Kalbi Marinade for Korean Short Ribs

Kalbi (galbi) marinade is the perfect complement to Korean style short ribs. Once you master this kalbi sauce, you’ll realize it’s so versatile, you’ll use it with chicken, pork, other cuts of steak and even tofu!

You might also love my mandu (Korean dumplings) recipe!

For ease of browsing, here are all of my main course recipes in one place.

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Why you’ll love this recipe!

As a reader said, you’ll love this kalbi sauce because “It is really delicious and not that hard to make!” Need I say more? She even said it’s better than the restaurant she frequents in Koreatown and they should add this to their menu. What???!!!

If that’s not enough, this recipe has a wonderful history, making it a tried and true kalbi marinade sauce. In 2016, after feasting with my husband’s Hawaiian family and reminiscing about my mother-in-law’s once a year Korean food feasts, we took pictures of the prized family recipes.

Just for fun – here is a picture of the original family recipe.

Since then, I’ve been practicing and studying their recipes and am proud to share my version of the Hong family kalbi marinade recipe with you. This post covers the marinade and then head over to my post on how to grill the flanken-style ribs (it’s so easy!).

Ingredients you’ll need

Certain elements make this marinade quintessentially Korean – the garlic, sesame seeds and sesame oil and the sugar. Plus one ingredient that I often use – either a grated Asian pear or a mashed kiwi. Both help to tenderize the meat.

• Soy Sauce: We use low-sodium soy sauce – usually Kikkoman – but use whatever you’re used to using in your cooking. There are a lot of choices of soy sauce if you visit a specialty market – and the flavors do vary among brands.
• Sake: I always keep a bottle of inexpensive sake in my refrigerator specifically to use for marinades. You can probably find one at both your local big box supermarket and definitely at a specialty Korean, Chinese, or Japanese market.
• Sesame Oil: Available easily in large grocers or specialty markets.
• Sesame Seeds: Most of us have some tucked in the back of our spice cabinet – be sure they are fresh – rancid ones are not a good thing!
• Gochugaru: The Korean version of ground red pepper – similar to cayenne, which you could use as a substitute in a pinch. I recommend the gochugaru!
• Asian pear: Sometimes you’ll see these in your regular local grocer but they are always available at a Korean, Chinese or Japanese market. They look like big yellow apples. Or use Kiwi.

How to make this recipe

Once you gather the ingredients, it’s as easy as mixing it all together.

1. Prep each ingredient. Be sure to give the sesame seeds a quick toast – even if they say they are already roasted, I like to freshen them up a bit. Don’t forget to grate your Asian pear!

2. Add all the ingredients to a bowl or large measuring cup and whisk it together.

3. Then pour it over your ribs.

See my kalbi marinade web story for a quick visual guide to making this recipe!

Expert Tips and FAQs

1. Pro-tip: During one preparation of these ribs, I was out of Asian pear and kiwi. Since I use sake in the kalbi marinade sauce, the ribs still came out tender after a nice long bath in the marinade. It was one of my best batches ever – tasted just like I remembered when my MIL used to make them. I really like the Asian pear but don’t despair if you can’t find it.
2. I prefer low sodium soy sauce, but regular will also work.
3. Toasted sesame oil is great but regular, not toasted, is also ok.
4. Pre-toasted sesame seeds are available in Asian markets but they are so easy to toast. Just toss them in a small fry pan over medium heat for a few minutes and they will be toasted. Just don’t walk away – it happens quickly!

Other Korean recipes on OMG! Yummy

Want to read more about our family’s Hawaiian food traditions?

Grilled Korean Short Ribs – see all the methods for cooking these marinated ribs!

Mandu (Korean Dumplings)

Portuguese Sausage and Soy Sauce Eggs

Prime Rib Fried Rice

Supplies for this recipe

Most of my must-have supplies for making this Kalbi marinade sauce are food related. I prefer low-sodium soy sauce. A good bottle of sesame oil is always in my pantry. Sesame seeds come in handy for this recipe and bread baking and more. And finally, I love this glass baking dish with a tight fitting cover for marinating these ribs or when I need to transport a casserole style dish to another home.

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