Kalbi Jjim: Braised Korean Beef Short Ribs

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef short ribs, or more to taste
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 5 tablespoons soy sauce
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• ½ cup Japanese beech mushrooms
• 7 chestnuts (bam), or more to taste
• 7 dried Korean dates (daechu)
• 1 tablespoon corn syrup (mulyeot)
• 2 green onions, sliced

Step 1

Soak the beef short ribs in a big bowl of cold water for about 30 minutes to help draw out any blood. Next, put the ribs into a large pot along with an onion, ginger, and two garlic cloves, then cover everything with water. Bring it to a boil and skim off any foam that rises to the top as it cooks for 20 to 30 minutes. Once done, scoop out the ribs and strain out the onion, ginger, and garlic. Rinse the ribs under cold water and let them cool until you can handle them easily.

Step 2

Trim off any excess fat by making small cuts along the ribs. Put the ribs back into the pot and add 2 cups of the broth you reserved earlier, along with soy sauce, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, four minced garlic cloves, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Let everything simmer gently over low heat for about 45 minutes so the flavors can meld.

Step 3

After that, toss in the potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, chestnuts, and dates. Keep it simmering until the potatoes are tender and the sauce thickens, which should take around 10 minutes. Stir in some corn syrup to give the sauce a nice, slightly sticky texture and let it cook for another 5 minutes.

Step 4

Finish by sprinkling sliced green onions on top before serving.