Galbi Jjim: Braised Short Ribs
Galbi jjim — braised beef short ribs in a sweet-savoury soy broth with vegetables — achieves the Korean version of the long-braise collagen-conversion principle. The unique Korean element: Asian pear and dried jujube dates added to the braise, their natural sugars and malic acid participating in the sauce's balance throughout the long cooking.
- **The short ribs:** Cross-cut (flanken-style) or English-cut — the bone-in cut provides the gelatin that gives the final sauce its glossy, coating consistency. - **Blanching:** The ribs blanched first in boiling water for 5–10 minutes to remove blood and impurities. The blanching water discarded — not used as the braise base. - **The braise liquid:** Soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, Asian pear (grated — its enzymes continue working during the early braise before the temperature rises to denature them), and black pepper. - **Long simmer:** 1.5–2.5 hours until the collagen is fully converted and the meat pulls from the bone easily. - **The vegetables:** Carrot and potato added in the final 20 minutes — they cook through without disintegrating. - **The sauce reduction:** At the end, the braising liquid is reduced over high heat to a glossy, coating consistency.
Maangchi