Ono Grindz 808
Plate Lunch

Kalbi Short Ribs

Sweet-garlicky grilled short ribs, Korean-style, Hawai'i-adopted.

Kalbi Short Ribs
Prep15 min + 4 hr marinade
Cook10 min
Total4½ hr
Serves6

Korean immigrants brought kalbi to the islands and Hawai'i made it a plate lunch cornerstone. Flanken-cut short ribs — sliced thin across the bone — soak up a shoyu-sugar-sesame marinade and hit a hot grill for just a few minutes.

The grated Asian pear (or apple) in the marinade isn't optional decoration: the enzymes tenderize the beef and give kalbi its signature sheen.

How fo’ make ’um

  1. Rinse the ribs briefly and pat dry — flanken cuts often carry bone dust from the saw.
  2. Whisk all marinade ingredients until the sugar dissolves.
  3. Layer the ribs in a container or zip bag, pouring marinade between layers so every surface is coated. Marinate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, flipping once.
  4. Heat a grill (or cast-iron pan) hot. Shake excess marinade off each rib.
  5. Grill 2–3 minutes per side. The sugar chars fast — some blackened lacy edges are the goal, full carbon is not.
  6. Rest a couple minutes and serve over rice with mac salad. Eat with your hands; gnaw the bones. That's the rule.

Local tips

  • Ask the butcher for 'flanken cut' or 'Maui-style' ribs if you don't see them in the case.
  • Don't marinate past 24 hours or the pear turns the meat mushy.
  • Leftover marinade must be boiled before using as a sauce — or just discard it.

Keep grinding

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