Korean Style Short Ribs (Crockpot)

I love cooking dishes of various ethnic cuisines. Doing so adds some fun in our usual meals and it's a great way to appreciate other cultures. Korean cuisine is one I haven't cooked in awhile so tonight we took our tastebuds to the deliciousness of Korean Style Short Ribs...

Our favorite Korean dish would have to be Kalbi (or Galbi,) which are short ribs marinated in a sweet soy sauce mixture. The short ribs traditionally used in this dish are sliced thin and crosswise, but for dinner, I used whole beef short ribs. Having made Kalbi using thinly sliced short ribs before, I must say that I prefer whole beef ribs instead. The thick short ribs really absorb the sweet, soy sauce marinade well and with every bite, you can taste it as the meat falls off the bone.

In general, whole short ribs do well when braised over a long period of time until they become tender. What I love about this specific recipe is that it's done in a crockpot so there's no need to watch over this dish... just place it all in your crockpot and let it do it's thing. Before long, your kitchen will be filled with the wonderful aroma of kalbi cooking away. Oh, and no need for any knives either - the beef just falls off the bone and is perfectly tender and flavorful with little effort on your part! I took the original recipe and doubled the measurements for the marinade because I wanted the beef to really absorb the flavors. Below is the recipe as I prepared it...

Korean Style Short Ribs
recipe adapted from Blisstree

1 cup soy sauce ( I use Silver Swan, a Filipino brand, but any would do, even low sodium)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
4 tablespoons sesame oil
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
4 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
I head of garlic, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
5 lbs beef short ribs, uncut whole ribs
1-2 stalks green onions, sliced thin for garnish
1/2 teaspoon white sesame seeds for garnish


Mix soy sauce, sugar, oil, vinegar, ginger, garlic and red pepper in a small bowl. Place ribs in a 5-quart slow cooker and pour sauce over. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. Remove ribs from crockpot and serve hot over a bed of rice with a garnish of green onions and sesame seeds.

*Alternately, if you don't have a crockpot/slow cooker, simply place the ribs in a foil lined baking sheet and baking in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1-1/2 hours until cooked through.