A couple of weeks ago I came across an article about the Kogi taco truck in California. The Kogi taco truck is a taco truck that serves fusion Korean and Mexican foods in various locations in California letting people know where they will be by way of twitter. Since Korean and Mexican cuisines are among my favorites I immediately went into research mode trying to find out as much as I could about the Kogi taco truck. The Kogi taco trucks main products are Korean BBQ tacos and burritos with the short rib tacos being their signature dish. Since I probably won’t be going to California any time soon I decided to try to create the Kogi taco experience at home and I thought that it would be a good idea to start with the short rib tacos. Of course a quick search of the internet brought up no results as far as Kogi recipes go, so I would have to come up with my own.
I figured that I would start with the most important part of the taco, the Korean BBQ short ribs otherwise known as galbi or kalbi. Kalbi is pretty much just beef short ribs that are marinated and the barbecued and there were no shortage of recipes on the web. One thing that I noticed about a lot of the recipes was that they were similar to the recipe that I used for Bulgogi (Korean BBQ Beef) even to the point of using grated Asian pears and/or apples as a part of the marinade. Having really enjoyed the bulgogi marinade I just decided to use a variant of that to use for the short ribs.
Kogi describes their short ribs being soft and tender and having them until the sugars from the marinade caramelize. I had a sweet marinade with sugars and I left the beef to marinate in it over night to make sure that they would be nice and tender. The Korean BBQ short ribs were pretty easy to cook and they turned out great! I made sure to grill the beef until it started to char and caramelize and doing so added a ton of flavour and a really nice texture to the beef. The short ribs were nice and tender and juicy and the slightly sweet caramelized goodness promised to go well in the spicy bbq short rib tacos.
Kalbi (Korean BBQ Short Ribs)
ingredients
- 2 pounds short ribs (trimmed)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 4 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1 inch ginger (grated)
- 4 green onions (sliced)
- 1/2 onion (grated)
- 1 Asian pear (grated)
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (toasted and crushed)
directions
- Mix the marinade and marinate the ribs over night in the refrigerator.
- Remove the ribs from the marinade discarding the marinade.
- Grill the ribs until they are slightly charred and caramelized on both sides.
The Duo Dishes says
August 21, 2009 at 12:55 amYou're going to have everybody drooling over this! Also: The female half of this Duo is a kogi fan! The male half…not so much. But there is something to be said for Korean bbq. It is delicioso!
Spryte says
August 21, 2009 at 1:48 amThose look fantastic!! I've been dying to try Short Ribs!
We Are Not Martha says
August 21, 2009 at 1:52 amYup, I'm drooling!! I would love to try these out; what a fabulous idea!!
Sues
Linda says
August 21, 2009 at 2:16 amI bet that smells amazing!
Jenn@slim-shoppin says
August 21, 2009 at 2:52 amKevin, do you know if you cook those in the oven how long you would cook them for?
Low heat and long, or broil them??
Looks fantastic!
Cate says
August 21, 2009 at 3:20 amLiving in Seoul, I've eaten my fair share of kalbi… I would cook it at home but there are so many barbecue places (and they're so affordable!) that I think I'll save this recipe for when I miss just being able to walk down the block for barbecue!
Ravenous Couple says
August 21, 2009 at 3:32 amyour kalbi=great!!!! Kogi tacos…meh. over hyped. The use of asian pear is definitely a key ingredient too for tenderizing the meat and adding sweetness.
Katerina says
August 21, 2009 at 3:40 amI have made a version of Korean ribs in the slow cooker that were fantastic, I love the idea of adding pear! Can't wait to see the tacos.
Kerstin says
August 21, 2009 at 3:41 amOh wow, these look amazing! I gotta pass this recipe to my hubby!
Jenn says
August 21, 2009 at 3:46 amI like the food on the kogi truck. The wait ti just a b*tch. LOL. Nice job on the short ribs. I love korean food. I have to try making these at home one of these days.
article marketing says
August 21, 2009 at 5:22 amHi, a wonderful blog with outstanding ebooks! Keep up the good work!
My Asian Kitchen says
August 21, 2009 at 5:25 amgreat recipe Kev!! thank for sharing!!
Jessie says
August 21, 2009 at 6:10 amOMG!!!!Kevin…I live in L.A. and we try to catch Kogi truck on the weekends…especially when we are out in about after bar hoppin' in Hollywood and west L.A. If you are ever in southern Cali you must try them out…Kogi is YUM!!!
another truck I've tried is CalbiBBQ so good!!!and Don Chow Tacos has excellent Chimales (Chinese-Mexican Tamales)along with other yummy food…yup!!! you heard me…they are soooooo GOOD!!!!
Just recently I found out we are going to have on the streets… oh yea! a truck LomoArigato that will cook up Japanese style Peruvian food and NomNomtruck – Vietnamese Bahn Mi sandwiches
Hope you can make it out one day…hope Soon!
ttys,
Jessie
Nina Timm says
August 21, 2009 at 6:35 amI am excited to try this Asian twist on one of my favorite cuts of meat!!!
♥peachkins♥ says
August 21, 2009 at 7:26 amI'm crazy about Korean BBQ..
Anncoo says
August 21, 2009 at 8:03 amOh I remember my Korean friend taught me how to make this…Definitely want to make this again.:D
Jan says
August 21, 2009 at 8:38 amOoohh yum! They look delish!
Tien says
August 21, 2009 at 9:22 amHi, Kevin,
I have been waiting for you to post this dish. Thank you. -Tien
Donna-FFW says
August 21, 2009 at 11:13 amWOW! How gorgeous are these!
Ben says
August 21, 2009 at 12:18 pmThat is an interesting fusion of cuisines… I am very intrigued now.
Alta says
August 21, 2009 at 12:24 pmAwesome job, Kevin! These look delicious. And I'm going to have to make your bibimbap recipe, that looks SO scrumptious. I actually made a version of the Korean BBQ Short Ribs tacos a few weeks ago (blogged about it too!), and I am thinking I'm overdue to make them again! Will definitely make extra just for bibimbap though…if I can keep my hubby away from seconds!
Natashya says
August 21, 2009 at 12:59 pmI have always wanted to try this kind of short ribs. I see the president has this cut of meat – I will try it soon, thanks!
pigpigscorner says
August 21, 2009 at 2:13 pmThey look fantastic!
Cheryl says
August 21, 2009 at 2:17 pmYUM, I have been wanting to make these for a long time but have been too scared!
Jaime and Jen DISH says
August 21, 2009 at 2:27 pmOMG, that looks delicious!!! My filipino friends make these all the time…I have never attempted them but now you have inspired me to do so. Thanks!!
The Bella Girls says
August 21, 2009 at 4:59 pmOh Wow! You've really out-done yourself today. This looks PRIMO! My stomach is growling.
~Camberley
pityenlacocina says
August 21, 2009 at 10:46 pmvery tasty and elicious, i write it down, and will try it very soon,
cheers,
pity
Chef Fresco says
August 21, 2009 at 11:33 pmThose trucks sounds awesome! So does your recipe, of course. You should make a trip to Cali!
Kevin says
August 22, 2009 at 1:01 amJenn@slim-shoppin: I would say preheat the oven and broil them. You want to get slight char or caramelization without drying them out. I would say about 3-6 minutes per side, but keep and eye on them.
Erin says
August 22, 2009 at 1:40 amI'll have to give these a try. They look yummy, plus my husband lived in South Korea for 2 years and will enjoy Korean fare. 🙂
Elra says
August 22, 2009 at 4:41 amI love Kalbi, I always order this at the Korean restaurant. Yours look really delicious Kevin!
meeso says
August 22, 2009 at 3:16 pmInteresting, fusion Korean and Mexican!
meeso says
August 22, 2009 at 3:17 pmGeez, that looks great! Nice flavors!
petite nyonya says
August 22, 2009 at 4:41 pmWow, this is one fantastic ribs!
Pam says
August 23, 2009 at 3:24 pmThese look mighty tasty!
Mrs. L says
August 24, 2009 at 7:21 pmI love Project Kogi. I must eat Project Kogi. Yum.
Michelle says
August 25, 2009 at 10:11 pmLOOKS amazing!!!!
sokeleng says
January 16, 2011 at 9:21 amI like your blog. It is very informative and involves a lot hard work to capture those pictures. You really show you are passionate about food.
The taste of the kalbi rib is awesome! My husband and kids like this dish very much. I used tenderloin pork in replace of beef rib. He said the ginger flavoured rib solve his indigestion problem. I guess he is right, because ginger paste is full of enzyme. I can’t agree with you more, the well toasted sesame seed gives the pork slightly nutty flavour it is very appetising. The shortcoming of this dish is it was it has less sweetness (I didn’t put enough sugar.) The dish was decorated in fusion style ( mixed of Japanese and Korean). I used the kitchen helper a http://www.bakingfrenzy.com/benriner-mandoline-slicer-p-354.html( Benriner mandoline)to shredded some cabbages and put it under the pork. Sweetness of cabbage is good accompaniment for Kalbi sauce.
Kepp up your good work.