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sliced Korean short ribs sous vide on cutting board
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4.94 from 48 votes

Sous Vide Short Ribs (Korean)

Korean-marinated boneless short ribs, cooked sous vide until super tender, then finished on the grill. Flavorful and mouthwatering!.
Prep Time8 minutes
Cook Time1 day 2 minutes
Marinating1 day
Total Time2 days 10 minutes
Course: main
Cuisine: Korean
Servings (change as needed): 6 (or 5 big eaters)
Author: Cheryl Avrich
US Measures - Metric

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds boneless beef short ribs 1/2 inch/1.3 cm thick (cut in half horizontally if needed), Note 1 I get them at Costco
  • Garnish (optional) - chopped green onion, parsley and/or toasted nutty sesame seeds.

Kalbi Marinade (see Note 2 for substitutes)

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup light soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup cold water
  • 2 tablespoon mirin
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion, about 1/2 small onion grate it if not using blender/processor
  • 1/2 Asian pear (or regular pear), peeled, cubed
  • 2 tablespoon minced garlic (6 cloves)
  • 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 green onion, chopped (optional)
US Measures - Metric

Instructions

  • MAKE MARINADE: Use a food processor or immersion blender. Place all ingredients in a food processor (or bowl). Process/blend until smooth. If you don't have a processor or blender, grate the pear and onion, then mix with the remaining ingredients.
  • MARINATE SHORT RIBS: Pour marinade into large zipper lock bag along with boneless beef short ribs. Ribs should be in a single layer. Use 2 bags if needed. Remove air and seal bag. Squish meat around to ensure meat is well covered with marinade. Place in fridge for 24 hours (or 6 hours if taking a shortcut).
    Remove meat and reserve the marinade (save it in a sealed container in fridge). Dab meat with a paper towel and place in a fresh ziploc in a single layer. Use 2 bags if needed.
  • SOUS VIDE SHORT RIBS (see Note 3 for non-sous vide option). Heat water with sous vide equipment to 135F/57C (for medium rare) or 140F/60C for medium. Lower bag of short ribs into water, unsealed, until top of bag is just above water line, then seal it once all air is pressed out by water. If using a circulator sous vide, cover pot with lid, foil, or towel to reduce evaporation.
    Sous vide ribs for 12-30 hours. I find 24 hours perfect or, if ribs are very thin, 12 hours. (For a shortcut, sous vide for 6 hours - but not as tender). Remove short ribs from bag. Pat dry well with paper towel for better browing.
  • MAKE GLAZE/SAUCE (optional but recommended): Pour reserved marinade juices into small pot (I pour it through a sieve/strainer to remove small bits). Bring to boil, then reduce to medium high heat Boil for about 10 minutes until reduced by half and slightly thickened. If you like spicy, add a pinch of red pepper flakes.
  • GRILL KOREAN SHORT RIBS: Spray grill with oil and heat to medium high (450-500F/232-260C). Brush glaze on both sides of short ribs. Spray ribs with oil on one side to avoid sticking. Grill for 2 minutes on the side that is sprayed with oil. No need to grill the other side. Brush on extra glaze and serve with remaining sauce on the side. Garnish with chopped green onions and/or sesame seeds if desired. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Video

Notes

  1. Short ribs options: I use boneless beef short ribs, but thin bone-in flanken ribs (LA galbi) also work. Ribeye, sirloin, chicken breast, or pork tenderloin can also be used with the marinade, especially if grilling only.
  2. Substitutes in Marinade :
    • Instead of pear - use apple, kiwi or pineapple.
    • Instead of water - use half pineapple, half water. Don't over-marinate with pineapple juice as the ribs can get mushy.
    • Instead of mirin - use sherry or sake + a pinch of sugar. Or rice vinegar + a pinch of sugar.
    • Instead of dark sesame oil - use light 
    • Instead of onion - use green onion
  3. If no sous vide equipment: Marinate at least 24 hours. Grill ribs over medium-high heat (450-500°F/232-260°C) for 2-3 minutes per side until an instant thermometer reads 130°F/54°C. If grilling isn't available, broil or bake as an alternative.
  4. If you don't have a grill:
    • After sous vide cooking, broil ribs for 2 minutes close to the heat on one side. Brush with glaze first. 
    • If you don't have sous vide equipment or a grill, bake short ribs at 375F for 20 minutes, then broil for 2-3 minutes close to heat to brown. 
  5. Make Ahead:
    • Timing options/shortcuts:
      • Marinating time can range from 6 hours to 24 hours.
      • Sous vide time for this recipe is 24 hours. But I've tried the short ribs for only 5 hours and the meat was a lot more tender than no sous vide, but less tender than 24 hours. This tells me that anywhere from 12-24 hours will be good too. Even 30 hours should be fine.
      • If your meat is thin (less than 1/2 inch/1.3 cm thick), sous vide for a maximum of 12 hours. 
    • The entire recipe can be made ahead except for the final step of grilling (or broiling) for 2 minutes just before serving.
 
Nutrition values are estimates. 
Calories: 518kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 134mg | Sodium: 1277mg | Potassium: 913mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 20IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 6mg