Traditional Korean short ribs (Galbi-Jjim) is one of my family’s favorite dinners. We like it, of course, because the sweet and savory ribs fall off the bone and taste amazing. But it is also surprisingly simple to make. This nutritious, one-pot dish contains plenty of meat and vegetables and is usually served with a bowl of rice.
There are a couple of ways to make Galbi-Jjim. For this recipe, I marinated the short ribs the night before, then put all the prepared ingredients in a slow cooker in the morning. This is a great option if you don’t have a ton of time to cook in the evening, or just really enjoy having a delicious, hearty meal waiting for you at dinner time! Alternatively, you can cook Galbi-Jjim on a stove or in an Instant Pot (see the Recipe Card notes for alternate instructions). However you cook this meal, all you need to do is cut everything, throw it all in a slow cooker or pot, heat it, and eat it. It really is that easy.
There is one modification for this recipe which would be helpful if you need to avoid gluten. This dish can easily be prepared gluten-free by using gluten-free soy sauce instead of regular soy sauce. Scroll down to see how you can make delicious, authentic Korean short ribs.
Ingredients
- 4 lbs. Beef short ribs
- 2 Onions
- 6 cloves Garlic
- 2 inch Ginger
- 1 Pear
- 1 cup Soy sauce
- 1/2 cup Honey or sugar
- 1/2 cup Rice wine
- 6 Potatoes, gold
- 3 Carrots
- 8 Jujubes, dried (optional)
- 2 Tbsp Sesame oil
- 1/4 cup Scallion
- 2 Tbsp Toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
Let’s begin preparing this beautiful dish. The first step is making the marinade. Peel and large-dice onions, ginger, and pear. Also peel the garlic cloves. Add onions, garlic cloves, ginger, pear, soy sauce, rice wine, and honey/sugar to a food processor or a blender. Blend the ingredients together and the marinade is finished! The pear is a surprisingly important component of this marinade as it both tenderizes the meat and adds sweet, fruity notes to the dish.
In a large bowl, soak the beef short ribs in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 6–8 hours, or overnight. Marinating overnight will tenderize the meat and enhance flavor. Cooking for 6–8 hours in a slow cooker gives much of the same benefit, so it is okay to let the slow cooker marinate the ribs instead of marinating ahead of time. (Note that marinating for 6–8 hours is still necessary if cooking on a stove top.)
Next, add the marinated beef short ribs to the slow cooker with all the marinade. Prepare the potatoes by cutting them into 1-inch cubes. Also, peel and cut the carrots into 1-inch pieces. Then, add the potatoes, carrots, and dried jujubes to the slow cooker. The dried jujubes can be optional—if you cannot find them, you will still end up with great Kalbi-Jjim. But adding them does make the dish more authentic. You can find dried jujubes online or at Asian grocery stores.
Close the lid and slow cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 6 hours. If you’re not using a slow cooker, follow one of the following cooking instructions. If using an Instant Pot, cook on high pressure for 40 minutes. If cooking on a stove top, you will need to also add 3 cups of water. Put the lid on and cook for 15 minutes on high heat; once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours.
The meat will be fall-off-the-bone tender when finished cooking. There will be a thick layer of oil on top of the broth from the short ribs. Remove as much fat as you can by skimming the surface with a spoon.
Then, add sesame oil to give the dish a bit of nutty flavor. Garnish with chopped scallions and toasted sesame seeds. And don’t forget to serve the Galbi-Jjim with a bowl of rice!
If you like this Slow-Cooker Korean Short Ribs (Galbi-Jjim) recipe, you might also like The Best Korean Fried Chicken recipe. Also, subscribe via email or follow on Instagram so you don’t miss any new recipes!
Slow-Cooker Korean Short Ribs (Galbi-Jjim)
Ingredients
- 4 lbs Beef short ribs
- 2 Onions
- 6 cloves Garlic
- 2 inch Ginger
- 1 Pear
- 1 cup Soy sauce
- ½ cup Honey or sugar
- ½ cup Rice wine
- 6 Potatoes gold
- 3 Carrots
- 8 Jujubes, dried optional
- 2 Tbsp Sesame oil
- ¼ cup Scallion
- 2 Tbsp Toasted sesame seeds optional
Instructions
- Peel and large-dice onions, ginger, and pear. Peel garlic cloves. Add onions, ginger, pear, garlic, soy sauce, honey/sugar, and rice wine into a blender or a food processor. Blend all the ingredients to make the marinade.
- In a large bowl, soak the short ribs in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 6–8 hours, or overnight.
- Cut the peeled carrots and potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Combine with the marinated short ribs and marinade in a slow cooker, together with dried jujubes. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 6 hours.
- Skim the top of the broth with a spoon to remove the top layer of oil. Finish with sesame oil. Garnish with chopped scallions and toasted sesame seeds.
Notes
- Instant Pot: Cook on high pressure for 40 minutes.
- Stove top: Add the marinated short ribs, carrots, potatoes, and dried jujubes into a large pot. Add 3 cups of water. Put the lid on and cook for 15 minutes on high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours.
