Korean BBQ Beef (Kalbi) and Vegetable Marinade Recipe

I know beef is not exactly eco-friendly. And since I stopped eating meat, the one dish I do miss is Kalbi. But then, I started using this marinade for vegetables because this marinade is not just for meats but is great for vegetables too.

Kalbi – short rib cut either cross section as shown in the picture or as short rib for braising. Short rib style is a signature Korean dish. In fact, if you haven’t tried Kalbi or Bulgoki (thinly sliced rib eye), you haven’t eaten Korean food.

Kalbi marinade is simple but the delicate balance of saltiness and sweetness is the key for a perfect marinade. So even though this recipe calls for certain amount of sugar, you can adjust it according to your taste. The meat is marinated for a few hours and it is traditionally grilled over a charcoal brisket BBQ flame. But you can pan fry the meat over high flame if grill is not available.

The best way to eat Kalbi or Bulgoki is in a lettuce leaf with miso paste called, duen-jang on top and hot rice.

Karen’s Korean Barbecue Marinade

Ingredients:
1/2 C Soy Sauce
1/4 C Water
1/4 C Brown Sugar (can be light or dark)
5 Cloves of Garlic, minced
1/4 C Chopped Scallions
1 C Pureed Apple or Asian Pear (Pre-made Apple sauce is fine too)
2 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds
1 Tbsp Black pepper
1 Tsp Sesame Oil
2 LB of Short Rib Beef cut across about 1/2 ” thick or flank steak, skrit steak, or London Broil
Makes about 1 Quart. You can half the ingredients for less.

Instruction
Peel and core fruits and set aside. In a food processor, chop garlic. Without rinsing, use the same food processor to puree the fruits. In a large bowl combine the rest of the ingredients. Fold in the puree and mix well. The marinade can be used with about 2 lbs. of meat – chicken, short ribs, flank steak or London broil or any other cut of meat that is good for grilling or broiling.

Marinade Time:

• Vegetables: 15 minutes
• Chicken: 30 minutes
• Beef: 2-4 hours and you can baste the meat while grilling.The best type of meat to make Kalbi with are sliced short ribs with little bit of marblelized fat.

You can grill the meat and vegetables or pan fry on high heat until both sides are brown. If you pan fry, do not use any oil. The oil from the beef will be plenty to cook the meat. You can use a little bit of olive oil when you cook vegetables.

Enjoy!
Note: I boil the leftover marinade after I marinade the meat. You cannot re-use the leftover marinade after the meat has been sitting in it but you can use it as extra sauce if boiled. Refrigerate any unused marinade in a glass jar and is good for up to a week.

First Photo: Karen
Second Photo: joyosity