Korean Sweet and Spicy Pork Short Ribs
Korean Sweet and Spicy Pork Short Ribs (Kalbi) are fall-off-the-bone tender from a long, slow-cooking braise in a flavorful marinade that doubles as a fantastic, slightly sweet, and savory sauce. Drizzle it over the cooked short ribs and white rice for a memorable meal you’ll find in your rotation.
This recipe uses a particular rib cut called Karubi. This Korean-inspired rib has more marbling than traditional roasts and is cut into a square shape. If you cannot find this at your local provision or meat market, you can easily substitute beef or pork short ribs and add an hour of cooking time.
Gain inspiration and grow your cooking knowledge by visiting your local meat markets. Become curious about cuts of meat you haven’t seen in the grocery store and learn how to prepare them. I have had short ribs more times than I can count, yet I wondered, have I ever had a karubi pork short rib?
UW-Provision in Madison, WI, had these Split Ribs on sale, which inspired this recipe. It is indeed in the short rib family. Yet it has more marbling than traditional roasts. I grabbed two packages, and the rest is history. I am a believer. The ribs were decadent, hearty, and fall-off-the-bone delicious.
Korean Sweet and Spicy Pork Short Ribs
Ingredients
- 4-6 pounds pork short ribs Karubi Split Ribs
- 1 cup soy sauce tamari
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp dark sesame oil
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp ginger minced or 1 tsp dried ginger
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes optional (or 2 tablespoons Gochujang)
Slurry
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- ¼ cup cold water
Plating and Garnish
- White rice cooked
- 3 green onions sliced thin
- 1 tsp sesame seeds toasted
- red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Arrange the short ribs in the bottom of a slow cooker, then top with the thinly sliced onion.
- Mix the soy sauce, beef broth, rice vinegar, brown sugar, black pepper, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes in a medium-sized bowl. Pour the mixture evenly over the short ribs.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on low heat for 6 hours or on high heat for 3 hours.
- Remove the meat from the slow cooker. Using a fat separator, remove the fat from the cooking liquid and discard. Place the liquid back in the slow cooker.
- Whisk the cornstarch into the cold water and pour into the slow cooker, stirring to combine with the juices from the meat. Cover and cook another 20 minutes, until the liquid has thickened slightly.
Plating
- Place white rice on a platter or individual serving plates. Remove the ribs from the slow cooker and place them on the rice. Drizzle the sauce over the meat and rice. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds, green onions, and pepper flakes if desired. Serve immediately.
Kitchen Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
De Froid Tip: Green Onion Garnish
It’s easy to make curls from green onions. Slice them thinly lengthwise into strips three inches long. Place them in a bowl of ice water for 10 – 15 minutes and watch them curl. Your presentations will benefit from the color, texture and flavor of these cute garnishes.
You can also leave the strips on the bulb and put the sliced ends in the ice water. This makes one frill, if you will ; ) instead of individual curls.
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