Chef Jeong-sun
Bulgogi (불고기, Marinated Grilled Beef)
Paper-thin beef in soy, sesame, garlic, and grated pear, cooked fast until the edges caramelize and served in lettuce wraps at the kind of table people lean into.
Culinary Explorer
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Dwaeji-galbi (Marinated Pork Ribs)
Created by
Bone-in pork ribs scored, soaked in pear-soy marinade, and grilled patiently until the edges lacquer without burning; the practical galbi that feeds a noisy table well.
Main Dishes
Korean
BBQ
Comfort Food
Game Day
35 min
Active Time
25 min cook•4 hr total
Yield4 servings
Dwaeji-galbi lives or dies by the knife before it ever meets the fire. A rib left thick drinks marinade only on the surface, then burns outside while the meat near the bone stays stubborn. Cut between the bones, open the meat like a thin book, and score it lightly. That is not restaurant fussing. That is how the seasoning reaches the pork.
This is the galbi many families could afford when beef galbi was for payday or a holiday. Pork ribs, soy sauce, pear, onion, garlic, a little sweetness, then a hot grill and watchful hands. The sugar makes the shine, and the sugar is also why you cannot wander away. My teacher would tap the tongs on the edge of the grill when a student let one blacken. No speech. The sound was enough.
Use enough marinade to season, not drown. The pork should still taste like pork, rich near the bone, sweet-salty at the edges, with garlic and sesame following behind. Serve it with lettuce, perilla leaves, ssamjang (seasoned soybean-chili paste), raw garlic, and rice. 음식을 나누면서 정도 나눕니다. When we share food, we share affection, and ribs make people reach across the table without asking permission.
Dwaeji-galbi grew from Korea's broader galbi-gui tradition of marinated grilled ribs, but its modern popularity belongs mostly to the twentieth century, when pork became a more affordable restaurant and home-grill meat than beef. In the post-war decades, pork-rib houses spread through working neighborhoods and market streets, serving sweet soy-marinated ribs cooked over charcoal for tables that wanted the pleasure of galbi without the price of beef. The dish remains especially tied to casual group meals, where ssam wraps and banchan matter as much as the ribs themselves.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
pork spare ribs or baby back ribs
Quantity
1.5 kg
cut into individual ribs or Korean-style strips
Korean pear or Asian pear
Quantity
1/2
peeled, cored, and grated
onion
Quantity
1/2 medium
grated
soy sauce
Quantity
6 tablespoons
brown sugar
Quantity
3 tablespoons
rice syrup or honey
Quantity
2 tablespoons
mirin or rice wine
Quantity
2 tablespoons
toasted sesame oil
Quantity
1 tablespoon
garlic
Quantity
6 cloves
minced
fresh ginger
Quantity
1 teaspoon
grated
black pepper
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
freshly ground
scallions
Quantity
2
finely chopped
toasted sesame seeds
Quantity
1 tablespoon, plus more for serving
neutral oil
Quantity
1 tablespoon
for the grill or pan
lettuce leaves, perilla leaves, ssamjang, sliced raw garlic, and green chilies (optional)
Quantity
to serve
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| pork spare ribs or baby back ribscut into individual ribs or Korean-style strips | 1.5 kg |
| Korean pear or Asian pearpeeled, cored, and grated | 1/2 |
| oniongrated | 1/2 medium |
| soy sauce | 6 tablespoons |
| brown sugar | 3 tablespoons |
| rice syrup or honey | 2 tablespoons |
| mirin or rice wine | 2 tablespoons |
| toasted sesame oil | 1 tablespoon |
| garlicminced | 6 cloves |
| fresh gingergrated | 1 teaspoon |
| black pepperfreshly ground | 1/2 teaspoon |
| scallionsfinely chopped | 2 |
| toasted sesame seeds | 1 tablespoon, plus more for serving |
| neutral oilfor the grill or pan | 1 tablespoon |
| lettuce leaves, perilla leaves, ssamjang, sliced raw garlic, and green chilies (optional) | to serve |
Equipment Needed
- •Sharp boning knife or heavy chef's knife
- •Large nonreactive bowl or zip-top bag for marinating
- •Charcoal grill, gas grill, grill pan, or broiler
- •Tongs
- •Kitchen scissors
- •Instant-read thermometer
Instructions
- 1
Trim and score
Pat the ribs dry. If using whole spare ribs, cut between the bones, then butterfly the thick meat along each rib so it opens flatter but stays attached to the bone. Score the meat 3 mm deep in a crosshatch, about 1 cm apart. This is the step people skip, then blame the marinade. The cuts let seasoning reach the pork and help the ribs cook evenly before the sugar darkens too far.
Ask the butcher for pork ribs cut for Korean galbi if your market will do it. If not, individual ribs work well at home, but give them the scoring they need. - 2
Mix marinade
In a large bowl, mix the grated pear, grated onion, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice syrup, mirin, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, black pepper, scallions, and sesame seeds. Taste a drop. It should be sweet-salty and garlicky, but not candy-sweet. Pear and onion soften the pork and give a round sweetness, which is why the sugar stays measured.
- 3
Marinate ribs
Add the ribs and rub the marinade into every cut with your hands. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours, or overnight for thicker spare ribs. Turn the ribs once if you remember. Do not marinate past 24 hours; the soy tightens the meat and the pear can soften the surface too much.
- 4
Ready the fire
Heat a charcoal grill, gas grill, grill pan, or broiler to medium-high. Oil the grate lightly. Lift the ribs from the marinade and let the heavy bits of garlic and onion drip back into the bowl. Keep the marinade for basting only if you boil it hard for 2 minutes first. Raw pork marinade does not go on cooked meat.
A charcoal grill gives the old restaurant taste, but a broiler is an honest home answer. 시대가 바뀌면 음식도 바뀌어야 해요. When times change, food must change too. The fire can change; the scoring and seasoning should not. - 5
Grill patiently
Grill the ribs 4 to 6 minutes per side for thin Korean-style strips, or 6 to 8 minutes per side for thicker individual ribs, turning often once the glaze begins to darken. Move them to a cooler part of the grill if the edges color too fast. The goal is lacquered brown with a few charred spots, not black sugar. Pork near the bone should reach 63 C for juicy meat, or 71 C if you prefer ribs cooked more firmly.
- 6
Rest and cut
Rest the ribs 5 minutes on a platter so the juices settle. Cut larger strips into bite-size pieces with kitchen scissors, keeping some bone pieces for the people who like to gnaw. Scatter with a little more toasted sesame. Serve at once with rice, ssam greens, ssamjang, garlic, chilies, and two or three sharp banchan to cut the richness.
Chef Tips
- •Buy ribs with a clear band of meat over the bone. Too lean and they dry out; too fatty and the marinade slides off. Baby back ribs are tender and quick, while spare ribs taste richer and need a little more patience.
- •Do not add gochujang just because the dish is Korean. This version is ganjang yangnyeom (soy-based seasoning). A spicy pork rib marinade exists, but it is a different mood and a different balance.
- •If cooking indoors, line a broiler pan with foil and set the ribs on a rack. Broil 10 to 12 cm from the heat, turning often. Open a window before you start; sweet soy glaze announces itself to the whole apartment.
- •Serve with something fresh and bitter or sharp: lettuce, perilla, cucumber muchim, dongchimi, or well-fermented kimchi. Rich pork needs a table around it, not just more meat.
Advance Preparation
- •The ribs can marinate overnight in the refrigerator. For a weeknight table, score and marinate them in the morning, then grill after work.
- •The marinade can be mixed 2 days ahead and refrigerated without the pork. Add the ribs only when you are ready for the 3 to 24 hour marinating window.
- •Cooked ribs keep 3 days refrigerated. Reheat covered in a 160 C oven until warmed through, then uncover briefly so the glaze shines again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 330g)
Calories
850 calories
Total Fat
58 g
Saturated Fat
19 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
39 g
Cholesterol
185 mg
Sodium
1480 mg
Total Carbohydrates
26 g
Dietary Fiber
2 g
Sugars
17 g
Protein
52 g
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