use real butter

Oh boy, I found the right butcher at Safeway to score me some beef short ribs cut flanken style. There is a big difference between the back ribs from last time and the wonderful ribs I got this time. I hurried and marinated korean bbq short ribs (galbi) so that we could grill them up before a cold spell blasts through. Even tastier than the first try, although I will omit the water next time and see if the flavor intensifies. I think I am addicted to these ribs!

where have you been all my life?

I am a barbecue whore. I think it originates in part from my southern roots - growing up in southeastern Virginia you end up loving seafood, barbecue, white trash food, and good country ham among other heart-stopping delights. I also love Asian food because I grew up in a household run by Chinese immigrants (my parents and my grandma) who all three are fantabulous cooks. This summer has been my summer of bbq (and pastries, and whatever else I feel like trying to cook). When I declared the Summer of BBQ, I meant I wanted to get my bearings straight on the King of BBQ (pork - according to where I grew up) and its loyal subjects beef, and chicken. But… Sarah Gim piqued my interest in galbi (or galbee), that is, Korean bbq short ribs on one of her posts.

It sounded so good. I had to try it when my List of Recipes to Attempt and Master cleared out a bit. And so it was that earlier this week while grocery shopping in Boulder I met my first obstacle… that no one in Boulder knows what short ribs (according to the Korean style) are. Safeway’s “I don’t normally work this department” butcher led me to something that looked nothing like what I sought. In Whole Foods, I was pointed to beef back ribs which had a lot of bone and fat and not so much meat. Where the hell were all the beef rib racks? At least the butchers at Whole Foods are willing to do just about anything you ask. So I handed the fellow five pounds of the meatiest back ribs I could find in the case and asked him to please cut them across the bones. I got a funny look, but he obliged me. I should have asked him to cut each piece into 3 strips instead of 2, but I have issues with shouting to someone while they are operating a bone saw.

I read an article somewhere (Fine Cooking? Cooks Illustrated?) that discussed the magic of galbi - either a pear or a kiwi in the marinade to tenderize the meat. I was all over that. I like tender meat.

can do - i got the kiwis

purée these lovelies

mix in the remaining marinade ingredients

I tend to bastardize recipes I find online. Can’t help it. I followed Sarah’s instructions and also a couple of other recipe instructions - especially since I don’t know what I’m doing. I washed and soaked the ribs for an hour (soaked, not washed for an hour - good lord). Then I marinated the ribs in this fragrant and wonderful mixture of soy sauce, sugar, kiwi, onion, ginger, garlic, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and…

my somewhat tall short ribs

dang, doesn’t fit

I had originally thought of putting the ribs in a ziploc - my favorite mode of marinating anything, but my incorrect gut instinct to try the baking dish took control first. They did end up fitting in a gallon ziploc with no problem. Eight hours later we were grilling those beauties.

sizzle

fire and meat - good

Did I mention I’ve never *had* galbi before? I know… virgin… These ribs are delicious. I love the seasonings and sweet and smokey and meaty and mmmmmm! I could have done with less of the fatty, but I think that had to do with the kind of ribs I bought. These have a terrific flavor and aroma. Being completely Korean stupid, I paired the ribs off with a Japanese cucumber salad, grilled squash marinated in soy and sesame oil, and some leftover Chinese fried rice. It was like hosting my very own Asia-Pacific summit without the annoying heads of state but with all of the yum.

galbi - verdict: delicious!

Galbi (BBQ Korean Short Ribs)

5 lbs of beef short ribs cut Korean style (which, I was unable to procure)
2 kiwis, peeled and cut into 8ths
1 onion, peeled and cut into 8ths
3 cloves garlic, cut in halves
1 tbsp ginger, chopped
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar (or less - but I dig the sweet)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
4 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp ground pepper

Wash ribs of any bits of bone. Soak in water for 1 hour. Drain off the water. Process the kiwis, onion, garlic, and ginger to a fine purée. Add remaining ingredients to purée and place in a large ziploc bag with the ribs. Marinate for 8-10 hours. Grill ribs on high for 2-3 minutes a side for medium to rare. Well - grill it to your liking. Serve with a lot of napkins.

Happy 4th of July! It’s Independence Day here in the States and my feelings about this holiday are pretty predictable… not a huge fan, but easily dazzled by sparkly fireworks at night.

What I love about the fourth is most obviously the fireworks. The mosquitoes (mozzies for the Aussies) not so much.

Joey Chestnut unseated the reigning champion, Takeru Kobayashi, at the annual Nathan’s hot dog eating contest on Coney Island today. He ate a record 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes. *erp* Takeru Kobayashi downed an impressive 63 in the same time, but was also suffering from a mouth injury. Competitive eating is serious business and totally fascinating and unappetizing at the same time! No hot dogs for me today, thanks.

We had our July fourth bbq for lunch today. I find the large meal in the evening makes for that fat, sleepy feeling, whereas the large meal at lunch gets worked off with the activities of the remainder of the day - if you don’t go lie on the couch “for a minute”. If you’ll recall, I baked the ribs covered in foil in a slow oven overnight for 8 hours. This morning, I found the meat to be tender and delicate - as in, ready to fall off the bones. Perfect.

lovely spare ribs on the grill

I gently set the slab on the grill at medium heat. Note to self: in the future, when taking the ribs out of the oven, set on a rack to let the fat drip off. The fat that solidified onto the ribs melted instantly and began a short but raging grease fire. Gently, because the whole thing seemed about to fall apart. In the last ten minutes, I brushed on some of the bbq sauce (this time I did a mix of half mutha sauce and half store-bought for more sweetness). When flipping, we had to exercise caution. I used two sets of tongs and for the last two flips, Jeremy helped by using two spatulas so the whole thing wouldn’t be ripped asunder.

july fourth spread

mission accomplished for real: tender, juicy, falling off the bone spare ribs

Of all my bbq experiments, this one got the most mmmms and ooooohs from Jeremy. The spare ribs come from my favorite part of the piggy - the belly. That’s where bacon comes from too. Mmmmm, bacon… auggggggg. If you will recall from the Simpsons:

homer: are you saying you’re never going to eat any animal again? what about bacon?
lisa: no.
homer: ham?
lisa: no.
homer: pork chops?
lisa: dad, those all come from the same animal.
homer: heh heh heh. ooh, yeah, right, lisa. a wonderful, magical animal.

Indeed.

I made a batch of crème patisserie to use up some leftover chocolate chiffon cake and chocolate roulade. With the leftovers from using the leftovers, I did up a couple of chasers in strawberry and cherry. I love cherries - seeds don’t get stuck in your teeth.

marsala-soaked roulade with crème patisserie and macerated cherries