LA galbi (LA 갈비) is one of my favorite Korean barbecue dishes! Thinly sliced beef short ribs are marinated in a savory, slightly sweet sauce made with soy sauce, garlic, Korean pear, and other delicious ingredients, then grilled until the edges are caramelized and slightly charred. The meat is juicy, tender, and full of flavor. It’s perfect for a family dinner or a backyard barbecue!
Galbi means “ribs” in Korean. What makes LA galbi special is the way the beef short ribs are cut: thinly, about ¼ inch thick, across the bones. Each long strip has several small pieces of bone, so the meat cooks quickly and is easy to grill. Traditional Korean galbi is usually cut differently, with thicker pieces of meat attached to individual rib bones. Both styles use a similar delicious Korean galbi marinade.
I first tasted LA galbi many years ago when I visited my sister in Los Angeles. She made it for my family, and I loved it! But I was surprised to see the ribs cut so thinly across the bones. I had never seen galbi prepared that way before.
At the time, I didn’t think much about why it was called LA galbi. But when I wrote this recipe in 2010, I became curious and started investigating its name. I found two theories. One says “LA” comes from the word “lateral,” referring to the way the ribs are cut. The other says the name comes from Los Angeles, where Korean immigrants helped popularize this style of galbi.
Personally, I thought the Los Angeles theory sounded more likely. After all, if “LA” came from “lateral,” why isn’t there an “HO galbi” for “horizontal”? : )
I also saw cross-cut beef short ribs called flanken-cut ribs at a Mexican market, but they were much thicker than the thinly sliced ribs I was looking for. Although the cutting style was similar, they weren’t quite right for making LA galbi.
In 2009, I brought my marinated LA galbi to a BBQ picnic in the Catskills with about 20 people. To my surprise, none of them had tried Korean barbecue before! Everyone enjoyed it, and some of my friends were still talking about it long afterward. That made me so happy.
I’m still curious about who first came up with LA galbi and how it got its name. If you know anything about its history, please contact me. I’d love to hear from you!
Whether you cook LA galbi on an outdoor grill or in a frying pan, I hope you enjoy sharing it with your family and friends as much as I do!
Ingredients (for 4-6 servings)
For the galbi and marinade:
- 3½ pounds (about 1.6 kg) LA-style beef short ribs
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ⅓ cup water or cooking wine
- ¼ cup honey (or ⅓ cup brown sugar)
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 Korean pear, or 2 ripe Bosc pears, peeled and cored
- 8 garlic cloves
- 1 medium onion, cut into chunks
- 1 teaspoon peeled ginger
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
For the ssamjang dipping sauce:
- 2 tablespoons doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste)
- 1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)
- 1 green onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
For serving:
- Lettuce leaves
- Perilla leaves
- Green chili peppers, chopped
- A few garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 cucumber, cut into strips
- Carrot, if using
- Cooked rice and kimchi (optional)
Directions
Prepare the short ribs
- Trim any excess fat from the short ribs and rinse them a couple of times in cold water.
- Soak the ribs in cold water for 10 to 20 minutes to draw out excess blood.
Make marinade
- In a large bowl, combine ⅓ cup soy sauce, ⅓ cup water or cooking wine, ¼ cup honey (or ⅓ cup brown sugar), and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper.
- Blend 1 Korean pear (about 2 cups when chopped), 8 garlic cloves, 1 medium onion, and 1 teaspoon peeled ginger until smooth and creamy.
- Add the blended mixture to the soy sauce mixture. Stir in 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil.
Tip: If you can’t find a Korean pear, use 2 ripe Bosc pears instead. I sometimes use Bosc pears, and they work well!
- Rinse the short ribs a couple of times in fresh cold water to remove any remaining bone fragments. Drain well.
- Add the ribs to the marinade and mix well with your hands, making sure every piece is coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Overnight is even better because it gives the meat more time to absorb the flavors.
Make the ssamjang dipping sauce
See my ssamjang recipe and video fior more details
- Combine 2 tablespoons soybean paste (doenjang), 1 tablespoon hot pepper paste (gochujang), 1 chopped green onion, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds in a small bowl. Mix well.
Prepare the vegetables
- Rinse and drain the lettuce and perilla leaves. Arrange them on a serving plate or in a basket.
Cut the cucumber into sticks about 3½ to 4 inches (9 to 10 cm) long and ½ inch (1.3 cm) thick. Prepare the carrot the same way, if using.
- Chop green chili peppers and slice a few garlic cloves. Arrange them alongside the lettuce and perilla leaves.
Grill and serve!
Grill, pan-fry, or barbecue the marinated ribs until nicely browned and cooked through on both sides. Because LA galbi is thinly sliced, it cooks much faster than traditional thick-cut ribs, usually in about 5 minutes, depending on the heat and thickness.
Transfer the cooked ribs to a serving plate. Use kitchen scissors to cut the meat away from the bones into bite-sized pieces.
To make a wrap, place a piece of galbi on a lettuce leaf with a perilla leaf. Add a little ssamjang, some sliced garlic, and a piece of green chili pepper. Fold everything into a small bundle and enjoy it in one bite!
You can also serve the galbi with rice and kimchi.
Enjoy the recipe!
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This is a very old article but I am from New York State and my mom makes her galbi flanken style but she’s never lived anywhere on the west coast. She came straight from Seoul in 1985 and has been living here since. The Korean stores here sell these cuts, and so do some grocery stores. I’ve had the ribs both ways, but 99% of the time it’s flanken style.
It is called “LA Galbi,” because this is the way our very large Mexican and Japanese communities cut and serves short ribs here in Los Angeles. I have had short ribs cut this way since I was a child and I am now in my 60s.
Hello from Toronto! Is the cooking wine sweet? Will that plus the honey be overwhelming? I am making this tomorrow afternoon and I hope to get a response in time. Thank you so much. Love your channel and blog!
Hi Maangchi!
I love trying out your recipes! So delicious. I’ve recently introduced my boyfriend to Korean food. We just marinated the meat and are excited to eat it later today! :)
Hi Maangchi,
I love your blog! I am Korean American mom of 2 but I have only recently started cooking Korean food. I brings me back great memories of my mom’s food. My kids love Korean food and I’m sure I’m creating great memories for my kids! Thank you so much for the love you put into all your recipes.
My question is about this LA style kalbi compared with the other kalbi recipe on this site that uses a dry rub along the the length of the strips of meat. Is it possible to use the marinade in this recipe with the cut used in the other recipe? I’m not sure I will be able to find the LA style cut at my butchers.Thanks so much!
Hi Maangchi,
I am from Brazil and Asian Pears are expansive and seasonal.
Is it possible to exchange the pears for pineapple?
Thanks
Yes, sure, you can use pineapple.
Thanks for your reply, but pineapple did not worked… the meat got too softened.
Oh, you made it already! Yes, I forgot to mention, you shouldn’t marinate for a long time like you would with pear, otherwise the meat will lose all texture. Some people also use kiwi to tenderize the meat, but if you marinate longer than an hour the meat will lose some texture. If you use pineapple or kimi, marinate from 30 min to an hour.
Anyway, thanks for your fast reply!
I also read that some people used 7-up to tenderize…. I will stick to any pear available on the market like williams.
On the other hand, your kimchi recipe worked very well!
Thanks from Brazil!
Hi Maanchi!
Thanks for the recipes! I just wanted to know if I could use the same marinade for chicken as well?
Sure, it’s a good idea!
I made these ribs (using the thinnest beef ribs I found) last weekend with my bestie (along with some pan-fried beef slices and Jjajangmyeon) and had a fun Korean BBQ girls night-in.
They came out great. I don’t have a grill so I baked them.
I baked them in a lightly oiled, foil-lined shallow pan. I covered the ribs with some of the leftover marinade (about half a cup) and baked them covered with foil for 30 mins at 400 degrees. I then broiled them on low for 10-12mins each side to get that grill colour.
Your galbi looks great! I also use my oven sometimes, especially when I make a lot. I use a large baking pan and my oven broiler.
This style of short ribs is called “flanken cut.” It has nothing to do with L.A. The Chinese use these in many dishes. They cut pork spare ribs the same way.
A quick google search will tell you that this specific dish is actually referred to as LA Galbi by Koreans. Regardless of whether or not it has to do with LA, you will see this dish name come up in Korean restaurants.
I like the way you made the Galbi.
When going on long road trips where Korean food may be scarce, I tend to crave it even more. I get tired of the random pit stops, stopping by the nearest McDonald’s, or waiting and waiting to find a decent place to eat. I prefer packing my own food. On my recent 1,800 mile road trip, I took a burner and ice boxes packed with food. My favorite moment was when grilling galbi! Grilled galbi along with kimchi jjigae so hit the spot. I have many memories of childhood road trips. I was never fond of road trips as a child and was often dragged. But my favorite part about it was always the food. Galbi and kimchi jjigae were a couple of the delicious items that we were never without on road trips. And it had a lot of influence on what I decided to bring along for my last road trip. http://www.behgopa.com/2016/05/my-road-trip-to-utah-and-things-i-ate.html
I see a few people have chimed in and let you know this cut is called “flanken” style ribs sometimes. It’s a reasonably common cut in Jewish cooking, often braised.
Hi Maangchi,
How would you recommend cooking Galbi in the oven?
Thanks!
Hi Maangchi,
Thank you for your recipes. I love them. Although i tried this LA galbi a few time, every time i grill it on a indoor bbq it gets burn very fast becauee if the sauce. What can i do about that???
Hi Maangchi…our Galbi is marinating will make it tomorrow! My wife and I live in Manila we love watching your videos….so far we are just getting started but last weekend made your delicious rolls! Keep the recipes coming!
Hi Maangchi,
I am a fan of Korean food and I just wanted to say that this recipe was so good. I tried it last night and the taste is comparable to some Korean restaurant here in San Diego! I usually go to Korean market and get the marinated meat but no more!! Your recipe is so much better. It is so worth it. Thank you Maangchi! I can eat this everyday but I will try your bulgogi next time since short rib meat is so fatty; not good for people like me who’s trying to lose weight ;). Take care!
Dee
Yaho! : )
It sounds like your galbi was a big hit last night! It makes me so happy! Good luck with your Korean cooking!
This recipe has similar ingredients to your bulgogi recipe. The only difference is your using honey vs brown sugar and rice syrup. Why is that? And is the taste can I use thr brown sugar and rice syrup?
You could use either honey, brown sugar, white sugar, or rice syrup. Rice syrup will make it shiny though.
Hi Maangchi!
I told my mom about this recipe and she was impressed how authentic it sounded. She told me that if pears were too expensive, to buy pear extract instead. Have you ever heard of anyone doing this? Do you know how much extract to put in, instead of a pear?
Thanks!!
Hi Unni,
My previous post got deleted from loss of internet connection. I tried to make this for the first time today, however, the medium onion I used mustve been too big for the recipe…my marination sauce became…smokey?? 매콤-칼칼. Kids will be eating this and I plan to grill them Saturday (in two days) so that the beef is nicely marinated…is there a way to save my marinated beef? Its currently sitting in the refrigerator…any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!
Don’t worry. When you cook, it won’t be spicy at all.
Ohhhhhh thank goodness!!! 고맙습니다~~~~