These spicy Korean braised short ribs (galbi jjim) are the perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and savory goodness in a pot. This recipe definitely takes time, but it’s so worth it for fall-off-the-bone ribs!

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Galbi jjim is definitely a labor of love. It takes time but the end result is so worth it. All the best Korean flavors in one pot and super cozy when eaten over rice or noodles.

This recipe requires an oven-safe pot with lid (like a dutch oven) as the oven is going to do most of the work for us! I’ve found this to be a little less maintenance compared to boiling and simmering on the stove.

Ingredients

• Beef short ribs: The beef used in this recipe are English-cut beef short ribs which can be found at Korean markets, most Asian markets, and Whole Foods. English-cut short ribs have one bone in each piece compared to flanken short ribs which are thinly cut and have multiple bones in one piece (flanken short ribs are used for Korean BBQ kalbi). I usually ask the butcher to cut them into 2″ pieces for galbi jjim. Try looking for pieces that have a thick piece of meat stuck to the bone — thinner pieces tend to have more fat than meat. Life hack: Whole Foods will occasionally run sales on beef short ribs and this is when I’ll stock up and freeze a bunch!
• Vegetables: I always include carrots, onions, Korean daikon (moo), and shiitake mushrooms in my galbi jjim. However, feel free to use your preferred vegetables. Sometimes I add in some potatoes for extra starch. If you add potatoes, I suggest using golden or fingerling ones as russet potatoes tend to break apart in the pot.
• Add-ins: I strongly suggest adding in rice cakes! These are so delicious when cooked in this sauce and are a staple in Korean cuisine. I also enjoy adding chestnuts if I can find canned chestnuts or if I happen to have roasted chestnuts on hand. If using dried chestnuts (optional), make sure to soak them overnight and boil or steam them beforehand so they are cooked all the way through before adding.
• Sauce: I like to use a blender to blend all the sauce ingredients together into a soupy mixture. If you don’t have a blender, a food processor works great too! This recipe is for a spicy galbi jjim, which calls for the addition of gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes). For additional heat, add a few extra tablespoons of gochugaru or add in 1-2 tbsp of gochujang. Omit the gogchugaru for a non-spicy version.
• Optional toppings: A few popular Korean restaurants have the option to add torched mozzarella cheese on top. This is an easy addition and can be done right before serving.

Directions

The first few steps for making galbi jjim involves cleaning/boiling the short ribs to remove blood and impurities. 

To do this, first soak the beef short ribs in cold water for 30-60 minutes (depending how much time you have to spare). Change the water at least once around the halfway mark.

The beef will look a lot less red and you’ll see all the blood and impurities that have been drawn out from the soaking process.
 Then, bring a large pot of water to a boil (with enough water to cover the ribs). Once the water is boiling, gently place the ribs in and let the pot come back up to a boil. This will take around 6-8 minutes.

Turn off the heat and drain the ribs. Using tongs (or your hands if they are cool enough to touch), rinse each rib under running water to get rid of any additional residue.

If you boiled the ribs in the large dutch oven or oven-safe pot you will be using for the rest of the recipe, quickly give the pot a rinse before placing the clean ribs back in. If not, place your clean ribs into the large dutch oven now.

The ribs should look like the picture below once they are boiled and cleaned.
 While boiling the short ribs in the previous step, blend all the sauce ingredients together in a blender or food processor until it becomes a smooth and soupy mixture.
 Preheat your oven to 275°F.

Pour the blended sauce over the ribs and bring your pot to a boil over medium heat. Once your pot is boiling, cover it with an oven-safe lid and place into the oven for 75-90 minutes.

For ribs with a bit more bite, take them out after 75 minutes. For fall-off-the-bone ribs, leave them in for the full 90 minutes.

Once the ribs are in the oven, start washing and prepping the rest of the vegetables and add-ins.

These are the rice cakes I like using — although any shape will work. If your rice cakes are frozen, soak them in cold water for 1 hour before adding them into your galbi jjim. I like to do this once the galbi jjim is halfway done in the oven so they are ready to add in later.

Slice your shiitake mushrooms and cut your green onions into 2″ pieces.

Peel and cut your carrots, onions, and Korean daikon (moo) into 1″ pieces.

If I have the time, I like to use a peeler to smooth the edges of the daikon and carrots. This is an extra step and is truly only for aesthetics. Smoothing the edges prevents the vegetables from breaking into smaller pieces in the galbi jjim. I’ve seen this done at many Korean restaurants, but it really does take a lot of extra time.

Once the ribs are removed from the oven, place the pot on the stove over low-medium heat.
 Add in the carrots, onions, Korean radishes, shiitake mushrooms, half the green onions, and chestnuts (optional).
 Give the pot a stir until everything is evenly combined. Cover the pot with a lid and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

Then, stir in the rice cakes and cook uncovered for another 10-15 minutes until everything is softened to your preference. Remember to stir often as the rice cakes may stick to the bottom of the pot.

Continue to simmer uncovered until the sauce reaches your desired thickness and consistency. If you are thickening the sauce, remember to stir!

If I’m eating this with noodles or lots of rice, I like keeping the sauce a little thinner, but a thicker sauce will resemble the restaurant-style more closely.

When the sauce has thickened, gently stir in the remaining green onions when you turn off the heat.

If using shredded mozzarella cheese, spread it on top and torch it right before serving.