Korean Braised Beef Short Ribs Recipe
These Korean-Inspired Braised Beef Short Ribs are slightly spicy, slightly sweet and totally amazing! Slow-braising in the slow cooker makes them fall-off-the-bone tender!
“FABULOUS!! One of our favorite dishes of ALL time!!”
Korean cuisine has grown in popularity in recent years and will likely remain so because it is amazing like these Korean Braised Beef Short Ribs!! 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.) That led me to create this Korean short rib recipe–one of the best beef short ribs recipes you’ll find with 350 4 and 5-star ratings!
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 like these Korean braised short ribs.
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 and this short rib recipe, the result is truly extraordinary.
Ingredients:
- Onion
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Beef Broth or beef stock
- Soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos
- Brown sugar or coconut sugar
- Unseasoned rice vinegar
- Gochujang
- Sesame oil
- Canola oil
- Salt and black pepper
- Beef short ribs on the bone
- Cornstarch
- Scallions, sesame seeds, kimchi, shredded carrots and cooked brown rice
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 beef short ribs 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 but leave the bone side intact.
- Brown well on all sides in a skillet with a heavy bottom over medium-high heat.
- 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, turning the heat on the slow cooker to High then let it boil over high heat for approximately 20 minutes.
- Let rest so it continues to thicken up then 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.
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.
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. As long as there is so much as a cup of water, the cooking method is considered braising.
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 with dry heat. Then, it simmers at a low temperature for several hours with the moist heat. 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.
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 Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 medium onion - thinly sliced vertically
- 8 large cloves garlic - sliced
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1/2 cup soy sauce - tamari or coconut aminos
- 1/4 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 1/2 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.
Hi Carol,
Will pork ribs work instead of beef; baby back or St. Louis. I want to feed 6 big eaters. Can I do this in the oven if my slow cooker is too small?
Hi, Tony, Thanks so much for your question. I have never done this recipe with pork but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. You’ll need at least two large racks of baby backs. When I do baby back ribs in the oven, I use a large aluminum pan then submerge the ribs about halfway in a braising liquid. For this recipe, I might add some soy sauce, ginger and garlic to the water. Then, braise at 350 for 2 – 2 1/2 hours or until an inch or so of the rib bone is exposed. I then place on a baking sheet then coat with sauce (usually a barbecue sauce) and place back in the oven for another hour or so so the sauce caramelizes and the ribs dry out a little bit. You could try doubling the sauce (substitute chicken broth for the beef) and braising in that liquid. Again, I haven’t done this recipe like that, but that’s probably what I would try. Thanks again and let me know how it works!
I’m excited to make this! Quick clarifying question: the recipe says cook on high, but the video says low. Could you clarify?
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!!
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?
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.
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.
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!
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!!!
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?
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!
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.
Hi, Jess, Thanks so very much!! You really made my day and it means so much that your husband approved! Thanks again!
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.
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!
So good. I made it in a Dutch oven. The link for Brussels sprouts was great too. Will definitely make again.
Fab recipe, made it tonight, delicious – thank you!
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.
Hello, the recipe looks great! What size slow cooker do you use to make it?
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!
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?
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.
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?
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!!
These short ribs turned out perfectly and were delicious! I will definitely make them again!
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.
Hi, Vera, Thanks so very much and so glad it was a huge success for you! Have a wonderful holiday season!
What temperature in the Dutch oven?
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!