Max and Eli Sussman's Korean-Style Short Ribs

By
Kate Williams
Kate Itrich-Williams is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Kate Williams
Kate Itrich-Williams is a food writer, editor, and recipe developer who wrote the "Cook the Book" column for Serious Eats.
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Updated March 25, 2019
Korean-Style Short Ribs
Korean-Style Short Ribs . Alex Farnum

When I lived in Boston, my apartment was around the corner from a bunch of Korean restaurants, so I ate Korean barbecue regularly. Now that I'm much farther away from any kind of Koreatown, I've been trying to re-create some of those flavors in my own kitchen. In This is a Cookbook, Max and Eli Sussman offer just that: a stupidly easy recipe for sweet, spicy, and sticky Korean-Style Short Ribs.

The ribs marinate overnight in soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, Sriracha, and aromatics and then are simply thrown in the broiler for 10 minutes to quickly cook and caramelize. Two steps and you've got Koreatown in your kitchen.

Why I picked this recipe: Just like the Sussmans, I love Korean barbecue, short ribs, and especially Korean-barbequed short ribs.

What worked: The flavor of the ribs was umami-laden and absorbing, and the cooking process couldn't be easier (marinate, broil, eat).

What didn't: My ribs just barely fit on my 13x18-inch sheet pan; because they were so close together, they began to steam instead of caramelizing. Cooking in two batches (as well as patting the ribs dry before broiling) would have solved the problem.

Suggested Tweaks: I doubt the ribs need even 12 hours in such a salty marinade, so if you're jonesing for these ribs tonight, just give them a solid 2 hours.

Reprinted with permission from This is a Cookbook by Max and Eli Sussman. Copyright 2012. Published by Olive Press, a division of Weldon Owen, Inc. Available wherever books are sold. All rights reserved.

Recipe Details

Max and Eli Sussman's Korean-Style Short Ribs

Active 20 mins
Total 0 mins
Serves 2 to 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 1/3 cup tightly packed dark brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons sriracha sauce, plus more for serving
  • 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 bunch green onions, white and tender green parts only, thinly sliced
  • 8 to 10 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 3 pounds Korean-style short ribs
  • Steamed white rice and hoisin sauce, for serving

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together soy sauce, 1 cup water, rice vinegar, white vinegar, brown sugar, sriracha, and pepper. Add yellow onion, green onions, and garlic and stir to blend well. Add short ribs and turn to coat well with marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in refrigerator for at least 12 hours or, preferably, 24 hours.

  2. Line a large, heavy-duty baking sheet with foil. Remove ribs from marinade and shake off onions and garlic. Place on prepared baking sheet and let come to room temperature (this could take up to an hour).

  3. Preheat the broiler. Broil the ribs until surface of meat begins to caramelize, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from broiler, turn, slide back under the broiler, and broil until cooked through, about 5 minutes longer. Remove from broiler and serve right away with rice, hoisin sauce, and additional sriracha.

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