Hey everyone! It’s Kevin here today, with a mouthwatering recipe for galbijjim (Korean braised beef short ribs).
I was introduced to this dish by Sierra because this is one of her favorite dishes. She promised me that after trying it, galbijjim would definitely become my favorite Korean dish as well. I am happy to report that her prediction came true! The tender, falling-off-the-bone meat explodes with flavor in your mouth, and it’s just an amazing experience. Because it is braised, galbijjim does need to cook for a pretty long time, but I promise, it is well worth the wait!
What is Galbijjim?
Galbijjim is a popular Korean dish made by braising beef short ribs until the meat is so tender that it is falling off of the bones. “Galbi” means ribs and “jjim” is a way of cooking meat by steaming or boiling it (almost like a stew).
I love eating braised meats because they are always so tender and just melt in your mouth. It’s exactly the same with galbijjim, with each bite of meat being so soft and tender and filled with amazing flavor.
Speaking of the flavor, the sauce is hard to describe. It’s both sweet and savory, but it’s also so much more than that. The sweetness is complex, coming from many different sources like apple, onions, sugar, and mirin. After simmering for 2 hours, the flavors meld together, creating a new incomparable experience.
Galbijjim is usually cooked with a variety of vegetables. In addition to the potatoes, carrots, and Korean radish which I used, it is also common to add shiitake mushrooms. You can also add chestnuts, ginkgo nuts, and dried dates (jujube) to galbijjim. I decided to forgo these in favor of simplicity, but feel free to try them out!
Tips For Making The Perfect Galbijjim
It all starts with the quality of the ribs. Try to get ribs that are well-marbled and have small muscle fibers. The more individual small muscles you can see, the more tender the end result will be. I tried this recipe with short ribs that were leaner, and while it still tasted great, it was a bit tough (although cooking it for even longer could probably have helped that).
Make sure to let the ribs sit in cold water for 30 minutes before you start in order to draw out any excess blood from the meat and bones. While this step is technically optional, it will definitely improve the final taste of the galbijjim. Even better, swap the water every 10 minutes once the water is looking red.
If you don’t have time to make the recipe from start to finish, you can take a break after making the broth and leave it in the refrigerator overnight. Not only does this help break the recipe into two parts, it also makes it really easy to remove the fat from the broth because it will rise to the top and solidify in the fridge. You’ll be able to easily scrape off the fat in the morning with a spoon.
You can play around with how long you braise the ribs for. Simmering for longer on lower heat will yield more tender meat, while as you can reduce the braising time by cooking on higher heat. Be aware though that the tenderness of the meat will be proportional to how long you cook for, so it is definitely worth waiting if you have the time!
My mouth is watering again just writing this recipe, so let’s get started on this authentic melt-in-your-mouth galbijjim!
Looking for more delicious Korean recipes?
- Spicy-Sweet Korean Fried Chicken
- Dubu Jorim (Korean Braised Tofu)
- Healthy Cauliflower Kimchi Fried Rice
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