My Braised Korean Short Ribs bring flavor and tenderness to the dinner table with an easy to follow recipe that you can cook in your oven or slow cooker!
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When most people think about Braised Korean Short Ribs they think of Galbi Jjim, which is more of a stew with potatoes and carrots. This version of short ribs is a slow braised play on the flavors of Korean barbecue. It cooks low and slow in a sweet and savory sauce until the meat quite literally falls apart when you try to pick it up.
My Mom made Korean braised short ribs from time to time and I remember how much I looked forward to pouring the sauce all over my rice and pulling the meat apart with my fingers.
Like most of my Mom's food, there was never a recipe. If you asked her for one she would just get annoyed and say "you put this much!" like it was the dumbest question she ever heard. I got that a lot.
My Mom isn't around anymore, but I think I did a pretty good job recreating her dish. The recipe is so popular that Hmart asked me to do a video demo for their website, where I talk a little about why Korean food is so important to me.
Let's get cooking. I measured the ingredients for you 😆
Ingredients
- Short ribs I use what is called an English cut short rib in this recipe, which is a thick piece of meat on one bone, around 3-4 inches long. If you are unsure, ask your butcher.
- Soy sauce There are so many kinds of soy sauce, but the kind you can buy at your local Mega Market is fine.
- Beef Broth This adds another level of depth to the final flavor of the sauce that you will make.
- Sesame oil A small amount of this powerful and flavorful oil brings a wonderful flavor and aroma!
- Mirin This Japanese cooking wine adds a sweetness and acidity that compliments the sauce.
- Garlic I use a fine grater or zester to grate this into the sauce. While the meat and sauce are cooking, it just melts in and disappears, leaving behind all that flavor.
- Ginger I grate this also. I love the flavor ginger brings to my Korean sauces and even my kimchi!
- Brown sugar The molasses laden sugar brings a warm sweetness to the sauce.
- Gochugaru This is a Korean chili pepper that has a unique sweet, floral heat. I can't really recommend another pepper in its place, but it's relatively easy to find at any Asian store. You can also order gochugaru online.
- Cornstarch Although you can slowly reduce the sauce at the end, I prefer to use a slurry made with cornstarch and either more beef broth or water. It makes a shiny sauce that comes together quickly. And I'm hungry!
Handy tip: Prepare Ahead!
Fresh ginger can be difficult to grate. I fix this by chopping my ginger into 2 inch pieces as soon as I buy it. I then freeze the pieces for when I need it. The frozen ginger grates so easily; no need to thaw! And you don't have to worry about peeling it! The peel grates away so finely, it incorporates into whatever you are cooking!
How to make Korean Short Ribs
- Mix the sauce You'll just add the soy sauce, beef broth, sesame oil, mirin, grated garlic and ginger, bnrown sugar, and the gochugaru in a bowl or large measuring cup and set it aside.
- Sear the meat Place a medium dutch oven or a 12 inch cast iron skillet over high heat. Add one tablespoon of oil and sear your meat on all sides and set aside on a plate, or directly into your slow cooker, depending on which version you are doing. Do this in a few batches so you don't overcrowd the pan. This will prevent you from getting a good sear. Add more oil when needed.
- Oven braise Place meat back in to dutch oven and pour sauce over top. Cover and cook at 325°F for 2 ½ hours.
- Slow cooker Place meat into the slow cooker and pour sauce over top. Cover and cook for 8-9 hours.
- Make sauce Remove meat from cooking vessel and strain fat from the cooking liquid. In a pan (or your dutch oven) over medium high heat, bring the liquid to a boil. Whisk in cornstarch dissolved in beef broth or water and continue whisking until thickened.
- Slow cooker sauce You can also add the strained liquid back into the slow cooker and set it on high. Whisk in the cornstarch slurry and allow to thicken, whisking occasionally.
- Serve Serve with rice, garnished with chopped scallions and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds. Drizzle the sauce all over your meat and rice. Enjoy!
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-Cynthia
📖 Recipe
Braised Korean Short Ribs
Ingredients
- 3 lb English cut short ribs
- ¾ cup soy sauce
- ¾ cup beef broth
- 1 ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon mirin
- 4 cloves garlic grated or minced very fine
- 2 teaspoon ginger grated
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon gochugaru
- 2 tablespoon canola oil for searing ribs
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup beef broth (cold) or water
Instructions
- Mix soy sauce, beef broth, sesame oil, mirin, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, and gochugaru and whisk together well. Set aside while you get your ribs ready.
- Heat a heavy pan over high heat. I like to use my cast iron pan for even cooking and great searing. If oven braising, make sure to use a heavy pan with a lid, like a cast iron dutch oven.Drizzle all the short ribs with some oil and salt and pepper. Rub them well with the oil and seasoning to get all the surfaces.Sear the ribs in batches (so you don't crowd the pan) on all sides. Don't be afraid to get a really hard sear on them. This is where you're going to get really deep flavor and color on your meat. Remove the seared ribs to a plate and start the next batch.If you are using your slow cooker, just put the seared ribs in the bottom of the cooker and start on your next batch of ribs.
- Oven braising instructions: Preheat oven to 325°F. After searing, drain off all the fat from the dutch oven. Return the ribs to the pot and pour sauce over top. Bake at 325°F for 2 ½ hours. When done, you should be able to easily pierce a rib with a knife. If you meet any resistance, keep cooking for another 30 minutes.
- Place the meat on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Seperate the fat from the braising liquid using a fat separator or by skimming off with a spoon. Place the pot back onto the stove and heat the braising liquid to a boil.Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with cold beef broth or water and pour into the liquid, whisking constantly until the sauce thickens.Serve with rice and garnish with chopped scallions and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
- Slow cooker instructions: Pour the sauce all over the ribs in the slow cooker, put the lid on and set to low. Cook for 8-9 hours. When done, place the meat on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Seperate the fat from the braising liquid using a fat separator or by skimming off with a spoon. Pour the liquid back into the slow cooker and turn it on high.Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with cold beef broth or water and whisk into the liquid. Let it bubble, whisking occasionally, until the sauce thickens. Serve with rice and garnish with chopped scallions and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
Save This Recipe! 💌
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later, plus you'll get great new recipes from me every week!
Jill says
such a great recipe! My family loves Korean food and I always cook Korean recipes I read about. We live in Los Angeles and are so lucky to have so much Korean food, but of course I cannot recreate it exactly ! We went to Seoul, N. Korea this summer and although Korean people are skinny I gained 5 lbs in two weeks!!!! The food was too good. This recipe was amazing and I felt like I was in an authentic K-Town restaurant. I hope you post more Korean recipes.
Cynthia Christensen says
Thank you! I'm glad you liked it! I post most of my Korean recipes (inspired by my mom) over on Simply Recipes. You can find them all here.
Flo says
Kids and Hubby loved it !