A Year to Learn Korean Cooking: Galbi jjim

Today let’s learn about cooking galbi jjim (갈비찜) at home! This dish is one of Korea’s most popular. More like a stew comprised of braised beef short ribs and vegetables, the sweet and savory flavor is one that will have you adding it to your regular meal rotation.

About the South of Seoul “A Year to Learn Korean Cooking’ Series

Many of us live in South Korea for only a year. However, time flies past faster than we can imagine. At South of Seoul, we decided to create a simple series that will offer 2-4 dishes to learn each month so that when you leave South Korea you have a slew of new dishes you feel comfortable making anywhere.

This series is a collaboration with Kimchi Rednecks. In 2020 they created the first blog in this series Online Resources for Learning to Cook Korean Food. These two love to have adventures in the kitchen and share the results with their community. Be sure to follow Kimchi Rednecks on YouTube for other great videos about living life in South Korea.

About Galbi jjim

Galbi jjim is a delicious braised beef short rib with vegetable dish. Although this dish is most often made with beef ribs, it can also be made with pork short ribs, referred to as dweji galbi jjim 돼지갈비찜. The most common vegetables included in this dish are Korean radish, potatoes, mushrooms, and carrots. However, there are many variations of this dish and recipes that use other vegetables as well.

The sauce for galbi jjim has a delicious sweet, savory, and nutty flavor. Additionally, adding gochugaru to this dish can kick up the heat for some spice! The meat just falls off the bone, and the vegetables have a fabulous texture. On the whole, this dish has such a depth of flavor that it will make you want to eat it all the time.

Traditionally, galbi jjim is served during Seollal, Chuseok, family birthday celebrations, and wedding receptions. Typically made from the center part of the ribs, many Koreans considered this dish high-class.

Furthermore, if you are in the Daegu area in the district of Dongin-dong, check out the street known for being the place for the tastiest galbi jjim.

Biggest Hurdle in Cooking Galbi Jjim

Even though beef short ribs are expensive, it is vital to choose good quality short ribs for this recipe. Definitely select ones with a lot of meat still attached to the ribs. Moreover, it is critical to soak and blanch the ribs to remove as much blood as possible. Although it may seem a hassle to wash and blanch the ribs, failing to do so might give the dish an off-putting odor.

This dish takes a bit of time to cook but the end result is worth all of the labor.

Three Recommended Cooking Galbi jjim Videos to Watch

Our first experience was this dish came at Chuseok one year. Our excellent Korean neighbor brought some of their Chuseok goodies to share when they returned from their family visits. Chuck and I thought it tasted like a fantastic version of Korean pot roast but with higher quality meat.

Since this dish is often made for special occasions, many recipes and videos exist to help you make your favorite version. Variations of the recipes have been made for Instant Pot and slow cookers.

Korean American Cooking Galbi jjim

Korean Cooking Galbi jjim

American in Korea Cooking Galbi jjim

Let Us Know How It Turns Out

When you make galbi jjim for the first time at home, be sure to leave a comment and let us know how it turned out! Also, if you live in Pyeongtaek, you can even share your success (or failure) with us in the Pyeongtaek Food & Fun Facebook group.

If you are looking for other dishes (Korean or otherwise) or reviews of restaurants, be sure to check out the KimchiRednecks channel or check out our social media accounts on Facebook or Instagram, where we often share what we are cooking or eating.

Read more in our Year to Learn Korean Cooking Series