sauce, brown sugar, mirin, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, scallions, and black pepper in a bowl. Add the sliced short rib, toss until every piece is coated, and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 8. (Don't push past 12 hours — the pear enzymes will turn the meat mushy.)
2. Make the ssamjang: stir the doenjang, gochujang, sesame oil, honey, garlic, minced scallion, sesame seeds, and 1 tablespoon water together until smooth and scoopable. Cover and refrigerate; it keeps 2 weeks.
3. Quick-pickle the radish: bring the rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and 1/4 cup water to a simmer in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Pour over the radish cubes in a heatproof jar or bowl and let sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes, shaking once or twice.
4. Smash the cucumbers: press each cucumber with the flat of a knife until it splits, then cut on a bias into 1/2-inch pieces. Toss with the 1/2 teaspoon salt and drain in a colander 10 minutes. Pat dry, then toss with the rice vinegar, gochugaru, sesame oil, sugar, and garlic. Refrigerate until serving.
5. Blanch the bean sprouts: boil 6 cups water with a big pinch of salt, add the sprouts, and cook exactly 2 minutes — they should stay crunchy. Drain, rinse under cold water, and squeeze gently dry in a clean towel. Toss with the sesame oil, scallion, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and sesame seeds.
6. Set the table before you cook: arrange the lettuce and perilla leaves, sliced garlic, ssamjang, and all three banchan in small bowls. Stir the sesame oil, flaky salt, and pepper for the brisket dip in a shallow dish. Keep the rice warm. Grilled beef waits for no one.
7. Pull the marinated short rib from the fridge 20 minutes before cooking and lay the pieces flat on a plate, scraping off excess grated pear (it burns). Take the brisket out of the fridge only 5 minutes ahead — cold slices are easier to peel apart.
8. Heat a cast-iron grill pan over medium-high for 5 full minutes, until a drop of water skitters and instantly vanishes. Turn on your hood fan and open a window. Wipe the ridges with a paper towel dipped in neutral oil.
9. Grill the short rib in a single layer with space between pieces — two or three batches, no crowding. Cook 90 seconds to 2 minutes per side, until the edges are lacquered dark brown and slightly charred. Move to a warm platter and let rest while you cook the next batch; wipe burnt sugar off the ridges between rounds.
10. Sear the brisket last: lay the paper-thin slices flat on the hot pan with no oil and no seasoning. They cook in 30 to 45 seconds per side and will curl and render fat immediately. Pull them the moment the edges crisp — one slice too long and they go tough.
11. Snip the short rib into bite-size pieces with kitchen shears right on the platter. Serve immediately: build wraps with lettuce, a spoonful of rice, a piece of beef, a dab of ssamjang, and a slice of raw garlic, dipping the brisket in the sesame-salt oil instead. Refill the pan with more beef as people eat.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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