Korean Style BBQ Beef Ribs
INGREDIENTS
- 4 pounds cross cut beef short ribs (aka flanken cut)
- 1/2 cup green onions, bias cut
- For the marinade
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- 1 green onion, chopped
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons mirin
- 1 tablespoon red chile paste
- 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger
- For the Green Beans
- 1 pound trimmed green beans
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil or other high temperature cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
DIRECTIONS
- Marinate the ribs – Mix together the marinade ingredients. Place the ribs in a 1 gallon zip top bag, pour in the marinade, seal the top, and place in refrigeration for 6-8 hours. Flip the bag every 2 hours.
- Preheat – Preheat your grill to medium high heat. Preheat a small wok or skillet over low heat on the side burner.
- Grill the ribs – Grill the ribs 4 minutes per side. For pretty grill marks, rotate the ribs one quarter turn halfway through each side (2 minute mark). Remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, add oil to the preheated wok or skillet. As soon as the oil is hot (shimmering, wisps of smoke), add the garlic and ginger. Add the green beans, oyster sauce, mirin, and honey and stir fry for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Garnish the ribs with green onion, garnish the green beans with sesame seeds, and serve. I like to serve with sweet Jasmine rice.
The ribs used for Korean style BBQ beef ribs are cross cut beef short ribs. You may also see them labeled as “flanken cut beef ribs”. If they have 4 bone sections, they are from the chuck and if they have 3 wider bones, they are from the plate section.
Mise en place
The marinade brings a collection of sweet, savory, bold, and spicy flavors. When marinating, you don’t have to have the meat submerged in the marinade, just coated. Put them in a gallon zip top bag and flip them every hour or so.
With whole beef short ribs, you have to cook them low and slow for upwards of 6 hours to get them cooked correctly. But the cross cut ribs cook quickly, just 4 minutes a side over medium high heat. The SABER infrared cooking system keeps the beef from drying out.
While the beef is going, quickly cook the green beans. Putting the garlic and ginger in the oil for just about 15 seconds flavors the oil in which the beans will cook. I’m a huge fan of the dual coil side burner on the SABER Elite. It gives you flexibility with pan sizes and a wide range of temperature control.
Since the green beans are parboiled, this whole dish only takes about 8 minutes to cook.
Because of the marinade, these ribs will kick off a good bit of smoke as they cook, but don’t panic. The unique infrared cooking grates prevent any flare ups.
This is actually a very simple dish but your guests will be impressed with your culinary skills. Just don’t tell them how easy it is.