Hi, I’m back!
Want to know what happened to my Get Your Kicks Galbi?
They’re all gone…
But I have the recipe! I can make it any time I want. You can make it any time you want, too.
But before that, shall we get back to the question I last left you with? 
So which is which? Which gochujang is from the Korean-American coffee house, and which one is store-bought? No big deal if you’re not sure. After all, we are talking about a couple samples of Korean saucy goodness here in the Great Plains. Things might be different depending on where you live, too. Imagine if you happen to be a Korean in Korea, all I can say is OMG!!! 🙂
As you can see, the color of the gochujang sauce below pops. It’s made in-house at the Korean American coffee house. I did a little gochujang character study. Share your 2 cents if you have one. 
Fire-engine red. Lighter and smoother in consistency. Just 1/2 teaspoon of this gochujang left a very mild burn in my mouth. Tastes kind of Malaysian Lingam’s or MAGGI chili sauce. And oh, there’s elevated sweetness. If you dig sweet grilled meats, this one’s for the sweet-fanged.
Now, let’s take a look-see at the store-bought gochujang sauce.
Molten, burned sugar red. The first whiff of this paste evoked rapt nostalgia. Talk about sensory memories, I started salivating at the thought of the darling Malaysian sambal belachan minus the belachan (prawn paste), onions, and lime juice. The consistency is rather pasty. Just 1/2 teaspoon of this paste made me roar. It’s fiery. It’s salty. It’s pungent. There’s a hint of ‘sourness’ due to the fermentation process. Let’s say it tastes like kimchi minus the veggies okay. There’s zero sweetness. If you like kicking-hot galbi; if you are the kind of person who feels that a little sweetness goes a long way; if you prefer to adjust the level of sweet-n-salty in your grilled meats yourself; if you take things with a pinch plus a tablespoon of salt, this one’s is definitely for you, salt-lovin’ people.
The gochujang that I found at the grocery store is called Chung Jung One Gochujang Brown Rice Red Pepper Paste. The picture of the dried red chillies called out my name, so I took it home.
Upon removing the lid, this was what I saw.
I wonder whether the unique swirl means something. Peace? Love? Warning? Fire? YIKES!
I’m checking out a spoonful of gochujang.
See what I mean by the ‘pasty’ consistency? It’s pretty much peanut butter-like pasty.
Ready for your Get Your Kicks Galbi recipe? Here it is!
A word of caution: The hotness and the saltiness of gochujang may vary depending on the brand. No matter what brand of gochujang you purchase, do taste-test it beforehand and feel free to improvise and experiment. Bear in mind that it is important to marinade the meat in the fridge for at least 5 hours if not, overnight. I let mine sit overnight. Let the flavors meld, marry, and be merry.
Ingredients
1 Ib flanken-style beef short ribs
4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1/2 white onion – thinly sliced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons gochujang (adjust according to taste/salt/heat if need be)
2 tablespoons sambal oelek
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil (I use Kadoya brand)
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
3 stalks spring onions – finely chopped
1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds – toasted golden brown. (To get that fancy *5-Star* effect, save some for sprinkling on the grilled short ribs just before serving.)
It’s the “little”things…
For the glaze
4 tablespoons of maple syrup
Instructions
1. Prepare all the ingredients. Pat dry the flanken-style short ribs with a paper towel.
2. In a bowl, place the short ribs and mix it well with the apple cider vinegar. Next, add all the ingredients. Mix well. It should look like this. Easy-huh?
3. Marinate the short ribs.
4. Get the grill going on medium high. Grill the short ribs. Leave it alone for about 1 1/2 – 2 minutes.
Flip the meat. Cook for another 2 minutes or so until done. When the short ribs are done, brush maple syrup all over the them. Continue to toss and caramelize the meat on high heat for just a second or two. (And oh, the aromas!) Once you you see nice little chars like these (please refer to the picture), immediately remove the short ribs off the grill.
5. If you have saved some toasted sesame seeds, sprinkle them on the galbi. Serve the galbi right away whilst it’s still hot. I served my galbi with a side of (home-made) chilled crunchy sweet-n-sour) cucumber pickle.
They say a picture speaks a thousand words. Do I have to tell you that this galbi is incredibly tender and juicy?
So what’s the star ingredient of this recipe? The gochujang really gives that kick. It also brings out that deep, spicy, unusual Asian flavor. That’s for sure. A subtle sweetness from the maple syrup, a hint of smokiness from the gochujang mixed with paprika, and the combined savoriness from the other spices and sauces make this galbi highly addictive. It’s the kind of galbi Mr. Chi-Town and I would like to gobble and nibble all day long and forget all about the Super Bowl. And those bits and pieces of toasted sesame seeds? Mind you that as tiny as they are, they impart that nice little ‘open sesame’ explosions here-n-there in the mouth. Enjoy!
Love is already in the air with Get Your Kicks Galbi. Until I return on Valentine’s Day, I have a quick question for all you darlings out there.
Do you have a gochujang or a super flanken-style short beef ribs story to share? Or what’s your Valentine’s Day story?
Much love,
Tee