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Korean Barbecue Beef, Marinade 2

4.2

(22)

Kalbi

Editor's note: The recipe below is excerpted from restaurateur Jenny Kwak's book, Dok Suni: Recipes from My Mother's Korean Kitchen. Kwak also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page.

To read more about Kwak and Korean cuisine, click here.

Restaurateur Jenny Kwak shares her tips with Epicurious:

• Kalbi and its sister dish bulgogi are the staple barbecued beef dishes of Korean cuisine. Both recipes use similar marinades; kalbi is made from short rib meat that's sliced 1/4-inch thick including the bone, while bulgogi uses thinner slices of rib eye that are sandwiched with rice and sauce in a lettuce leaf. • For the marinade, use pure toasted (Asian) sesame oil. This is a dark liquid, not the raw oil sold in health food stores and some supermarkets. • This dish is traditionally grilled over a wood fire. For tips on this process, check out Steven Raichlen's guide to grilling.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Serves 2

Ingredients

1 pound beef short ribs, cut for kalbi (see tips, below)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
1 tablespoon rice wine (sake)
Pinch of black pepper
1/2 piece of fresh kiwi, juiced in a blender

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    1. Distribute the sugar evenly on the beef short ribs by sprinkling it on each piece. Allow beef to sit for 10 minutes.

    Step 2

    2. In a bowl, mix together soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, sake, and black pepper. Put aside.

    Step 3

    3. Massage the beef with the kiwi juice using your hands. The kiwi works as a tenderizer. Add the sauce and mix. Allow the beef to marinate for 2 hours before barbecuing.

From Dok Suni: Recipes from My Mother's Korean Kitchen by Jenny Kwak and Liz Fried. Copyright ©1998 Jenny Kwak and Liz Fried. Reprinted by permission of St. Martin's Press, LLC
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