*I recently posted this recipe with the LG Oven Giveaway (hey, I’m giving away an oven!!!) and updated this recipe to include a video on how to make these yummy ribs. ~Jaden
The nearest good Korean BBQ restaurant is over an hour drive away, simply too far when the best accompaniment to Korean BBQ is several super-cold OB beer alternating with sips of chilled soju (Korean rice alcohol, like Japanese sake).
That’s why we love making Korean food at home, but it also means that I have to modify ingredients and cooking methods a bit. You might be more familiar with Bulgogi, a popular Korean BBQ dish that features shaved rib-eye beef slices marinated in mixture of soy sauce, brown sugar and sesame seeds. But the lesser known dish is Kalbi, or thinly sliced bone-in beef short ribs flavored in a similar marinade. Bulgogi and Kalbi are both cooked over an open flame – usually hot charcoal set in the middle of the table!
I’ve modified the Kalbi recipe to use pork baby back ribs, since my grocery store doesn’t carry the short ribs cut like this. Regular beef short ribs that are available are too chunky and clunky to eat by hand. Baby back ribs are perfect – tender, flavorful and simple to cook.
Oh, and I’m not about to carve out the middle of my dining table to install a charcoal grill, so we’re going with a simpler technique – the oven.
To avoid a big mess in your oven, use a roasting pan that’s at least 2″ tall and also use tin foil, which keeps the juices in with the ribs.
Korean Kalbi Baby Back Ribs Recipe Video
Korean Kalbi Baby Back Ribs
Ingredients
- 6-7 pounds baby back ribs
- salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 onion, grated
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
- 1 stalk green onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (or white/cider vinegar)
Instructions
- Heat oven the 375F.
- (optional) Using a butter knife to pry it up, separate the membrane from the back of the ribs and discard.
- Generously season both sides of the ribs with salt and pepper. Wrap the ribs in foil, meaty side up and seal completely. Bake for 90 minutes.
- To make the Korean Kalbi sauce, mix together the remaining ingredients in a bowl.
- After the ribs are cooked, remove from the oven and carefully open up the foil -- be careful of the hot steam! Slather 3/4 of the Korean Kalbi sauce on the tops of the ribs. Place the oven rack in the top third of the oven and heat the broiler to high.
- Put the ribs back in the oven, foil still open, and broil until the sauce bubbles and carmelizes, about 3-5 minutes. Keep a watch on the ribs – it's so easy to burn them! Just before serving, pour the remaining Korean Kalbi sauce on top of the ribs.
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comment section! I always appreciate your feedback and I know other readers do, too!
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Could you marinate over night? Or do you purposely prefer to leave the korean bbq marinade until the final 10-15 mins of broiling?
Thanks so much!
Yes! You can marinate overnight, which is what I normally do.
Do you use a different marinade for overnight marinating? Or is it the same as the one mentioned?
This says a 1/4 brown sugar-a 1/4 what? Cup? Tsp? Tblsp?
Hi Henley – It’s 1/4 cup brown sugar – sorry about that!
Can I bake this for 90 min the night before and bake it with the kalbi sauce the next day? Trying to figure out how to do this on a working schedule!
Hi Victor – yes you can!
I made this for my love, for Valentine’s day. He loved them. Really easy recipe.
Can’t wait to make to make more for my friends and co workers. Thank you for the great recipe
How many people can 7 lbs feed?
Why not use a pork meat marinade/sauce (twae gi kalbi) instead? Ossi brand is good. Go to any Korean market and they will have it.
You can make it even more tender (tenderererer?!?) with one ground kiwi (skin removed) and the meat will be lusciously tendererest.
It’s what I use when the wifey wants Korean food & ribs. Takes less time than smoking ribs. Rice, home made kimchi, jap chae, and maybe another side dish and everybody is happy!
Yes! I’ve tenderized with kiwi before too. Deliciously tenderererererer! 🙂
OMG! I made these ribs last week but used spareribs because they were on sale and it was a big hit with my family. It tasted just like beef Kalbi. Thanks for the easy to follow and delicious recipe 🙂
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your blog is amazing! i knew recently and i am sure, i will back soon!! for more recipes
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Made the ribs again ~ everybody loves them.
Hope to win the oven-cause it;s got so much room~then I can Double the recipe:-)
Made the ribs for 4th of July, and we all loved it! My son wants me to make it again so I will be making it this weekend! Thanks for the recipe!
Made chick~pot pie~nom-nom-my oven not so much.
Love all the space in the oven<3
wings~think they are the worst~sure could use a self cleaning oven~AND it has so much room
LOVE IT:-)
chickie wings~sure could use a nice oven:-)
spitting and sparting of chicken wings
want to win the stove~but many say your web-site is SPAM.
Am I wasting my time~hope not.
Your web site has many problems
These look crazy delicious. I’m drooling.
Fresh peach pie today~my oh my what a mess~need the oven for sure.
These look sooo delicious. I am wanting them now. I have regular spareribs in my freezer, I will try them with this. I don’t have the smaller babybacks. I love all the ingredients you listed. Thank you for inspiring me!
Hope to win~those ribs are soo good
Your ribs are the best~but still make a mess:-)
I just NEED the oven
What wonderful photos! These Korean barbecue seasoning are very interesting! I’ll try to replicate here.
Very good post.
Thanks for sharing with us!
Cheers!
Renan Ferrer
Started making my Italian beef sammie today~makes my oven a mess!
Please I need this oven~I love it!
Broiled Steaks~yuk the Mess
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks!
lasagna~sure could use the oven.
Bought a great big pizza today~know for sure it will make a mess:-( Got to win this oven~keppin’ my fingers crossed:-)
My hubbie won’t let me make ribs on the Bar-B as they make to much of a mess on his grill:-)so I have to make them in my Not self cleaning oven!!!I need the oven please:-)
My cherry cobbler makes a huge mess~sure would love to win this oven:-)Fingers crossed
Making a homemade peach pie~I know this oven would be great because my pies SPILL OVER~and I don’t have a self cleaning oven~keeping my fingers crossed.
love the wiced oven and baby back ribs. your site is tops and terrific. god will bless you if i win.
I would love the oven~I will be making italian beef sammies for fathers day~I know from experience I will have a mess.I do not have a self-cleaning oven~but my hubbie deserves the mess.
Peach or cherry pie~most pies really make a Mess in the oven.
Stickie and Messy!I sure would love to win the oven
I look forward to trying this out on the grill! And carving the middle of the table out for a grill? Thanks for the idea, I’ll tell Alexis you said it was okay 😉
that oven is what I need~chiken wings baked in the oven makes a mess.
A question about these. I have seen special thinly cut ‘Korean’ ribs..except I believe they may be beef rather than pork. Are the Korean ribs I’m referring to usually made with this same sauce?
I have made these before and they are sooooo good. Can’t wait to make your recipe. BTW where is that Korean restaurant? I have been looking for one in the Tampa Bay area for a while now and have been unsuccessful.
My oheey~gooey homemade pizza with extra cheese and sausage,mushrooms,onions and grn peppers.
When done with this one~I need this oven!
Oh my chicken pot pie~made it for my birthday today~and it
leaked all over.I would love to win this oven~because I am not getting any younger:-)
I don’t even eat red meat but this looks incredible – definitely one to make for the meat eaters in the house!
These ribs are fantastic.My husband loved them.
I will be making these again.I didn’t have dark sesame oil
though~does this make a big differance?
I would love to win this oven<3
Planning to make this tonight. Looks yummy.
The recipe states meat side up but the video looks like it was meat side down. Which one is it? Thank you.
Oh my…my mouth just watered and it’s not even 6 a.m. Do you think it would be cool to have these for breakfast? I can’t wait to try this!
This looks delicious! I like that you used pork ribs. Thanks for sharing. I cannot wait to try this recipe.