Galbi facts for kids
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| Alternative names | Galbi-gui, grilled ribs |
|---|---|
| Type | Gui |
| Place of origin | Korea |
| Region or state | East Asia |
| Associated national cuisine | Korean cuisine |
| Main ingredients | Beef short ribs or pork spare ribs |
| Similar dishes | Dak-galbi, tteok-galbi |
| Other information | Often featured in Korean barbecue |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul |
갈비
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|---|---|
| Revised Romanization | galbi |
| McCune–Reischauer | kalbi |
| IPA | [kal.bi] |
Galbi (Hangul: 갈비) is a super popular grilled dish from Korean cuisine. The word "Galbi" means "rib" in Korean. This tasty meal is usually made with beef short ribs. But sometimes, it can also be made with pork spareribs or other meats.
When you order Galbi, the meat often comes to your table raw. Then, you get to cook it yourself on a grill built right into your table! This makes eating Galbi a fun and interactive experience. The meat might be plain, or it might be soaked in a delicious sweet and savory sauce. This sauce usually has ingredients like soy sauce, garlic, and sugar. Both plain and marinated Galbi are often part of a Korean barbecue meal.
Contents
How to Prepare Galbi
Different Cuts and Marinades
Traditionally, Galbi is cut in a special way. One smooth bone is left along the short edge of the rib. The meat is then carefully flattened into thin layers.
There's another popular way to cut Galbi called "LA Galbi." This cut has small pieces of bone sticking out along the long edge. Korean immigrants in Los Angeles created this cut. It worked better with how American butchers cut rib-eye meat. This LA cut also helps the marinade soak into the meat faster. Now, this style of Galbi is popular even in South Korea!
Galbi that isn't marinated is called saeng-galbi (Hangul: 생갈비), which means "fresh ribs." If the Galbi is marinated, it's called yangnyeom-galbi (Hangul: 양념갈bi), meaning "seasoned ribs." Pork Galbi is usually marinated. However, plain pork ribs, called dwaeji-saeng-galbi (Hangul: 돼지생갈비), are very popular on Jeju Island. These are often made from the special Jeju Black pig. Since pork ribs are smaller, marinated pork Galbi often includes other parts of the pork shoulder meat.
Beef Galbi
For beef Galbi, softer cuts of beef are usually preferred. These come from a young cow or a heifer. When cooked just right, beef Galbi looks shiny and reddish-brown. It has a smoky, sweet taste. The meat should be so tender that it easily falls off the bones.
The marinade for beef Galbi (called so-galbi-gui (소갈비구이)) often includes:
- Soy sauce
- Sugar
- Minced garlic
- Scallions
- Ginger juice
- Ground black pepper
- Toasted and ground sesame
- Sesame oil
Before marinating, the beef is usually scored with shallow cuts. This helps the marinade soak in better. Sometimes, juice from Korean pears is brushed on the meat before grilling. This adds a special flavor.
Pork Galbi
For pork Galbi (called dwaeji-galbi-gui (돼지갈비구이)), the marinade can be different. It can be based on ganjang (soy sauce), similar to beef Galbi marinade. Or, it can be spicy, using gochujang (chili paste). Cheongju (a type of rice wine) is often added to both marinades. This helps remove any strong pork smell.
If pork shoulder meat is used, it's cut into thicker slices, about 2.5 cm (1 inch) wide. Deeper cuts are made on the surface. This helps the marinade get deep into the meat.
Grilling and Serving Galbi
Galbi is grilled right at your table. You cook it yourself on a grill over hot charcoal. The meat cooks quickly on medium-high heat. As it cooks, any leftover marinade is brushed onto the meat. This gives it a nice glazed look.
Once the meat is cooked, it's usually cut into smaller pieces right on the grill. People use kitchen scissors for this. Then, you wrap the meat in fresh leafy vegetables. These can be lettuce leaves or kkaennip (perilla leaves). These wraps are called ssam.
A ssam usually includes:
- A piece of grilled meat
- Ssamjang (a sauce made from soybean paste and chili paste)
- Raw or grilled garlic
Like many other Korean main dishes, Galbi is often eaten with bap (cooked rice). It also comes with many small side dishes called banchan.
Images for kids
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Grilling yangnyeom-galbi (marinated short-ribs) with bamboo leaves on a gridiron
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L.A. galbi
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Unmarinated saeng-galbi and marinated yangnyeom-galbi made of hanu (Korean native cattle) beef
