Serious Eats: Recipes
Grilling: Galbi
[Photographs: Joshua Bousel]
When I made my first attempt at some Korean barbecue, there was a strong consensus that although Daeji Bulgogi is pretty awesome, galbi is where it's at. I had to try it.
My galbi started with one-fourth of an inch thick beef flanken—beef short ribs cut across the bone—that was given an overnight marinade using a recipe I pieced together through a few different sources. After grilling over a high heat, it cooked through in no time and the marinade caramelized. This created not only the shiniest Glabi I've ever seen but also the most fantastic-tasting one.
Despite the heavy-looking coating, it was the flavor of the meat that took center stage. The semi-tender beef had some sweetness and saltiness going on, but the richness of the short rib dominated and balanced the other flavors.
Even if I did miss the spicy gochujang in the Daeji Bulgogi that originally attracted me to Korean Barbecue, I'm totally on the Galbi bandwagon now.
About the author: Joshua Bousel blogs about grilling on his blog, The Meatwave, and appears here on Serious Eats each Friday with a recipe for weekend grilling.
