Korean Inspired Braised Short Ribs

I read somewhere that you expend more energy in the winter because your body is trying to keep you warm. That’s why you crave carbs and you also eat more. Well that’s exactly how I’m feeling these days. I’m on this carb binge, and one of my favorite ways to indulge is to make braised short ribs. Yes it’s time consuming but the pay off is well worth it. My recipe takes the short ribs in a Korean inspired direction with the addition of gochujang, soy sauce, and mirin. This recipe is actually inspired by the Korean dish Galbi-jjim, one of my favorite Korean dishes. Hope you enjoy this recipe!

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

• Short ribs – I would recommend getting short ribs with a lot of marbling for the best flavor. Yes it’s fattier, but this dish is about indulgence and coziness!
• Leeks, yellow onion, daikon & garlic – Adds sweetness and other flavors to the dish. A good substitute for leeks is another sweet yellow onion.
• Gochujang – Gochujang is a fermented red chili paste used in many Korean dishes. It tastes savory, sweet, and spicy. I would highly recommend you use gochujang because it’s really hard to substitute its flavor. If you need to sub in something else, use a Thai chili paste or sriracha.
• Soy sauce – Adds umami flavor to the dish. To make this dish gluten free, use tamari instead.
• Mirin – Mirin is a sweet rice wine that is commonly used in Japanese and Korean food. Good alternatives to mirin are dry sherry or sweet marsala wine. You can also use rice wine vinegar, but you will need to balance out the sourness with 1/2 teaspoon of sugar for every tablespoon you use.
• Sugar & salt for a balance of salty and sweet
• Red wine – Adds flavor and liquid to the dish. You can use any kind of red wine you want. I just used the first one I could find in the house.
• Beef stock – Provides flavor and liquid to the dish. Alternatives to beef stock are chicken stock or vegetable stock.
• Bay leaves – Adds more flavor to the dish.

Making my Korean inspired braised short ribs

First preheat your oven to 275 degrees F. Next pat dry the short ribs and season with salt and pepper on all sides. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a Dutch oven or soup pot. Sear the short ribs on all sides until brown. Set them aside.

Add the leeks, yellow onion, daikon and garlic to the pot. Cook until the vegetables are soft (~5 minutes). Next add the gochujang, soy sauce, mirin, sugar, salt, and red wine. Simmer the wine until the alcohol is burned off. You can check if it has burned off by smelling it. If there is no alcohol smell, you’re good. Lastly, add the beef stock and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Once boiling, nestle the short ribs into the broth. Make sure they are fully submerged in the liquid. Bake in the oven for 3 – 3.5 hours until the meat is tender and falling off the bones. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Tips on how to make the perfect braised short ribs

Make sure to sear the beef on all sides

Searing the beef locks in the flavor of the short ribs and gives them a nice color on the outside.

Don’t cut vegetables into pieces that are too small

The vegetables will be braising with the short ribs for ~3 hours which means they will drastically reduce in size. If the vegetables are too small, they will liquify/disappear into the broth.

What can I pair this dish with?

I like to eat these short ribs with mashed potatoes (pictured), rice, or pasta.

Did you make this dish?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

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