All Purpose Korean Soy BBQ Marinade

All Purpose Korean Soy BBQ Marinade / Kalbi

This is an all purpose marinade that's super handy to have at all times. Usually, I would make a big batch of this marinade and divide it into six portions. I would also marinate whatever family-pack protein I would get from the grocery store and meal prep with this sauce because it's versatile.

If you're cooking for one, I would highly recommend freezing these into ice cubes. You can add it into any stirfry as the sauce, and you'll have fast and easy bulgogi / kalbi / korean barbecue at home.

I know that it seems like a lot of marinade; but after thinking more about how to scale the marinade down to serve two people or less, it felt wasteful to add one-eighth of a korean pear and to have the rest of the seven-eigth potentially go to waste.

Ingredients

• 2 cups light soy sauce
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup mirin (For Halal/ non-alcohol options, use rice wine vinegar + 2 tbsp sugar to counteract the sourness! )
• ½ cup sake (Can substitute with water)
• ½ onion
• ½ pear
• 12 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 15g  ginger 
• 1 tsp finely ground black pepper
• 2 kg LA Kalbi cuts or Korean short rib cuts

Directions

1. Blend everything together.
2. Soak the short ribs in cold water for at least an hour to clean the blood and excess gunk on meat.
3. Drain the water and rinse the short ribs.
4. Add the marinade to the short ribs.
5. Place the marinated short ribs in a sealed container and marinate in the fridge overnight.
6. After the meat has finished marinating, you can divide it into smaller portions and keep in the fridge for future use.

**Cooking Methods**

Kalbi, aka short ribs

There are three ways to cook these short ribs: braise, grill, and in the oven.

Braising will yield the most tender result. It's also super easy and the quickest. Braise the short ribs in a large pan with ½ cup of the marinade and ½ cup of water. Simmer on medium-low heat until the glaze becomes sticky and the meat becomes caramelized.

Grilling will yield a nice char and smokiness. Grilling short ribs is a great way to spice up your summer grilling. Grill on each side for 2 minutes.

Using the oven or an airfryer is a great way to cook large portions. Place the ribs on a aluminum lined or parchment lined baking sheet with ½ cup marinade and bake at 160C for 30 minutes flipping mid-way through. Finish by broiling for 30 seconds on each side or torch for an added char and smokiness.

Finish with a drizzle of sesame oil and sesame seeds

Bulgogi

If your local asian grocer doesn't carry bulgogi cuts, get a philly cheese steak cut! You can also opt to put a ribeye steak and freeze for 30 minutes to make it easier to shave into thin slices. You can also have thinly sliced pork belly for dwaeji bulgogi as well.

All Purpose Korean Soy BBQ Marinade

4 from 86 votes

Recipe by Doobydobap

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

This is an all-purpose Korean soy barbecue marinade that's super handy to have at all times that's perfect for meal prepping.

Ingredients

• 2 cups light soy sauce

• ½ cup sugar

• ½ cup mirin (For Halal/ non-alcohol options, use rice wine vinegar + 2 tbsp sugar to counteract the sourness! )

• ½ cup sake (Can substitute with water)

• ½ onion

• ½ pear

• 12 cloves garlic

• 2 tsp sesame oil

• 15 g ginger

• 1 tsp finely ground black pepper

• 2 kg LA Kalbi cuts or Korean short rib cuts

instructions

• Blend everything together.
• Soak the short ribs in cold water for at least an hour to clean the blood and excess gunk on meat.
• Drain the water and rinse the short ribs.
• Add the marinade to the short ribs.
• Place the marinated short ribs in a sealed container and marinate in the fridge overnight.
• After the meat has finished marinating, you can divide it into smaller portions and keep in the fridge for future use.
• Kalbi, aka short ribs
• There are three ways to cook these short ribs: braise, grill, and in the oven. Braising will yield the most tender result. It's also super easy and the quickest. Braise the short ribs in a large pan with ½ cup of the marinade and ½ cup of water. Simmer on medium-low heat until the glaze becomes sticky and the meat becomes caramelized.
• Grilling will yield a nice char and smokiness. Grilling short ribs is a great way to spice up your summer grilling. Grill on each side for 2 minutes.
• Using the oven or an airfryer is a great way to cook large portions. Place the ribs on a aluminum lined or parchment lined baking sheet with ½ cup marinade and bake at 160C for 30 minutes flipping mid-way through. Finish by broiling for 30 seconds on each side or torch for an added char and smokiness.
• Bulgogi
• If your local asian grocer doesn't carry bulgogi cuts, get a philly cheese steak cut! You can also opt to put a ribeye steak and freeze for 30 minutes to make it easier to shave into thin slices. You can also have thinly sliced pork belly for dwaeji bulgogi as well.

Recipe Video

Notes

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