Galbi Ssam

Serves 6 to 8

This marinade can be used to flavor a variety of different cuts of beef, such as flank steak, skirt steak, flat iron steak or short ribs. At their Korean ssam pop-ups, Julya Shin and Steve Joo like to butterfly thicker cuts of short ribs, but you can just ask your butcher for Korean-style short ribs.

Marinade

1 large Asian pear, peeled, cored and chopped 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and

chopped ¼ cup mirin 1 tablespoon sugar 2 teaspoons finely grated garlic 1 teaspoon finely grated ginger 2 stalks scallions, sliced 1 cup soy sauce (see Note) 2 teaspoons sesame oil Freshly ground black pepper to

taste 5 pounds beef short ribs

(Korean-style or butterflied)

To serve

Steamed rice Assorted lettuces and other greens, such as butter lettuce, radicchio and baby red romaine lettuce Fresh herbs, such as perilla leaves, cilantro, anise hyssop and chrysanthemum leaves Quick kimchi Cucumber namul Ssamjang (spicy Korean sauce)

Instructions: Place the pear, onion, mirin and sugar in a blender and puree until smooth. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl and add the garlic, ginger and scallions. Stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil and black pepper.

Marinate the short ribs for 30 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature. (You can also marinate the short ribs in the refrigerator overnight, but Shin and Joo like to marinate for a shorter period to allow the flavor of the beef to really come through.)

Prepare a charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill to medium hot. Remove the short ribs from the marinade and grill until caramelized, slightly charred and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Let the short ribs rest for a few minutes, then use kitchen shears to cut into bite-sized pieces for serving.

To serve: Serve the grilled beef alongside plenty of steamed rice, fresh lettuces, herbs, kimchi, cucumber namul and ssamjang. As for how you and your guests make your wraps, Joo says it’s a “to each their own thing.”

Note: Shin and Joo prefer Sempio, a Korean brand of soy sauce, which is a little milder than other soy sauces. If using another brand, dilute ¾ cup soy sauce with ¼ cup water. You can find Sempio, along with ssamjang and perilla leaves, at Korean markets.