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    Home » RECIPES » Asian Paleo

    Korean BBQ Beef Kalbi Recipe

    Published: Feb 10, 2011 / Modified: May 31, 2020 by: Karen Lee / This post may contain affiliate links. As Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. /

    Jump to Recipe ⬇️

    Korean BBQ Beef Kalbi or Galbi recipe is one of the most popular Korean dishes. The smoky, sweet, and briny marinade is great for any meats! It's great for vegetables too!

    Korean BBQ Beef Kalbi on yellow plate

    Kalbi is literally "rib bone" when translated into English. The fatty cut around the ribs is perfect for grilling or braising and the meat always turns out tender. This unique cut of beef is thinly cut across section (a.k.a. LA Kalbi) as shown in the picture vs a long boned cut that is used in braised short ribs called Kalbi Jjim.

    The marinade for Korean BBQ Kalbi is perfect for a various dishes, including vegetables, chicken, pork and even seafood. Traditionally, refined white and brown sugar are used to sweeten and tenderize the meat but to make it healthier, I omitted the refined sugars. Instead, I use fruit pureé and molasses for the deep caramelized flavor that is in brown sugar.

    The meat is marinated for a few hours and it is traditionally grilled over a charcoal brisket BBQ flame. But you can pan fry the meat over the high flame if a grill is not available.

    The best way to eat Kalbi is in a lettuce leaf with miso paste called, doenjang on top and hot rice.
    rice, Kalbi, doenjjang, wrapped in lettuce

    Korean BBQ Beef- Kalbi

    Recipe

    Did you try this recipe? We would love your feedback! Click on the stars on the recipe card below.
    Thinly sliced barbecued short ribs on a yellow plate
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    Korean BBQ Beef Kalbi

    Kalbi is a quintessential beef dish that everyone loves. This Paleo friendly recipe is nutritionally dense and is perfect for parties and pot luck!
    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time20 minutes mins
    1 hour hr
    Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
    Course : Entree
    Cuisine : Korean
    Keyword : Paleo
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 383kcal
    Author: Karen Lee

    Ingredients

    • 5 cloves garlic finely minced
    • 1 c apple sauce or Asian pear pureé
    • 1 small onion finely diced
    • ½ c soy sauce
    • ¼ c water
    • ¼ c mirin
    • ¼ c honey
    • ¼ c scallions finely chopped
    • 2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
    • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
    • 1 tablespoon Black pepper
    • 2 LB short rib beef cut across about ½ " thick or flank steak skirt steak, or London Broil
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • In a large bowl, combine the garlic, fruit pureé, onions, soy sauce, water, mirin, honey, chopped scallions, sesame seeds, sesame oil, and black pepper. Mix well. 
    • Add the short ribs and coat them well and marinate at least 1 hour or overnight.
    • Heat the BBQ grill until hot. Grill each ribs pieces until the outside is brown but not burnt. Serve with lettuce and doenjang - Korean miso paste.  

    Marinade Times:

    • Beef: 1- 2 hours and baste while grilling. The best type of meat to make Kalbi with are sliced short ribs with a little bit of marbleized fat.
    • Chicken: 30 minutes
    • Vegetables: 15 minutes

    Notes

    The marinade can be used with about 2 lbs. of meat - chicken, short ribs, flank steak or London broil or any other cut of meat that is good for grilling or broiling. It can also be used with vegetables. 
    While grilling on a BBQ grill is the best, you can also pan fry. If you pan fry, use about 1 teaspoon of oil to start. The oil from the beef will be plenty to cook the meat. You can use a little bit of olive oil when you cook vegetables.
    Boil the leftover marinade after I marinade the meat. You cannot re-use the leftover marinade but you can bring it to boil and use it as an extra sauce. Refrigerate any unused marinade in a glass jar for up to a week.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 383kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 1732mg | Potassium: 796mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 80IU | Vitamin C: 4.3mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 5.4mg
    DisclosureThis recipe may contain links that pay commission to this site when you purchase from the links, at no extra cost to you. Full disclosure!
    Tried this recipe? Share your photo and mention @koreanfoodiemom or tag #koreanfoodiemom!

    First Photo: Karen
    Second Photo: joyosity

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    About Karen Lee

    I am a food writer, recipe developer, and a cookbook author sharing my family’s favorite simple & easy, allergy-friendly recipes with you! Let's connect on Instagram || Facebook || Pinterest || YouTube Learn more about me on the ABOUT page.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Shelly says

      July 24, 2011 at 6:34 pm

      Hi Karen,

      We are going to try this recipe tonight, but couldn't find the miso paste. Any suggestions for what might work as a substitute?

      • karen says

        July 24, 2011 at 6:44 pm

        So glad you are going to try it! I never used anything else but you don't have to use any miso if you don't have any. The meat will be seasoned and already flavorful. You can add cucumber slices, yellow or orange pepper slices, red onions, etc. to add more flavor instead of miso. Let me know how it turns out!

    2. Tommy says

      May 06, 2011 at 6:25 pm

      This is one very awesome recipe, I'm hungry already. This is a must try and eat. Thanks..

    3. Small Footprints says

      February 11, 2011 at 8:36 pm

      I'm vegetarian but the marinade sounds yummy ... and thanks for including how long to marinate veggie. Bet this would be great for grilled veggies. Okay ... now I'm hungry! 🙂

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    Karen Lee

    Hi, I'm Karen! I am a food writer, recipe developer, and a cookbook author sharing my family’s favorite allergy-friendly, simple & easy recipes with you!

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