Korean BBQ Marinated Beef Ribs!
Kalbi is a very popular item in Korean restaurants. There are two kinds of of kalbi beef ribs. One is traditional and one is called L.A. Kalbi. L.A. Kalbi is the modern Korean American style beef rib cut. The meaty end of a beef rib is sawed across the bones to form beef rib steaks that are about 3/8" thick. The L.A. Kalbi steaks are marinated between 12 hours and 2 days, then they are cooked on a Korean grill. After marinating, the L.A. Kalbi steaks become tender when cooked and they are full of flavor. Traditional Korean Kalbi is butchered in a different manner that requires a degree of skill. A section of 2 to 4 ribs is cut. The meat is thinly shaved to the ends of the ribs where the slices remain attached. Several thin slices are cut, so the thin meat slices resemble pages of an open book. The thin sliced rib meat cooks quickly like Korean bulgogi. The marinade for kalbi is different than the marinade for bulgogi. A Korean pear or asian pear is pureed and added to a kalbi marinade. The asian per puree not only adds an interesting flavor, it also tenderizes the rib meat and assists caramelization when the rib meat is cooked. Many top food writers, including myself, state that Korean bulgogi is one of the top ten best tasting entrees in the world. I must be a late bloomer, because the first time that I tried bulgogi was just a couple years ago. The truth of the matter is that I was hooked on Korean kalbi! When I wanted beef at a Korean restaurant, I ordered kalbi ribs. The flavor is addictive and delicious. I personally rate Korean kalbi as being tied with Korean bulgogi on the list of the top ten best tasting entrees in the world! I am sure that many fans of kalbi would agree. Korean grill and Korean BBQ are basically the same thing. The Korean BBQ is either a mesh screen over an open flame or it is an earthenware dome over an open flame. The flame is controlled, so the grilled items are cooked at a gentle temperature, with no threat of flames. In a home kitchen, a cast iron grill or skillet set over medium/medium low heat can have the same effect as a Korean BBQ. An oven broiler set to a medium low flame is also good for cooking Korean BBQ food. Because most Korean marinades contain fruit or sugar, the threat of carbonization becomes less when a low flame is used. One visit to a Korean BBQ restaurant, where the BBQ is cooked on a grill at the table, is a good way to learn and participate in traditional Korean BBQ cooking. Korean BBQ restaurant waitresses literally do the cooking at the table in plain view!
As many of the readers of this food blog know, I have been doing my chef school externship in Death Valley, California. Death Valley in the summertime is not a good place for those who cannot endure extreme heat. Most people go into shock at the thought of just being in Death Valley during the summer months. Death Valley and the Sahara are the two hottest places on earth! I have no problem with the dry arid heat of Death Valley after spending half of my life near the Everglades. Tropical heat mixed with humidity takes much more stamina to endure. When the Everglades temperature reaches 100 degrees with 94% humidity, it feels like 135 degrees. That temperature + humidity effect is called a heat index. The kitchen cooking line temperature of many Florida restaurants that I worked in had a thermometer that read well over 135 degrees. Death Valley has about 4% humidity and the temperature is between 115 and 125 degrees during the summer. To me, the summer in Death Valley feels much cooler feeling than the summer in the Everglades. Even so, when the sun sets and 10:00PM rolls around, the Death Valley temperature cools down to 117 degrees. That is the time of day that the heat is really noticed. The mind says "Gee! It is a couple hours after sunset and the night temperature has not cooled down much at all!" Now the weird thing is that when I travel to my home in Las Vegas on my days off, I enter a different hot weather system. When I arrive in Las Vegas by car at 2:00AM and it is still 100 degrees outside, I now feel chilly! I actually feel like wearing a sweater in 100 degree Las Vegas night time heat, because of the extremely high temperatures that I became adjusted to in Death Valley. Ce est la vie! Mustard Canyon is located near Furnace Creek in Death Valley. The entrance to Mustard Canyon is at the Old Harmony Borax Works site on Route 190. A one way dirt road runs through the canyon. The eroding yellow colored hills that form the Mustard Canyon are from the pliocene era. Several mustard yellow shades of rock can be seen. For the gourmet tourist, dijon mustard colors and German mustard rock colors will please the eye! The tall Funeral mountains are in the background. It only makes sense for the Death Valley Gateways to be along the Funeral Mountains! Do not enter any desert canyon if it is raining anywhere in the region. Flash floods can start from a long way off from an unseen place! Bring plenty of water and always fill up the gas tank, before entering Death Valley. The photos above can be viewed as a slide show. Just click on a photo and the slide show mode will start.
Kalbi Marinade Recipe: This marinade is easy to make with a food processor. If made by hand, the ingredients should be minced fine enough to become a puree. Peel and seed 1 Korean pear. (asian pear) Coarsely chop the pear and place it in a food processor. Add 3 to 4 cloves of garlic. Add 1/2 tablespoon of ginger paste. Add 1/2 tablespoon of sesame paste. (Arabic tahini) Add 3 tablespoons of raw sugar. (piloncillo) Add 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt. Add 3 pinches of white pepper. Add 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil. Add 1 tablespoon of Korean coarse red serrano chile sauce. Add 2 chopped green onions. Add 2 ounces of thin soy sauce. Add 1/2 cup of water. Puree the ingredients in the food processor. Place the Kalbi marinade puree in container that is long enough to hold 4 L.A. Kalbi ribs.
Korean L.A. Kalbi: L.A. style kalbi beef ribs can be found in Korean markets and most asian markets. The kalbi beef rib steaks should be about 3/8" thick. About 3 to 4 L.A. Kalbi rib steaks is a good portion. Place 4 L.A. Kalbi beef rib steaks in the container with the kalbi marinade. Toss the beef rib steaks in the marinade, so they are thoroughly coated. Seal the container. Place the beef rib container in a refrigerator and allow the beef ribs to marinate for 12 to 24 hours. Heat a Korean grill over a gentle medium flame. Note: If no Korean grill is available, a cast iron griddle, skillet or cast iron grill can be used. The L.A. Kalbi ribs can also be cooked under a broiler that is set to a low flame. Remove the L.A. Kalbi ribs from the marinade. Discard the marinade. Place the kalbi ribs on the grill. Gently sear the ribs on both sides. (Turn the ribs occasionally, so the marinade sugars do not turn into carbon!) Sear the ribs, till they become fully cooked and browned dark. Presentation: The ribs can be served plain on a piece of cabbage or lettuce with rice for a street vendor style presentation. The presentation can also be like a dinner entree plate. I served the L.A. Kalbi in the pictures with white long grain rice. Blanched baby bok choy and red bell pepper strips garnished the plate. Blanched green onions garnished the kalbi ribs. Italian parsley garnished the plate. Simple presentations are best for Korean kalbi!
Korean kalbi has a flavor that is extremely tasty! After one bite, it is hard to stop eating the kalbi, so a nice portion of 3 to 4 ribs per person is suggested. Yum! ... Shawna
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