Name: LA Kalbi
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT0H35M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M1DT1H35M0.000S
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: asian
Ingredients: 1 cup soy sauce; 1 cup diced peeled Asian pear or Fuji apple; 1 cup diced yellow onion; 1/2 cup toasted sesame oil; 1/2 cup sugar; 1/4 cup sake or mirin; 5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed; 4 pounds flanken-cut short ribs; Ultimate Ssamjang, recipe follows; Cooked rice; Kimchi; Lettuce leaves, for making wraps, optional; 1/2 cup gochujang; 1/2 cup doenjang; 1 tablespoon minced garlic; 4 scallions, finely sliced; 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil; 1 tablespoon mirin; 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions

For the marinated short ribs: In a blender or food processor, blend together the soy sauce, pear, onion, sesame oil, sugar, sake and garlic. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer, discarding the solids. Place the short ribs in a large casserole or storage container and pour the marinade on top. Turn the pieces a few times to make sure the ribs are thoroughly coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours but preferably 2 days.
One hour before grilling, remove the short ribs from the refrigerator. Remove them from the marinade, scraping off any excess with your hands, and place on a pan so they are ready for the grill.
Prepare a grill for medium-high heat. (Or heat a lightly oiled and well-seasoned large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.) Cook the short ribs in batches, turning once, until pleasantly charred but not overcooked, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
For serving: Put the short ribs on a platter and provide a set of kitchen shears so people can cut pieces in half if they’d like. Serve with sides of Ultimate Ssamjang (see Cook’s Note), rice, kimchi and lettuce leaves, if desired. Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in a toaster oven or sauté pan.

Ultimate Ssamjang:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the gochujang, doenjang, garlic, scallions, sesame oil, mirin and sesame seeds. Ssamjang keeps in a sealed jar for up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.
To make tomato ssamjang: Add 1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes and 1/2 cup sliced baby tomatoes.
To make bacon ssamjang: Finely slice 2 strips of bacon, then cook until crisp. Stir the bacon and bacon fat into the ssamjang.
To make apple ssamjang: Peel a Fuji apple and finely dice enough to yield 1 cup. Stir the chopped apple into the ssamjang. (Eat the rest of the apple as a snack!)

Cook’s Note

To work ahead, the marinade keeps in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 week or even longer. Once marinated, LA kalbi freezes well. Just take it out and let it thaw in the marinade before grilling. If you don’t have a grill, you can do this in a skillet. That’s exactly what my mom would do when I was a kid. She’d cut the meat into smaller pieces and add them to a skillet. The bonus is the marinade turns into a sauce that caramelizes around the meat. Ssamjang is the quintessential sauce that everyone knows and loves when they go out for Korean barbecue. A mix of doejang and gochuchang, it’s the Korean equivalent of ketchup-mustard-mayo special sauce; it’s every condiment mixed into one. Once you’ve discovered the flavor of ssamjang, you can’t really go back. My favorite way to use it is to dip crudité into it. It’s salty enough that it seasons the vegetables. But it also works great with grilled vegetables, meat or even fish. I also like to make variations, mixing in sun-dried tomatoes to make an umami bomb ssamjang or crisped bacon to make ssamjang to pair with bossam. Finally, I like apple ssamjang: It’s sweet, with a fun, crunchy texture. You can also make it your own by using more gochujang for a spicier take or less for a milder result.