By Katie Workman
Those who love short ribs LOVE them. Those who haven’t cooked them at home before might be a little intimidated by them. Let’s bridge that gap.
In general, short ribs have to be cooked either low and slow, or very quickly over high heat so that they don’t become tough. This recipe calls for almost flash grilling, just 3 or 4 minutes on each side.
Because this is a fast-cooked short rib recipe, the cut you’ll want to buy is “flanken-style,’’ where the ribs are cut across the bones into thin slices. You can serve these on their own, with a big pile of fluffy rice. I like to serve this the way a number of Korean meat dishes are served, with rice and lettuce leaves, and some condiments of your choice.
Along with the easily available suggestions for add-ins below, sometimes kimchi is offered, and a condiment called ssamjang, which translates to “wrapping sauce.’’ If you can find either, add them to the offerings.
You can also broil these instead wof grilling during the months when you are cozying up to your stove instead of your grill.
Ingredients: 5 scallions, trimmed and cut into pieces
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 1/2 pounds bone-in beef short ribs , cut across the bones into 1/2 inch slices
Cooked rice
Optional, for serving:
2 tbsp sesame seeds
Large lettuce leaves
Slivered scallions
Cucumbers and carrots, cut
Slivered radishes
Fresh herbs, such as basil, mint and cilantro
Sriracha or other hot chili sauce
Method
Place the scallions, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, vinegar, sesame oil, black pepper and cayenne pepper in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
Place the short ribs in a container, pour the marinade over them and turn to coat well. Cover and refrigerate from 12 to 24 hours.
Just before grilling, toast the sesame seeds until they become deeper golden in colour. Preheat the grill to medium high. Remove the short ribs from the marinade. Grill for about 4 minutes on each side, until the outside is caramelized and the middle is medium-rare. Allow the meat to sit for 5 minutes before slicing across the grain and serving with the hot rice. Or slice the meat thinly and serve it with any or all of the suggested accompaniments. CP/AP
Korean-Style Grilled Short Ribs
