Short Ribs are better known as Kalbi in Korean terms and are a rich and flavorful portion of beef that lend themselves well to many styles of preparation. They are used in various capacities in Korean cooking like soups, stews, and bbqs. I have never bought boneless short ribs before this week bc I tend to think the bone portion adds depth, substance, and texture to dishes, but shopping at Costco brought them into my proximity so I decided to cave into curiosity and attempt to make something yummy with them. After a day of indecisive contemplation, I started the marinating process without any concrete idea of how I would prepare them. I just knew I wanted to try something different in the final execution.
After a day of basking in the marinade, I vertically sliced one steak into fourths
and broiled them as they would traditionally be prepared, a) to feed my ravenous child and b) to check the flavor and texture of the beef.
The marinade lent the beef a delicious flavor, but the meat seemed a bit more dense and chewy than the bone-in short ribs I usually use for Korean bbqed kalbi.
Later on in the evening, I found myself extremely hungry and desperate for food,
so I broiled a thicker portion of short rib "steak" with the intention of slicing it into thin strips, but didn't need to do so because it was perfectly tender and tasty. I think my error in the first preparation was that I didn't bring the beef to room temperature before broiling it. (My bad.)
The following day, I was hit with the inspiration to put my Smoke N' Grill to use, so I seasoned it with oil, let the charcoal do it's work for a few hours, and then added the browned pieces of short rib into the smoker for a couple of hours to infuse it with cherrywood smokiness.
(Initially, I wanted to grind the meat for kalbi burgers, but I don't have a grinder at home, so I opted for another conceptual option in the meantime.)
(Initially, I wanted to grind the meat for kalbi burgers, but I don't have a grinder at home, so I opted for another conceptual option in the meantime.)
The following day, I rendered the fat, sauteed onions, garlic, ginger, onions, shiitake mushrooms, deglazed with sake, then added the smoked short ribs and whatever liquid was left over into the pot and let the meat meld with the vegetables.
The final plating of the short ribs was highly successful in its flavor profile. However, I think my browning, smoking, then braising of the beef jerked it a bit into a pleasant, yet unexpectedly
thicker and richer consistency. It was still incredibly tender, but the beef was not the melt-in-your- mouth texture one expects in a traditional kalbijim. The next time I attempt to smoke short ribs, I will marinate and put the beef into the smoker in its raw form. I think I may get better results treating the short ribs like brisket ala Pit/BBQ masters. It wasn't a perfect ending, but I'm excited to attempt the dish again and see where a new technique will take me in my study of short ribs.
