Growing up, my mom’s Galbi Jjim, which is a Korean Braised Short Rib dish was one of my favorite things to eat! It’s still one of my favorite dishes today and after a lot of calls and facetime with my mom, I finally have a recipe that’s almost identical to hers!
This recipe produces soft and tender short ribs packed with so much delicious flavor. It’s one of the best dishes to make during chilly weather months, although I’ve made it in the dead of summer with zero complaints from anyone!
What is Galbi Jjim?
Galbi Jjim is a super aromatic Korean braised short rib dish that’s usually served during holidays and special occasions.
The soft and tender short ribs bathe in a mildy sweetened soy sauce braising liquid with hints of garlic and ginger. Galbi Jjim usually includes braised vegetables, in our case it’s Korean radish, carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms, but can vary from recipe to recipe.
How to Make Our Galbi Jjim Recipe
Process
- Place short ribs in a large bowl and fill with water. Allow short ribs to sit for 30 minutes. Drain.
- Place short ribs in a large pot and fill with water until ribs are just covered.
- Place pot over stove and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil ribs for 20 minutes.
- Transfer short ribs to a plate, drain water and clean pot.
- Whisk together soy sauce, sugar, grayed pear, garlic, mirin, sesame oil, and black pepper.
- Place ribs back into the pot along with braising liquid and toss together.
- Add water, cover pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for about 30 minutes.
- Add potatoes, carrots and radish to the pot, cover again and simmer for about 25 minutes.
- Add mushrooms and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle short ribs with green onions and serve with steamed rice.
Tools You Will Need
Tips and Tricks for Galbi Jjim Success
- Allowing the short ribs to sit in water before cooking draws some of the excess blood from the ribs producing a cleaner flavor and dish.
- Parboiling the short ribs is important and shouldn’t be skipped! This helps to remove some fat from the short ribs, also producing a cleaner and better tasting galbi jjim.
- It’s important to add the vegetables once the short ribs have been braising for awhile to prevent them from becoming soggy and mushy.
Variations
- If you’re unable to find Korean radish, you can replace it with Daikon radish, which is similar, or you can add more potato.
- We finished our short ribs with sliced green onions, but if you want to go the traditional route you can top your short ribs with ginko nuts, jujubes, chestnuts, and pine nuts.
- Although bone-in short ribs are traditional and the best for galbi jjim, boneless short ribs will be delicious as well.
If you like this recipe, you might also want to check out more like it below:
Galbi Jjim
INGREDIENTS
- 5 pounds bone-in short ribs
- 3/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 peeled and grated asian pear
- 3 minced garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 2 medium Yukon potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1/2 Korean radish, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
- 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced in half
garnish
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place short ribs in a large bowl and fill with water. Allow short ribs to sit for 30 minutes. Drain.
- Place short ribs in a large pot and fill with water until ribs are just covered.
- Place pot over stove and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil ribs for 20 minutes.
- Transfer short ribs to a plate, drain water and clean pot.
- Whisk together soy sauce, sugar, grayed pear, garlic, mirin, sesame oil, and black pepper.
- Place ribs back into the pot along with braising liquid and toss together.
- Add water, cover pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for about 30 minutes.
- Add potatoes, carrots and radish to the pot, cover again and simmer for about 25 minutes.
- Add mushrooms and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle short ribs with green onions and serve with steamed rice.
Did you make this recipe? We want to see!
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I love this recipe but I am allergic to pears! Any advice for a substitute? Thanks!
You can actually substitute the Asian pear with kiwi! :)
This looks really good right now. It’s a perfect dish for the cold weather here in California :)
Btw, your photos look amazing. It’s simple and very clean :)
Hey I made this recipe at culinary school and ppl were saying it was the best stew they ever put in their mouth just thought you shud know :) also ours turned out too dry the first time we made it too. We suspect it was the potato over cooking and getting too soft. Hope is helps :)
I made this and my stew had no broth in it whatsoever. Any advice on how to fix this? It’s still good as it, just not really a stew, and definitely too dry over rice.
Thanks!
Hm, that’s weird about there being no liquid. Did you add the 2 1/2 cups of water the recipe calls for, along with the soy sauce, mirin, etc?
Hi tried your recipe. Awesome stuff. Just curious how do you add in water chestnuts? Do you have to boil them first or just rinse and throw in at the same time as the potatos and carrots?
You can throw them in with the potatoes and carrots!
ok, like the recipe, but have one question since I am confused because I don’t see where the mushrooms are used in the recipe, just see them listed as an ingredient.
mmm jenny, this is one of my favs! definitely comforting when life totally needs a pause button! hope you have a wonderful holiday season! xo
Luscious and comforting ~~~~~ Where I live it is in the 20’s at night so this sounds just great…and so easy….that’s what I need these days: easy….. Many Thanx *!*
hmmmm….my mom is looking for a new short rib recipe…I will show this to her, I think she’ll love it! I’ll let you know :)
This is one of my favorite Korean dishes!! Thanks for sharing your recipe :)
Thank you so much for posting this. I love this dish to pieces and this recipe you provided seems to me one of the simplest I have ever seen. Thank you again.
Same here! I would like work harder since it’s the final push but I’m just so burnt out and tired from it all. Great recipe here!
Y’all need to call me so I can come and do dishes on the shoot days WHERE YOU ARE SHOOTING JENNY’S KOREAN RECIPES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(this really means EAT IT ALL)
wow
haha! Matt, you know you’re welcome anytime! Dexter says hello ;)
Looks SO GOOD!!!
YEP. All the time.
I seriously want to throw my whole body into this stew. Dear GAWD.