Korean BBQ Short Rib Tacos with Kimchi Slaw

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Thin-sliced short rib soaks in a sweet-savory soy, pear and sesame marinade, then hits a screaming-hot skillet until the edges char and caramelize. Piled into warm flour tortillas with crunchy kimchi slaw and a fast gochujang mayo, it's the food-truck taco that made Korean BBQ a street food — and it comes together on a weeknight.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb boneless beef short rib, sliced 1/8-inch thin (or thin-sliced ribeye)
• 1/2 Asian pear, peeled and grated (or 1/3 cup applesauce)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp mirin or dry sherry
• 4 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
• 3 scallions, whites minced and greens sliced for serving
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp neutral oil, for searing

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp gochujang
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp water, to thin

• 3 cups green cabbage, shredded thin
• 3/4 cup napa cabbage kimchi, drained and roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp kimchi brine
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced

• 12 small flour tortillas (5- to 6-inch)
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. If your short rib isn't pre-sliced, freeze it for 30 to 40 minutes until firm at the edges, then slice against the grain as thin as you can manage, about 1/8 inch. Ask the butcher for thin-sliced bulgogi meat to skip this entirely.
2. Make the marinade: in a large bowl, whisk the grated Asian pear, soy sauce, brown sugar, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, mirin, garlic, ginger, minced scallion whites and black pepper. Add the beef and toss with your hands until every slice is coated. Marinate 20 minutes at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate up to 8 hours.
3. Whisk the gochujang mayo: mayonnaise, gochujang, rice vinegar, honey and 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a small bowl. Thin with 1 tablespoon water until it drizzles off a spoon in a ribbon. Refrigerate until serving.
4. Toss the slaw: combine shredded cabbage, chopped kimchi, kimchi brine, rice vinegar, sugar, salt and sliced scallions in a bowl. Toss well and let sit at least 10 minutes so the cabbage softens slightly but stays crunchy. Toss again just before serving.
5. Heat a 12-inch cast-iron or heavy stainless skillet over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes until a drop of water skitters and evaporates instantly. Add 1 tablespoon neutral oil.
6. Lift about half the beef from the marinade, letting excess drip off, and lay it in the pan in a single layer — crowding steams the meat instead of charring it. Cook undisturbed 2 minutes until the underside is deeply browned, then toss and cook 1 to 2 minutes more until the edges are dark and lacquered. Transfer to a plate.
7. Wipe out any burnt sugar, add the remaining tablespoon of oil, and repeat with the second batch. Return the first batch to the pan for the last 30 seconds, along with 2 tablespoons of the leftover marinade, and toss 30 to 45 seconds until it reduces to a glaze that clings. Coarsely chop the beef into bite-size pieces.
8. Warm the tortillas directly over a gas flame or in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, 20 to 30 seconds per side, until pliable with a few blistered spots. Stack them in a clean kitchen towel to stay hot and soft.
9. Build each taco: a smear of gochujang mayo on the tortilla, a generous pile of beef, a tangle of kimchi slaw, then a drizzle more mayo. Finish with sesame seeds, scallion greens, cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Serve two to three per person, immediately.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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