The trick to this Korean short ribs recipe is to marinate thinly cut beef ribs in our savory-sweet soy marinade, then cook them on a hot grill or grill pan until they’re caramelized and a little bit charred.

Adam is obsessed with Korean-style ribs. Also called beef Galbi, these are thinly sliced beef short ribs that soak up all the flavor from the marinade and cook in just a few minutes on the grill. You get those perfect caramelized, charred edges that we can’t get enough of.

The Galbi marinade is a lot like our go-to bulgogi marinade, just with a little extra brown sugar, an onion, and more aromatics for an authentic flavor. This is one of our favorite ways to bring Korean BBQ flavors into our own kitchen, and you can totally do it at home, too!

Key Ingredients

• Flanken Ribs: For this recipe, you’ll want thinly sliced short ribs. Somewhere between 1/4-inch and 3/4-inch thick is perfect. The thin cut means they grill up super fast. When you’re shopping, look for packages labeled “flanken ribs,” “Korean-style ribs,” or “LA-style beef short ribs.” Just make sure they’re cut across the bone, so you get 3 to 4 little round bones in each piece.
• Soy Sauce: This is the base of our marinade. We usually go for low-sodium soy sauce, but low-sodium tamari works great, too.
• Rice Wine Vinegar: Look for unsweetened rice vinegar (usually with a green bottle cap or label).
• Sesame Oil: Toasted sesame oil adds a lovely, toasty, rich flavor to the ribs.
• Brown Sugar and Honey: We really love both for this. The combination makes our beef taste more interesting and complex. The honey also caramelizes beautifully. We use the same combination when making beef bulgogi, another Korean-inspired recipe.
• Black Pepper: We use a lot of black pepper in this recipe. I hand-grind mine, so it has to be worth it. Trust me, it is! One teaspoon is just right.
• Garlic and Ginger: I always go for fresh garlic. For ginger, you can use fresh ginger root or grab ginger puree from the store (refrigerated or frozen both work).
• Pear: This is the secret ingredient in a lot of Korean marinades. It adds sweetness and helps tenderize the beef. We look for Asian, Korean, or Nashi pears, but if you can’t find those, a ripe Bosc or Anjou pear works just fine.
• Lettuce, Rice, and Sides: To make it a full meal, we serve these ribs with steamed rice and lettuce leaves for wrapping. Don’t forget the banchan (little sides) like kimchi or spicy cucumber salad, and a bit of ssamjang, the savory Korean dipping sauce that ties it all together.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Korean Short Ribs at Home

Tip 1: Prepare the ribs. If you have thin-cut flanken ribs that are 3/8-inch or thinner, skip this tip. If, however, you can only find thicker-cut ribs (say 1/2-inch), stick around. The thinner the ribs, the more tender they turn out, so if you are sitting there with a thicker cut, it’s a good idea to grab a meat mallet (a dual-sided one with the spiked teeth on one side). Lay each rib flat, then lightly pound the beef using the pointy side. This helps break up connective tissue, making the meat more tender in the end.

Note: Ribs thicker than 1/2-inch won’t have the same results, even with the meat mallet.

Tip 2: Make our galbi marinade. We like using our food processor to make the marinade. If you don’t have one, you can make this marinade by hand, but a food processor makes really quick work of it. Toss everything in and hit pulse until mostly smooth. If you’re doing it by hand, you’ll mince the garlic, finely grate the ginger with a microplane, then grate the pear and onion with a box grater.

Tip 3: Marinate overnight. If you are short on time, you can cut the marinating time down a bit, but for the best results, we highly recommend leaving the ribs in the marinade overnight.

Once made, pour the marinade over your ribs, then massage them and move them around in the marinade so all of the beef is well covered. Cover the bowl, then refrigerate. If you have the chance, go back once or twice and move the ribs around a bit to make sure everything is still well coated.

Tip 4: Grill the ribs. At a Korean barbecue restaurant, there’s often a grill right in the middle of the table where you can quickly sear/grill the ribs. At home, we use our outdoor grill or a heavy-bottomed grill pan over medium-high heat.

If cooking on a grill pan, add a little oil, then cook the marinated ribs in batches, keeping one layer of ribs in the pan at a time (stacking too many at once will steam the beef rather than caramelize and brown it).

Our Favorite Way to Serve Korean Ribs

We love serving these family-style next to rice, big lettuce leaves, kimchi, and ssamjang (a savory dipping sauce — look near gochujang in Korean markets or more internationally friendly grocery stores). Very often, when we’re out at a Korean BBQ place, we’ve seen people using kitchen shears to cut the grilled beef from the bones, then take the meat and build their bite. If you have some on hand, try it! It does make removing the beef from the bones easy. Otherwise, just get in there!

More of Our Favorite Beef Recipes

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With our bulgogi recipe, you can easily make incredible Korean barbecue beef at home. Thanks to our bulgogi marinade, the beef turns out perfectly sweet, savory, and melt-in-your-mouth tender.

Our love for Korean food began years ago when Adam’s best friend married a Korean-American who proudly introduced us to his heritage. He cooked for us and took us to authentic restaurants. We fell in love. In the same way we consider pho to be a gateway to Vietnamese food, bulgogi is the perfect entry point for anyone looking to explore Korean cuisine.

If you’ve not had it before, bulgogi is thinly sliced beef that’s been marinated in a savory-sweet soy-based sauce. Then, it’s quickly seared or grilled (it’s truly delicious!). This easy recipe is our go-to when we want to bring the flavors of a Korean barbecue into our own kitchen, and luckily, it’s completely doable for you, too! For more, see our Korean short ribs (Galbi)

Key Ingredients

• Beef: You want thinly sliced beef, which, after marinating, cooks quickly and turns out really tender. Top sirloin, ribeye, or really any prime beef cut works well.
• Soy Sauce: This is the base of our bulgogi sauce. I like using a low-sodium soy sauce and sometimes substitute low-sodium tamari. Both work well.
• Rice Wine Vinegar: Look for unsweetened rice vinegar (usually with a green bottle cap or label).
• Sesame Oil: Toasted sesame oil adds a lovely, toasty, rich flavor to the beef.
• Brown Sugar and Honey: We really love both for this. You can use either one, but the combination makes our beef taste more interesting and complex. The honey also caramelizes beautifully.
• Gochugaru and Black Pepper: This brings a little heat – not much though! Bulgogi usually isn’t very spicy. If you are unfamiliar, gochugaru is Korean chili pepper and is sold as ground red pepper, not to be confused with gochujang, which is a paste. We use gochugaru when making homemade kimchi.
• Garlic and Ginger: I always use fresh garlic. For the ginger, you can buy ginger root, or some stores sell ginger puree (either refrigerated or frozen).
• Pear: This is the “secret” ingredient. It adds sweetness and contains natural enzymes that tenderize the beef. Look for Asian, Korean, or Nashi pears. If you can’t find them, a ripe Bosc pear or Anjou pear is a good substitute.
• Sesame Seeds and Green Onions: These provide texture, color, and a bit of freshness at the very end.
• Lettuce, Rice, and Sides: To make it a full meal, serve with steamed rice and lettuce leaves for wrapping. Don’t forget the banchan (sides) like kimchi or spicy cucumber salad, and ssamjang (a savory dipping sauce that ties everything together).

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Bulgogi at Home

Tip 1: Thinly slice the beef. The reason bulgogi is so hard to stop eating is that it turns out so wonderfully tender. That’s thanks to the marinade and to the fact that we start with thin slices of beef.

The best trick for getting perfectly thin slices is to place your beef in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes to firm up a bit. Then, remove it, set it onto your cutting board, and make thin slices across the grain. Slicing across the grain breaks up tough muscle fibers, helping the beef turn out more tender. You don’t need to be 100% perfect; the slices can be ragged and varying in size.

Tip 2: Use a food processor to make the marinade. If you don’t have a food processor, you can make this marinade by hand, but a food processor makes really quick work of it. I just toss everything in and hit pulse until mostly smooth. If you’re doing it by hand, you’ll finely grate the garlic and ginger with a microplane, then grate the pear with a box grater.

Tip 3: Marinate for at least 4 hours. Whenever I marinate beef, I usually do it overnight, which would be perfect for this recipe. That said, if you’re sitting there in the morning and want bulgogi for dinner, you can absolutely make that happen. Four hours gives the pear and other bulgogi sauce ingredients enough time to flavor and tenderize the beef.

Tip 4: Cook it quickly. At a Korean barbecue restaurant, there’s often a grill right in the middle of the table where you can quickly sear/grill the beef. At home, I use a heavy-bottomed pan (cast-iron is ideal) over medium-high heat, add a little oil, then cook the beef in batches so there’s one layer of beef in the pan at a time (stacking lots in all at once will steam the beef rather than caramelize and brown the beef).

Use tongs to pull the marinated beef out of the marinade, then cook. Some marinade will stick to the outside of the beef, but don’t pour any extra into the skillet. You want to sear and caramelize the beef in batches rather than boiling it in the sauce.

My Favorite Way to Serve Bulgogi

The simplest way to serve this is over rice, but I really love making lettuce wraps. Take a piece of lettuce (red leaf or butter lettuce works really well), add a small spoonful of cooked rice, and place a piece of the hot bulgogi on top. Finish with some kimchi and ssamjang (if you have them on hand), fold it up, and enjoy. It’s super flavorful, has a wonderful combination of textures, and really just makes you want to go in for more! This beef also makes incredible tacos (not traditional, but delicious nonetheless!).

More Delicious Beef Recipes

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The combination of flavorful beef, zesty slaw, and spicy garlic sauce, makes these easy Korean beef bowls an amazing weeknight dinner!

Please meet one of our favorite dinners EVER. Modeled after these favorite Korean beef tacos, this “bowl” version is quicker, easier, and just as delicious! (Scroll down for a quick and simple salmon version!)

Slaw + Sauce + Beef

There are three main components to this recipe:

• Zesty, fresh slaw with crunchy cucumbers
• The sauce to end all sauces (creamy, spicy, garlicky)
• Flavorful Korean-style ground beef

While the ingredients list in the recipe may look a bit long, each component comes together incredibly fast. The slaw and sauce can be made ahead of time to speed up dinner night assembly!

And to simplify prep even further, you can use a bag of pre-shredded coleslaw mix for the cabbage and carrots called for in the recipe.

Assembling Korean Beef Bowls

These Korean beef bowls are delicious served with the three main recipe components above. But they are even more delicious with a few additions.

This is how we like to serve them:

• Hot, cooked rice
• Korean beef
• Slaw
• Sauce (and more sauce)
• Lime wedges
• Chopped cilantro
• Avocados

Sometimes we’ll throw naan bread on the side, too. YUM!

Build-Your-Own Meal

The great thing about this recipe and the reason it makes such a fabulous, family-friendly dinner is that it is easily a build-your-own meal where everyone can create the beef and rice bowl of their dreams.

I, for one, always add extra beef, extra slaw, extra sauce, and a lot of fresh lime squeezes. Sometimes, a little drizzle of extra sriracha. Oh, and a good amount of chopped cilantro.

My family? Their bowls have just a tiny bit less personality (and less cabbage), but I don’t judge them for it. Especially because that means more leftovers for meeeeee.

These Korean beef bowls are tremendous.

They are easily one of my favorite things to eat for dinner, and there are never any complaints from the family (see the aforementioned build-your-own appeal).

The flavors are out of this world delicious! I love how quickly and easily this meal comes together. Really, I could eat this over and over and never get tired of it.

And if you’re looking to change it up just a little, try using the sauce for the beef as a salmon marinade. After marinading the salmon for a couple of hours, cook it on the grill, in the air fryer, or broil in the oven and serve with all the other recipe components. SO, SO GOOD.

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Easy Korean Beef Bowls

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 45 minutes mins

Quick Slaw:

• 4 cups shredded cabbage (napa, green, purple or a combo) – see note
• 1 cup shredded or grated carrots
• 1 cup chopped cucumbers
• ¼ to ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Sriracha, to taste

Sauce to End All Sauces:

• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Korean Beef:

• 1 ½ to 2 pounds lean ground beef
• ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
• ¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger or ginger paste
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic (4 to 5 cloves) or 1 teaspoon garlic powder

For serving (optional but tasty):

• Hot, cooked rice
• Naan bread
• Avocado slices
• Fresh lime wedges
• Chopped cilantro

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

• For the slaw, in a large bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, and cilantro. In a small bowl whisk together the lime juice, soy sauce, olive oil, salt and pepper (start with a pinch of each and add more to taste, if needed), and sriracha. Pour the dressing over the slaw and toss to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve (it can be made 4-6 hours in advance).

• For the sauce, stir together all the ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve (it can be made several days in advance).

• For the beef, in a 12-inch nonstick skillet set over medium heat, brown the ground beef, breaking the meat into small pieces, until no longer pink. Drain excess grease.

• To the skillet, add the soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, ginger and garlic or garlic powder. Stir to combine and bring the meat and sauce to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until heated through.

• For serving, to each bowl, add a scoop of rice (if using), add a portion of beef and slaw. Drizzle with sauce. Serve with lime wedges, avocados, and naan bread, if desired.

Slaw: this makes quite a bit of slaw as we like to load up our bowls with a lot of slaw. If you think you might want less, you can halve the slaw ingredients.
To speed up prep time, you can use part of a 14-ounce bag of pre-shredded coleslaw mix (without the dressing) for the cabbage and carrots called for in the recipe. 

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

Method: Stovetop

Serving: 1 Serving, Calories: 370kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 80mg, Sodium: 1389mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 8g

Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (adapted from this Korean tacos recipe)

Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Set it and forget it! This slow cooker Korean BBQ chicken is sweet, savory, and just the right amount of spice. Perfect for tossing over rice, piling onto buns, topping a salad, or even making tacos. Weeknight dinner just got easier!

Korean BBQ Chicken Ingredients

• Chicken Choice: If you prefer, you can use chicken breasts, but they may dry out slightly. I prefer boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they stay juicy and tender in the slow cooker.
• Ginger: Fresh ginger gives the best flavor, but ½ teaspoon ground ginger works if that’s what you have on hand.
• Heat Level: Start small, then taste, and adjust to your preferred spice level.
• Soy Sauce: If you are salt sensitive, use low-sodium soy sauce, or half regular soy sauce and half water.

How to Make Korean BBQ Chicken

With just a few simple ingredients and five minutes of prep, this slow cooker Korean BBQ chicken recipe comes together. The result is tender chicken with bold Korean BBQ flavor that everyone will love!

1. Add Chicken: Spray a 4 or 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray, then add the chicken to the bottom.
2. Make the Sauce: Whisk brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, and gochujang together in a medium bowl. (Click here for my Korean BBQ sauce recipe.)
3. Cook: Pour the sauce over the chicken, then toss to coat the thighs. Cover, then cook on LOW for 4-5 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours. 
4. Shred the Chicken: Use two forks to shred the chicken in the slow cooker. Whisk together cornstarch and water in a small bowl, then add to the slow cooker and stir to incorporate. Cover and cook for 20-30 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Serve your crockpot Korean BBQ chicken over warm rice, and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.

More Asian Slow Cooker Recipes

Easy

Slow Cooker General Tso’s Chicken

3 hours 5 minutes

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