This is a recipe for Korean braised beef short-ribs… my way. My mother used to make this for me with the proper accoutrements (ginko, chestnuts, dried mushrooms, and Korean radish), but I was delirious, compliments of my cold, at the supermarket so I made do when I got home with a random assortment of food items. The recipe itself is pretty straightforward, but it is important to properly prep the short-ribs before braising them with the sauce and vegetables, otherwise your dish will been extremely greasy because of the heavy marbling in the beef.

Galbi Jjim

• 2 pounds of bone-in beef short-ribs
• 1 1/2 cups of filtered water
• 1/4 cup of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons of fresh chopped garlic
• 1 small sliced onion
• 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
• 1 small bunch of sliced green onion
• 2 King Oyster mushrooms, sliced
• 2 red potatoes, cubed
• 2 carrots, 1 inch slices

1. Cut the short-ribs, one bone per piece.
2. Place the short-ribs into a large pot, with the bone vertical. Fill the pot with cold water and allow the beef to soak for 1 hour. Change the water three to four times.
3. 
4. Change the water in the pot one final time, and bring the pot of ribs and water to a rolling boil
5. Simmer the ribs for 15 minutes
6. During this time, whisk the water, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and white onion into a bowl.
7. Remove the ribs with tongs and place on a clean dish. (I also rinsed the ribs under cool water once more to remove a little extra fat)
8. 
9. Pour the remaining liquid into a heat-proof bowl*(because of the high fat content, flushing the liquid down the sink will clog your drain. Instead, let the liquid cool and the fat to float to the service. Discard the fat in the trash. The remaining poaching liquid is beef stock that you can either keep for another dish, or discard. I kept it and put it in my beef stew I made the following morning)
10. Clean out your pot, and then place the ribs back inside of the pot.
11. Add the soy sauce mixture, and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes
12. In the mean time, slice the potato, carrot, green onion, mushroom (and really any other vegetable that you want to add, just make sure it’s a sturdy vegetable that will hold up after simmer for an hour).
13. 
14. Add the vegetables to the pot, and using a spoon drizzle some of the liquid over the vegetables
15. Cover tightly and simmer over low heat for 1 hour. (DO NOT OPEN THE LID OF THE POT FOR ONE HOUR)
16. Check the beef after 1 hour by sliding a knife into the meat. If your knife slides in the meat easily, the dish is ready. If the meat resists, then cover and simmer for another 15 to 30 minutes.
17. Serve with steamed rice 🙂

Notes on this recipe:

• This is not a traditional Galbi Jjim recipe… at all
• Use a heavy pot, like a Le Creuset, with an equally heavy lid
• Do NOT open the lid of the pot while the meat is simmering, the steam that forms inside of the pot is essential in allowing the meat to cook evenly.
• Be sure to use LOW heat to ensure your braise doesn’t burn and that you have even cooking
• Two pounds of short-ribs is enough for two to three people
• Left-overs keep well for up to 3 days (That’s how long mine stayed in my fridge before I devoured it, I’m sure it’s good for up to a week, but I can’t guarantee past 3 days).

Links to Click

• Maangchi, a prolific blog with very detailed Korea recipes, including a similar one for braised short-ribs. http://www.maangchi.com/recipes/