Korean BBQ Pork Ribs | 돼지갈비 조림
Hello to my first food post
Ahh! Finally, my first food post. It’s my Mom’s classic and famous Korean BBQ Pork Ribs (Dwaeji Galbi). Dwaeji means pig and Galbi means BBQ. My Mom’s Dwaeji Galbi is soooo juicy, meaty, and full of flavor. The meat will just slide off the bone, and melt in your mouth. I remember when my family first tried these ribs— they were just floored with how good it was.
It’s a recipe passed down from my Mom’s sister (my Aunt) who I accidentally call Grandma all the time. My Aunt is really old, and shared this recipe with my Mom awhile back. When she shares a recipe, you know it’s good.
As I was watching my Mom make this, I learned that making these ribs is actually really EASY. She used an Instant Pot, but this could easily be cooked in a regular pressure cooker, a crockpot (does anyone even use that these days?), or over the stovetop.
But before I dive into this recipe—I want to introduce you to why I am publishing this recipe (and hopefully many more of Mom’s recipes), especially this being the first post. If you don’t care, and just want the recipe, just scroll down a bit.
My Mom’s an amazing cook, just like many of our Moms are. I remember my Grandma telling my Mom that she’s talented in cooking, although not as good as my Grandma. A lot of Koreans tell me that my Mom makes some of the best Korean dishes, and I agree! It’s hard to go to Korean restaurants because I truly think my Mom makes it better at home. Of course, not alllllll dishes, but a good chunk of them.
Anyways.
You already know Korean food is really healthy. Traditional foods like Kimchi, Miyeok Gook (Seaweed Soup), and Japchae (Glass Noodles), to list a few, are not only flavorful, but densely packed with a lot of nutritional value. My Dad battled with cancer back when I was born, and since then, my Mom has put in an enormous effort to eat right. For this reason, my family strongly views food as medicine (in terms of preventive care), and we really value the health benefits it brings. My Mom and I make weekly grocery runs to the Korean markets for the right ingredients. It’s during these times I really bond with my Mom.
Umma always said to eat well, and to never a marry a picky eater.
It took my awhile to publish a recipe from my Mom because I was so fixated in getting the right lighting, the shots, and videos— to the point where I felt like the content wasn’t worthy enough to be shared. But then I thought— what the fuck, Sarah? It’s my Mom’s food. That’s good enough content. The whole purpose of me publishing these recipes is simply to learn them and pass it on, so with that in mind, I let go of wanting to perfect everything.
I want to pass down my Mom’s recipes so that I can learn how to make them when I’m older. To be frankly honest, I have no idea how to make any of her dishes, like Kimchi, Miyeok Gook, and Japchae. I just eat them and thank my Mom for making them. I know what’s in them, but I don’t know the art behind it. It would be a shame if I didn’t learn how to make them. The tradition would just stop, and I’ll lose some of that Korean blood in me.
Yeah, sure a lot of Korean recipes can be found online. But the stuff I see online, are often way off or just “inspired dishes” that aren’t truly authentic. I want recipes that are made from those old Korean ajummas (ajumma = older Korean lady), and there just aren’t many online sources of those. There are a ton of authentic recipes on Korean websites, but those are all written in Korean, and I’m unfortunately not fluent in Korean… so here I am, learning and archiving my Mom’s dishes.
So with that in mind, let me introduce you to my mom’s Dwaeji Galbi.
Pronounced: Dwaeji Galbi
Korean BBQ Pork Ribs | Dwaeji Galbi
Prep Time: 1 hour & 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serving Size: 4 Servings
Ingredients:
- 1 kg (2.2 lbs) pork spare ribs
- Entire 480g bottle of CJ Korean BBQ Sauce (Chicken & Pork Marinade)
TIP: You can find this marinade in a korean grocery store
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp ketchup
- 3 tbsp red wine
- 3 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1.5 tbsp minced ginger
- Black Pepper
- 3 whole garlic cloves
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped daikon radish or potatoes
- Handful of dried jujubes (optional)
Instructions:
1. Chop the spare ribs into 1 inch pieces. Let the meat soak in cold water for 30 minutes - 1 hour. Drain and rinse with cold water. This is to get rid of the any excess blood.
2. MARINADE: Pour entire bottle of CJ Korean BBQ Sauce into a large bowl. Add in 3 tbsp of soy sauce, ketchup, red wine, honey, minced garlic, and 1.5 tbsp of minced ginger. Add in a generous amount of black pepper for taste. Give this a good mix.
3. Layer the bottom of the Instant Pot (or whatever container you are using to cook) with the marinade. Place a layer of spare ribs. Make sure that the meat is facing down, and bone is facing up. Cover the top of the meat with another layer of marinade, and repeat until entire marinade and meat is used.
4. Set aside. Let it marinate in the fridge for at least an hour.
5. Chop up vegetables— carrots and daikon radish— into 1 inch pieces. Set aside.
TIP: Smooth out the edges of the chopped carrots and daikon by slicing the edges off ever so slightly in order to make
sure the edges of these vegetables do not become distorted when cooked. Not mandatory but more presentable.
6. After the meat has marinaded for at least an hour, add in your chopped carrots and daikon, along with 3 whole garlic cloves and a handful of jujubes to the pot. Mix.
7. Cook in an Instant Pot on the Meat/Stew setting for 20 minutes. Release steam when 20 minutes has passed.
8. Serve with rice and kimchi… or whatever your heart desires.
Seriously, give this recipe a try. It’s delicious. I’m hungry from just writing this up and thinking about this dish.
Thanks for reading!