Where’s the Beef? (Korean Short Rib Stew)

Last week felt like winter’s last stand.  The temperature dropped, it rained (yay, we can always use the precipitation even when summer is just around the corner) and Jamie and I were hit with the cold/flu bug.  So, despite being the month of  May I found myself wishing for something hearty, warming and comforting.  I stumbled upon an amazing website while looking for a recipe for  Galbi Jim, a Korean beef rib stew I knew would chase away my rainy day and cold blues.  Just the name of the site alone won me over, Spoonforkbacon.  The site is loaded with tips, ideas and recipes and the photography is wonderful.  Their food looks absolutely scrumptious.  I’ll definitely be wandering over often for inspiration.

This is a delicious Korean version of beef stew. Seasoned with soy, garlic, sesame,  sugar and mirin it has that sweet salty flavor profile I love.  The Asian pear adds sweetness and serves as a tenderizer.  If you can’t find an asian pear a fine stand-in would be a kiwi.  I found multi-color organic carrots at TJ’s and fresh shiitake mushrooms that worked beautifully in the dish.  Feel free to play with amounts.  If you want it less sweet, cut the sugar back to 1/4 cup.  I used cross cut short ribs also known as flanken style or hawaiian style ribs.  The pieces are much thinner, approximately 1/2 to 5/8 inch thick which shortens the cooking time considerably.  If using this cut, reduce the cooking time accordingly.  Bring the ribs to boil for only 5 to 10 minutes depending on thickness.  Drain ribs, add seasonings and water and cook for approximately 30 minutes until ribs are just tender, add vegetables and simmer additional 20 minutes. Additional water can be added if needed.  You can add a medium onion, quartered to this recipe (at the same time when seasonings and water are added to beef) if you like.  I also think this stew would work well using pork or chicken.  This is really a homey, easy dish, try it before the weather gets too warm!  Here is the recipe from SpoonForkBacon. Check out the site, after all everything’s better with BACON!