LA Galbi and Pickled Korean Pear

LA Galbi and Pickled Korean Pear
LA Galbi and Pickled Korean Pear
Seasoned Chiffonade of Perilla, Ssamjang, Rice, Kimchi, OB

LA Galbi are grilled flanken-style (cut across the bone) beef short ribs in a Korean marinade. Curiously, this cut of short rib was popularized by Korean cooks – not in Seoul – but right here in Los Angeles, hence the name.

The magic of Galbi 갈비 is in the marinade. Asian pear tenderizes the meat and adds a hint of sweetness. Pear – combined with garlic, onion, and ginger, plus soy sauce, mirin, honey and sesame oil result in a full Korean flavor explosion. This entire marinade is made in a food processor, it couldn’t be easier.

weber grill

Hours of marinating result in the tender yet chewy texture. Grilling imparts a wonderful smoky note to the already complex flavors of the marinated meat while the honey and sugar caramelize into a slightly sweet glaze – making this an absolutely irresistible barbecue dish.

LA Galbi Recipe

LA Galbi and Pickled Korean Pear

Blend the following ingredients in a food processor.

  •  1 Asian pear
  • 6 -8 cloves garlic
  • 1 onion
  • 2″ ginger

Add the following ingredients and blend again.

  • 2 T. honey
  • 2 T. brown sugar
  • 1/3 c. low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/3 c. mirin
  • 3 T. sesame oil
  • several grinds of black pepper

galbi marinade

Rinse flanken-cut short ribs of beef in cold water, drain. Add marinade, coat well. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours.

LA Galbi

Remove from marinade and grill ribs over high heat. When they start to char turn them over. This is a fast process, maybe 5 minutes.

Pickled Korean Pear Recipe

LA Galbi and Pickled Korean Pear

Pickled pear is a refreshing accompaniment to the grilled ribs.

  • 1 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
  • 3/4 c. sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 star anise
  • 1 T. pickling spice (cinnamon, allspice, mustard seed, coriander, bay, ginger, chili, clove, black pepper, mace, cardamom)

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan, bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, slice Korean pear into batons. After simmering 20 minutes, strain the liquid. Let cool to room temperature then pour the liquid over the pear batons. Marinate for 30 minutes in the refrigerator, then serve while the pear is still crunchy.

Creative Cooking Crew

The Creative Cooking Crew is a group of 24 innovative food bloggers hosted by Laz of Lazaro Cooks! and Joan of FOODalogue. Each month brings a new culinary challenge with a round-up of all the entries posted at the end of the month. Although there is no real judging and the challenges are all just for fun, we take pride in sharing our entries, pushing our culinary limits.

September’s Challenge is PICKLE IT! to which I am bringing my Pickled Korean Pears. Joan is showcasing all the pickles in the round-up on her blog here. Be sure to check out and follow the Creative Cooking Crew’s PINTEREST BOARD here for inspiration without boundaries!

Seasoned Chiffonade of Perilla Recipe

LA Galbi and Pickled Korean Pear

  • 1 T. soy sauce
  • 1/2 t. sesame oil
  • 1/2 t. sugar
  • 1/2 t. gochugaru (coarse-ground red chili powder)

Mix ingredients. Chiffonade several perilla (wild sesame leaves). Toss perilla with seasoning sauce. Serve seasoned chiffonade of perilla on top of the galbi.

Place a spoonful of ssamjang (spicy seasoned soybean paste) on perilla, serve on the side as a condiment.

Enjoy

LA Galbi and Pickled Korean Pear

Enjoy LA Galbi and pickled Korean pear with rice, kimchi, and beer!

17 thoughts on “LA Galbi and Pickled Korean Pear”

  1. ooh, LA Galbi sounds fantastic! And the pickled asian pear is a perfect accompaniment here 🙂 wish i had thrown some more spices into my apple pickles!

  2. I love everything in it… including the shiso (which I grow!). Fabulous dish with wonderful flavors. I am in love already. I can’t wait to try it… now, how to slice the meat like that… yikes… get out the knife sharpener!

    1. Deana – you grow shiso! How cool. Definitely try my seasoned chiffonade, it pairs wonderfully with grilled meats. BTW – I think I would have the butcher slice the short ribs with his saw (or you can find that flanken-cut at a Korean market).
      Now, let’s cook with some booze!
      LL

  3. What a fun entry for the challenge. Your beef looks fantastic. I had no idea that cut of meat was made popular in LA of all places 🙂 The pickled pears are a great addition as well!

    1. Hi Jessie – I look forward to your galbi jim post. BTW – I remember commenting on your samgyetang a while ago, I have since made it. Posted at the end of August. We just adored it! Making yukgaejang next. How about you?
      LL

      1. Yeah, I’ve already checked your posting on Samgyetang. It was awesome. Your next is Yukgaejang? It’s on my list, too. Whenever my mom makes one big pot of Gomtang(beef soup), she makes Yukgaejang with leftover of the soup and it tastes really good. I’ll be looking forward to yours. ^^

  4. You make me miss living in L.A. LL! Did you get that special cut of short rib from an Asian butcher? And the wild sesame leaves? Never seen them, what do they taste like? I love grilled, marinated meats and I especially love Korean bbq. Well done, I could eat it up right now. (Love that it’s an L.A. Korean dish!)

    1. Hi Laura – yes, the short rib is from our Korean market. But any butcher can slice for you, ask for flanked-cut. Perilla aka wild sesame leaves – maybe you know them as Japanese shiso. These are not exactly the same as shiso though…they are larger and heartier, but somewhat similar minty herbaceous flavor.
      Ready to cook with booze?
      LL

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