These Korean-Inspired Braised Beef Short Ribs are slightly spicy, slightly sweet and totally amazing! Slow-braising makes them fall-off-the-bone tender!
Korean cuisine has grown in popularity in recent years and will likely remain so. The cuisine always seemed mysterious and intimidating to me until I was intrigued enough to try one of Korea’s staple side dishes—kimchi.
Now I’m hooked on Korean food and so hooked I now make my own kimchi! (See recipe for Homemade Kimchi.) Let’s talk about these Korean Braised Beef Short Ribs!
What is braising?
One of my favorite cooking methods in all the world is a slow braise. With a little time, it is truly magical how a tough cut of meat is transformed.
Braising uses both moist and dry heat. A tough cut of protein that has lots of connective tissue such as short ribs, is first seared at a high temperature. Then, it simmers at a low temperature for several hours. During this process, the connective tissue breaks down and the tough cut of protein is transformed into something buttery and fall-off-the-bone tender.
When this magical cooking method is paired with a robust cuisine such as Korean, the result is truly extraordinary.
What is gochujang?
This recipe uses gochujang, an ingredient that is being referred to as the “new” sriracha. I call it umami in a jar! Loving this stuff!
Gochujang is a savory, spicy, slightly sweet, fermented Korean condiment made from red chiles, rice, soybeans and salt. It used to be difficult to find but am now seeing it in almost all grocery stores.
How to make Korean Braised Beef Short Ribs:
- Ask your butcher for long-cut beef short ribs on the bone. Beef short ribs can appear intimidating at first with their boney, hunky appearance. Don’t let that scare you!
- This recipe is scaled for two people. I like to use four ribs for two servings because as the connective tissue melts away, they shrink quite a bit.
- Trim as much fat as you can.
- Brown well on all sides.
- Place in the slow cooker with simple ingredients found in any grocery store and let them cook away!
- It’s not often I use a slow-cooker for just the two of us, but because of their size, four long-cut bone-in beef short ribs fill a large oval slow-cooker nicely. If four ribs end up being too much, they reheat beautifully.
- Thicken and serve! One of the main characteristics of Korean cuisine is the abundance of side dishes and condiments served at the table. In addition to the seared scallions in this recipe, serve with kimchi, brown rice and fresh, shredded carrots.
Serve with:
For more amazing slowly-braised beef recipes, be sure to try my:
- Slow-Cooker Beef Short Ribs Barbacoa with Cilantro-Lime Cauliflower Rice
- Slow-Cooker Boneless Beef Short Ribs Bourguignon
- Cabernet-Braised Beef Short Ribs with Cauliflower-Leek Puree
- Stout Braised Beef Short Ribs and Colcannon
- Italian Pot Roast (Stracotto) and Oven-Baked Gorgonzola Polenta
- Beef Braciole (Braciola)
Korean Braised Beef Short Ribs
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced vertically
- 8 large cloves garlic sliced
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger
- 2 cups beef broth
- ½ cup soy sauce tamari or coconut aminos
- ¼ cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons gochujang fermented Korean chile paste
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons canola oil jor vegetable or peanut oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 short ribs 2 ½ to 3 pounds, bone in, trimmed of excess fat
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 bunches scallions root ends trimmed
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- Kimchi
- Shredded carrots
- Cooked brown rice
Instructions
- Combine the first 9 ingredients in a slow cooker. Set slow cooker to high to preheat.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat.
- Generously season beef short ribs with salt and black pepper. Add short ribs to pan, reduce heat to medium and brown well on all sides, approximately 2-3 minutes per side.
- Transfer ribs, meat side down, to slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on high for 4-6 hours or until very tender.
- Combine cornstarch with approximately 4 tablespoons of the cooking liquid in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Pour cornstarch mixture into slow cooker, stir to blend and cook uncovered on high for approximately 20 minutes.
- Turn slow cooker off and let stand 10 minutes. (Sauce will thicken more upon standing.)
- Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a skillet or sauté pan over medium-high. Cook scallions, 2-3 minutes or until slightly softened and browned.
- Serve short ribs with scallions, kimchi, cooked brown rice and shredded carrots.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
Maggie says
I’m excited to make this! Quick clarifying question: the recipe says cook on high, but the video says low. Could you clarify?
Carol says
Hi, Maggie, Thanks so much for your question. It’s 4-6 hours on HIGH. You can also do 8 hours or so on LOW. Thanks so much and hope you enjoy!!
Phil says
Hey! What would you recommend as a substitute for the sugar? I’m trying not to eat any, I know it won’t be the same. What do you think?
Carol says
Hi, Phil, Thanks so much for your question. What about using softened and pureed dates, coconut sugar or raw honey? Those are the most “whole” sweeteners I can think of. Thanks again and hope these work for you.
JANICE says
How would I go about doing this in a pressure cooker (ninja foodi)? I bought these, then life happened and now I dont have 6 hours to devote to dinner.
Carol says
Hi, Janice, Thanks so much for your question. I’m not familiar with the Ninja Foodi and frankly don’t care for large cuts of meat done in a pressure cooker. In doing some online research, I would brown them, place them in the cooker with the other ingredients, then cook on HIGH for 40 minutes with a 10-minute natural release. Hope that helps!
Robin Saldana says
I struggle with short ribs I normally get great flavor and tough ribs. This recipe was perfect. Super tender ribs with a wonderful sauce. I will absolutely make this again. Thanks!!!
Chris says
Great recipe! Tried twice and turned out very well. What would be a good beef alternative to bone-in short rib? e.g., Cheek, chuck or sirloin? Will these work?
Carol says
Hi, Chris, Thanks so much and glad you enjoy this recipe! I’ve never cooked with beef cheeks but a chuck roast or sirloin would work well, too. You could also use beef shanks. Thanks again!
Jess says
I made your recipe in the Instant Pot, turned out really good still lots of flavour. My husband (who is Korean) knew right away with one bite that it was galbijim. He even talked about how good it was. That’s really high praise. Just thought I’d share.
Carol says
Hi, Jess, Thanks so very much!! You really made my day and it means so much that your husband approved! Thanks again!
Kathi says
Loved this recipe! The only thing that I questioned is the amount of cornstarch. Is it truly 2 Tbsp not 2 tsp? The mixture got very thick.
Carol says
Hi, Kathi, Thanks so much and glad you enjoyed! Typically, the rule of thumb is 1 tablespoon of corn starch per 1 cup of liquid. With all the ingredients, there would be close to 3 cups of liquid. If you did this recipe in a slow cooker, you might actually get more liquid than that because of the condensation a slow cooker creates. Glad you enjoyed anyway!
Linda says
So good. I made it in a Dutch oven. The link for Brussels sprouts was great too. Will definitely make again.
Alex B says
Fab recipe, made it tonight, delicious – thank you!
Pesha says
This was great. I moved the steps around a bit as I love to minimize pot usage. I made it in a Dutch oven. First I cooked the ribs. Setting those aside, I drained out some of the fat, added the scallions, cooked them and set them aside. I mixed all the sauce ingredients in the Dutch oven, added the ribs, covered with foil. After 2 hours I added 5 sliced carrots and some sliced shiitake and cooked for another hour. Placed the Dutch oven back on the stovetop to add the cornstarch and finish. The meat was falling off the bones. It had totally fallen off and the bones were amazing to suck on. Will make again and again.
Louise says
Hello, the recipe looks great! What size slow cooker do you use to make it?
Carol says
Hi, Louise, Thanks so much for your question. I used a standard 6-quart slow cooker. I have an affiliate link above the recipe if you need one! Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
Elaine says
Would reducing or eliminating the amount of gochujang make the sauce too sweet? Preparing this for my elderly father who loves short ribs but can no longer eat spicy foods.
Will be using about 12-14 ribs for 6-8 people. Is it okay to double ingredients for the sauce, and would oven cooking time using Dutch oven be the same as 2.5-3 hours?
Carol says
Hi, Elaine, Thanks so much for your question. I would do that many ribs in two different Dutch ovens and expect they would need to cook for three hours. You would definitely need to at least double the ingredients. If you use two different Dutch ovens, you could do one following the recipe exactly and modify the other for your father. Perhaps reduce the amount of sugar and leave out the gochujang in the batch your father will be eating. When it’s done braising, taste it and see if it needs adjusting. The sugar and gochujang is always something you can add at the end. Thanks again and hope that answers your question.
Annie says
Piggy-backing on this, I have bone-in short ribs, but they’re not long cut. I also have a dutch oven. How might I go about making this?
Carol says
Hi, Annie, Thanks so much for your question. I still love cooking short ribs in a Dutch oven over any other method! You could do at 325 degrees for a longer period of time or 350 degrees if you want to cut the time a little bit. The shorter cut short ribs may not take as long; you’d just want to check them after 2 hours or so, especially at 350. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!!
Ann Marie says
These short ribs turned out perfectly and were delicious! I will definitely make them again!
Vera yong says
Wow, it was a beautiful and yummy delicious dish. Cooked for 3 1/2 hrs and the meat just fell off the bone. Will definitely cook again. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Carol says
Hi, Vera, Thanks so very much and so glad it was a huge success for you! Have a wonderful holiday season!
Sheila Bailey says
What temperature in the Dutch oven?
Carol says
Hi, Sheila, Thanks so much for your question. When I do short ribs in a Dutch oven in the oven, I do it for about 2 1/2 hours at 350 degrees. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!