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
- 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.
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 seeds4.9 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 24 August.
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.
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.
Regional variation — English-cut or flanken. Ask the butcher. Pork galbi exists; this recipe is beef.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation. Original editorial adaptation for I Want Some Food. Not copied from another recipe site. Official recipe photography is pending. Photograph: 김태경 via Wikimedia Commons (CC0). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Galbi-gui%201.jpg
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. That is the time on this recipe, not a guess.
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.
Similar dishes
Bulgogi
불고기
Thin beef in a soy-pear-sesame marinade, cooked hot until the edges caramelise.
1 hrEasyNo chilli
Samgyeopsal
삼겹살
Thick pork belly grilled at the table, wrapped in lettuce with ssamjang, garlic and a bit of rice.
40 minEasyNo chilli
Jeyuk bokkeum
제육볶음
Spicy stir-fried pork with gochujang and gochugaru — weeknight heat with rice that you will need.
47 minEasy🌶️🌶️🌶️