Galbi
갈비
Soy-sesame marinated beef short ribs, grilled until the bones get sticky and the edges char.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: 갈비.
0 people cooked this in the public kitchen yet. Kitchen-tested by I Want Some Food. Not a purchased rating.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Rest
- 2 hr
- Total
- 2 hr 40 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- A bit special$16–28 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Galbi is the rib that made Korean barbecue famous. LA galbi is flanken-cut across the bone; traditional cuts run along it. The marinade is close to bulgogi but the bone and fat change the cooking. Grill or a ripping-hot griddle. You want caramel, not stew. Score the membrane on the bone side so the marinade reaches the meat. Sugar and pear brown fast — you want a hot grill or griddle, not a crowded stewpan. Wipe excess marinade off before it hits the heat or it will burn to bitter black. Done is charred edges and meat that is just cooked at the bone, still juicy; flanken 'LA' bones cook quicker than thick English-cut ribs; time them as different cuts.
Ingredients
- Beef, short ribs, flanken or English cut1 kg
- Soy sauce80 ml
- Sugar30 ml
- Honey15 ml
- Toasted sesame oil30 ml
- Garlic6 clove
- Apple or Korean pear, grated pear or apple1
- Onion, grated½
- Korean rice wine30 ml
- Black pepper4.9 ml
- Sesame seed4.9 ml
- Lettuce12 leaf
- Ssamjang59 ml
- Rice, uncooked, to serve400 g
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
If the ribs have a tough membrane, nick it. Mix soy, sugar, honey, sesame oil, garlic, fruit, onion, rice wine and pepper. Marinate 2 hours or overnight.
120 minStep 2
Grill or sear over high heat, turning, until charred at the edges and just cooked at the bone, 3–5 minutes a side depending on thickness.
12 minWatch: Sugar burns. Move pieces if a flare-up starts.
Step 3
Rest 3 minutes. Sesame seeds. Eat wrapped in lettuce with ssamjang and rice.
Adapt this recipe
The canonical recipe stays intact. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are maths, not AI.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 10 October.
Substitutions
Beef ribs → Pork spare ribs
Dwaeji-galbi. Same marinade, cook through.
Tips
- A little grated kiwi tenderises cheap cuts — do not exceed 30 minutes or the meat goes mushy.
- Cut English-cut ribs into bite-size after grilling if you did not start with LA cut.
History & culture
Restaurant galbi is a shared grill event. At home, a cast-iron pan or outdoor grill still counts. Lettuce, ssamjang and rice are not garnish — they are the other half of the bite. Company dinners and family celebrations still book galbi rooms with a sunken grill. Suwon-style plates can run larger and less sweet; Koreatown LA cuts went back onto Seoul menus as their own line. Ssamjang, lettuce and rice are the rest of the bite, not a side salad. A heavy pan at the kitchen hob is acceptable; the conversation is the same.
Grilled ribs are older than the LA cut. The cross-bone slice is a diaspora grocery-store gift that went back to Seoul menus. Both are galbi. Rib grilling is older than the cross-bone grocery cut. Flanken-style 'LA galbi' is a late-twentieth-century diaspora butcher's habit that Seoul restaurants later printed on menus. Beef galbi as a prosperity restaurant order is also modern. Both cuts are galbi; only one of them needed a California saw.
Regional variation — English-cut or flanken. Ask the butcher. Pork galbi exists; this recipe is beef.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips — not a chatbot.
How long does Galbi take?
2 hr 40 min all in — 25 min prep, 15 min cook, 2 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 trays. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Soy, Sesame, Wheat. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free, Nut-free.
What does it cost to cook?
A bit special — about $16–28 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Mixing bowl, Frying pan.
How much salt do I put in?
This recipe does not list salt as its own ingredient. Saltiness comes from Soy sauce — 80 ml. Taste at the end rather than adding a number we did not write.
How much soy sauce?
80 ml of Soy sauce.
How much sugar?
2 tbsp of Sugar.
How much honey?
1 tbsp of Honey.
How much toasted sesame oil?
2 tbsp of Toasted sesame oil.
What can I use instead?
Beef ribs → Pork spare ribs. Dwaeji-galbi. Same marinade, cook through.
What should I watch for?
Sugar burns. Move pieces if a flare-up starts.
Any tips from this recipe?
A little grated kiwi tenderises cheap cuts — do not exceed 30 minutes or the meat goes mushy. Cut English-cut ribs into bite-size after grilling if you did not start with LA cut.
Can I prepare this ahead?
If the ribs have a tough membrane, nick it. Mix soy, sugar, honey, sesame oil, garlic, fruit, onion, rice wine and pepper. Marinate 2 hours or overnight.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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