Yakiniku-Style Grilled Beef Short Ribs

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Thin flanken-cut short ribs soak in a glossy soy-mirin marinade, then hit a screaming-hot grill for two minutes a side. The sugars in the mirin caramelize into a lacquered crust while the meat stays juicy — the whole point of the Japanese yakiniku counter, done on a backyard grill or a cast-iron pan. Serve with hot rice, lemon wedges and a sesame dipping sauce.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 lb flanken-cut beef short ribs, sliced 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick
• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup mirin
• 3 tbsp sake
• 3 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup grated Asian pear (or ripe Bosc pear), with juices
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 4 clove garlic, grated
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 scallions, smashed and cut into 2-inch lengths
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, roughly crushed
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp grated garlic

• 4 cup hot cooked short-grain rice
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp shichimi togarashi or sansho pepper
• Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions

1. Ask the butcher for flanken-cut short ribs — cut across the bones into strips 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick, sometimes labeled 'Korean-style' or 'kalbi cut.' If they are thicker than 1/2 inch, ask to have them run through the slicer again. Pat the meat completely dry with paper towels and season lightly with the kosher salt.
2. Make the marinade: in a bowl, whisk the soy sauce, mirin, sake and brown sugar until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the grated pear and its juices, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, smashed scallions and black pepper.
3. Put the ribs in a large zip-top bag or shallow dish and pour the marinade over, working it between the strips so every surface is coated. Seal and refrigerate 4 to 12 hours, turning the bag once. Do not go past 24 hours — the pear enzymes will turn the texture mushy.
4. Whisk all the dipping sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and let it sit at room temperature while you cook. Cook the rice so it is ready at the same time as the meat.
5. Take the ribs out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Lift each strip from the marinade, let it drip for a few seconds, and lay them on a rack or paper towels. Scrape off any clinging bits of pear and garlic — they burn. Discard the marinade.
6. Build a very hot fire: light a full chimney of charcoal and spread it in a single even layer, or set a gas grill to high, 550°F or above. Scrape the grate clean and oil it with a folded paper towel dipped in neutral oil.
7. Grill the ribs directly over the coals in a single uncrowded layer, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes on the first side, until the edges are deeply lacquered and the fat is crackling. Flip and cook 1 1/2 to 2 minutes more. Move any strip that flares up to a cooler spot for a few seconds rather than letting it scorch. The meat is done as soon as it is browned on both sides; thin flanken goes from juicy to leathery in under a minute.
8. Pile the cooked ribs on a warm platter and let them rest 3 minutes. Cut the strips crosswise into bite-size pieces with kitchen shears, right on the platter, so the juices stay put.
9. Scatter with sliced scallions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately with hot rice, the dipping sauce, lemon wedges for squeezing, and a small dish of shichimi togarashi at the table.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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