Ingredients

   
1000g beef short ribs, LA (flanken) cut, ¼–⅜ in thick

Marinade

   
120g Asian pear, peeled and grated
60g onion, grated
80g soy sauce
45g brown sugar
30g mirin
30g garlic, minced
15g toasted sesame oil
3g ginger, grated
5g toasted sesame seeds
2 green onions, chopped
1g black pepper

Steps

  1. Rinse the ribs under cold water to wash off bone dust. Soak in cold water 15–20 minutes to draw out blood, changing the water once. Pat completely dry.

  2. Grate the pear and onion into a large bowl. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, mirin, garlic, sesame oil, ginger, sesame seeds, green onion, and black pepper. Stir until the sugar dissolves.

  3. Add the ribs and turn to coat, working the marinade between the slices. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

  4. Preheat the gas grill on high with the lid down, 10–15 minutes, until the grate reaches 475–500°F. Leave one burner off to create a cooler zone for flare-ups. Scrape the grate clean and lightly oil it.

  5. Lift the ribs from the marinade, letting excess drip off. Grill over the lit burners 2–3 minutes per side with the lid open, until deeply caramelized with light char, 4–6 minutes total. Slide any pieces that flare up over the off burner until the flames die down.

  6. Rest 2–3 minutes. Cut between the bones into individual pieces and serve.

Notes

  • LA cut (flanken) is the short rib sliced thin across the bones, so each strip shows three bone cross-sections. It’s the cut for grilling: thin enough to cook through in minutes over high heat while the sugary exterior chars. The thick English cut (sliced between the bones) is for braises like galbijjim, not the grill.
  • Asian pear does the tenderizing and adds sweetness and moisture. It’s gentle, so overnight is safe. Don’t substitute raw kiwi or pineapple unless you cut the time to under an hour — their enzymes are aggressive and turn the surface mushy.
  • The sugar and fruit make the ribs prone to burning. Keep the heat high but watch closely, flip to manage the char, and use the off-burner zone as an escape from flare-ups. The meat is thin enough to finish before the exterior turns bitter.
  • Grill with the lid open. Gas grills hold steady high heat well; the limitation is searing power, so preheat fully and don’t crowd the grate or the ribs will steam instead of char. Cook in batches if needed. Charcoal gives more sear and smoke, but a hot gas grill makes excellent galbi.
  • No grill: a cast-iron pan or griddle over high heat works. Cook in batches so the pan stays hot and the ribs sear rather than steam.
  • Marinate up to 24 hours. Beyond that the surface starts to soften too much. The marinade freezes well with the ribs in it — freeze flat in a bag and thaw in the fridge before grilling.
  • Serve with rice, lettuce leaves for wrapping (ssam), ssamjang, and kimchi.