Galbijjim is a very popular Korean braised short ribs dish known for its combination of salty and sweet, infused in falling off the bone short ribs. I usually reserve this recipe for the most special of occasions, like Christmas, but it is perfect for the winter months when you want something warm and hearty to fill your belly and your home.

The first time I tried this dish, Mr. Heels and I were only still dating  I was over at his house for the holidays and his mom came out with a beautifully presented plate of braised short ribs. The smell was so heavenly, I almost started drooling right then and there. Not the kind of impression you want to leave your future mother-in-law!

In the coming weeks, I tried every attempt to replicate the recipe. I scoured the interwebs, and seriously tried every recipe out there at the time. For weeks on end, I made Mr. Heels try each of my creations (not that he minded in the least). The recipes weren’t bad, but they weren’t as good as my mother-in-law’s! Finally, I got around to asking my mother-in-law, and we spent some time in the kitchen making it together. The way she breaks it down is so much simpler than the other versions I tried, and tastier too.


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Now before I go any further with the recipe, I just want to say that it looks a little overwhelming (at least it did to me at first!), but it’s really not!  I’ll tell you why.  All you’re really doing is blending all the ingredients I listed in Part A together, then pouring it over the galbi, and letting it boil for a long time over low heat until the meat becomes soft and tender.  That’s all there really is to it!

I’ve made this recipe 3 different ways now.  The most straightforward way is the stovetop-only way, but if you want really fall-off-the-bone short ribs, it is best to use a crockpot or pressure cooker. My mother-in-law uses an old-fashioned pressure cooker for her recipe, but for the longest time I didn’t own one (and was deathly afraid of it exploding in my face). Thus, I created the crockpot method through trial and error using her recipe as a base. Now that I own an electric pressure cooker of my very own, I created pressure cooker directions based off some experimentation. All three methods requires the stovetop because you want to reduce the sauce at the end, which is impossible if you only use a crockpot or pressure cooker since those contraptions keep all the moisture in. Now enough talking, let’s get cooking!!…

I N G R E D I E N T S

– 2-3 lbs galbi (bone-in short ribs)

Part A:
– 1/2 cup cooking wine (Mirin)
– 1 apple or asian pear
– 1 whole onion, roughly chopped
– 2/3 cup soy sauce
– 1/2 cup brown sugar
– 2 Tbsp garlic
– 1/2 tsp ginger
– 1 tsp pepper

Part B:
– 1 potato, cut into 1 inch cubes
– 2 carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks
– 8 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced

Part C:
– 2 Tbsp Honey (to drizzle)
– Jujubes, sliced thin (optional)
– Green onions, sliced (optional)

D I R E C T I O N S

Using only stovetop

  1. Cut the short ribs in between bones, trim fat, and soak in cold water for at least 20 minutes to drain all the blood.  Drain the galbi.
  2. In a large pot (I use my dutch oven), add galbi and cover it all with water and miring.  Boil it on high heat for 15 minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water.  This is to help get rid of additional excess fat and impurities
  3. (Part A): While waiting for galbi to boil, blend all ingredients from Part A into a blender.
  4. Add blended ingredients to pot with short ribs.  Boil on medium heat with lid on for 20 minutes.
  5. Add cut up vegetables (Part B).  Then boil for another hour covered over low heat.
  6. Finally, uncover and boil over low heat for another 30 minutes.  This will allow the sauce to evaporate and thicken.
  7. (Part C): Drizzle 2 tbsp of honey all over and boil 5 more minutes.  Garnish with jujubes and green onion if desired.  Serve with rice.

Using a crockpot + stovetop

  1. Cut the short ribs in between bones, trim fat, and soak in cold water for at least 20 minutes to drain all the blood.  Drain the galbi.
  2. (Part A): Blend all ingredients listed in Part A of ingredient list in blender.
  3. In crockpot, add galbi, and blended ingredients from Step 2.  Set crockpot to low for 5 hours.
  4. Then, you can either (1) put it in the fridge until the sauce hardens, then skim off the hardened fat, or (2) transfer everything from crockpot to stovetop then skim the fat off the liquid.
  5. Once you transfer the short ribs to stovetop, also add the cut vegetables to the pot (Part B).  Boil the short ribs and vegetables on the stovetop uncovered over medium-low heat until the sauce evaporates and thickens, and vegetables soften.
  6. (Part C): Drizzle honey all over and boil for 5 more minutes.  Garnish with jujubes and green onion if desired.  Serve with rice.

Using a pressure cooker + stovetop

  1. Cut the short ribs in between bones, trim fat, and soak in cold water for at least 20 minutes to drain all the blood.  Drain the galbi.
  2. (Part A): Blend all ingredients listed in Part B of ingredient list in blender.
  3. In pressure cooker, add galbi, and blended ingredients from Step 2.  Set pressure cooker for 35 minutes.  Let the steam release naturally.
  4. Then, you can either (1) put it in the fridge until the sauce hardens, then skim off the hardened fat, or (2) transfer everything from crockpot to stovetop then skim the fat off the liquid.
  5. Once you transfer the short ribs to stovetop, also add the cut vegetables to the pot (Part B).  Boil the short ribs and vegetables on the stovetop uncovered over medium-low heat until the sauce evaporates and thickens, and vegetables soften (about 45 min).
  6. (Part C): Drizzle honey all over and boil for 5 more minutes.  Garnish with jujubes and green onion if desired.  Serve with rice.